I, easy philosopher: who is Andrew Marvell's Upon Appleton House really about?

Abstract

It is generally assumed that the poem is a tribute to General Fairfax and his house and family. While these are important to the poem, as well as weighty political and religious considerations of the time, I wish to argue that it is primarily about the poet himself. Biographical interpretations of Marvell's poetry have been discouraged by some critics but in the case of Upon Appleton House, with its unequivocal references to real people, including Andrew Marvell himself, a strong case can be made for such an interpretation.