Abstract
It' surprising that Stephen E. Severn' article “The Library of Congress Variant of ‘The Shield of Achilles’” (124.5 [2009]: 1761-67), so earnestly devoted to explaining in detail a variant word in a handwritten copy of a poem, should misquote four lines about which there is no dispute. Auden' “unintelligible multitude” in “The Shield of Achilles” is here assembled on a “plane without feature, bare and brown” (1762). How could a million “eyes” and “boots in line” possibly fit, much less stand, on that brown plane–or in it? And why is it “bare”? The line, of course, should read (and does in all editions), “A plain without a feature….”
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
