19 pages • 38 minutes read
Mary HowittThe Spider And The Fly
Fiction | Poem | Middle Grade | Published in 2002A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Form and Meter
“The Spider to the Fly” is a 44-line narrative poem divided into seven stanzas of unequal length. Stanzas 1-4 are six lines long, while Stanzas 5 and 6 each have eight lines, and the poem ends with a final stanza of four lines. The lines vary slightly in syllabic length (from 12 to 15). However, Howitt’s choice of rhyming couplets, or two-line sets, establishes a consistent rhythm that makes the poem easy to remember. This, along with its defined moral, may explain why it was a popular choice for educational recitation.
The lines use a simple syntax largely consistent with colloquial poetry of the early 19th century. This again is aimed to appeal to the child reader and adds to the ease of memorability. The plot and theme are conveyed by the poem’s form, an exchange of dialogue that illuminates the characters: The more mature and sophisticated Spider uses questions and urging while the less knowledgeable and wary Fly conveys her shock by her repeated exclamations of “Oh, no, no!” (Lines 5, 11, 17). This reveals the motivation of each party and differentiates their responses.
Use of Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is a technique in which human qualities and emotions are given to a nonhuman entity such as an object or animal. In his version of “The Spider and the Fly,” Thomas Hudson shows that the idea of pleasures lured young men. He anthropomorphized pleasure into a spider, a natural creature known to spin webs and devour prey. In his comic song, the spider is portrayed as a feminine figure, perhaps a sex worker. Perhaps Howitt thought that women could be lured by pleasure, particularly women of lesser means faced with wealthier and more worldly males who wished to seduce them.
Howitt reconceptualized Hudson’s spider and fly, reversing the genders of the earlier version. In the Victorian era, one did not openly talk about sexual predators in society. Perhaps anthropomorphism provided a way to code the warning, to offer “A new Version of an old Story.” Anthropomorphism allows the young listener to both distance themselves from the disturbing aspect of the spider’s hunt while also retaining it as a lesson on human behavior. Using the spider’s hostility to the fly made Howitt’s point about human predators visual and concrete, rather than an abstract warning.
The Lulling of the Fly with the Consonance of L
In “The Spider and the Fly,” Spider often uses the repeating consonant of L in his seductive speech, which lulls Fly into ignoring her better judgments. This soft, repetitive sound calms Fly’s fears and seems to suggest Spider’s sincerity. In other words, Spider’s speech helps to lower Fly’s resistance. For example, when Spider invites Fly into his bed, he notes, “if you like to rest awhile, I’ll snugly tuck you in” (Line 10). When offering up goods from his pantry, he notes she’s “very welcome—will you take a slice?” (Line 16). L sounds are used to particular effect when Spider notes that Fly’s eyes are “brilliant” (Line 20) and offers up the “little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf” (Line 21). His final invitation is replete with tempting l sounds: “If you’ll step in one moment, you’ll behold yourself” (Line 23). This is the moment when Fly’s resolve starts to disintegrate. Yes, the mirror is a lure, but the L sounds (which echo words such as like and lovely) seal the deal for Fly, setting up Spider’s final conquest.
