The Lamp and the Bell

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!

Genres: Plays, Poetry, Classics, Lesbian, Queer

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet and playwright. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923, the third woman to win the award for poetry, and was also known for her feminist activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work.

This famous portrait of Vincent (as she was called by friends) was taken by Carl Van Vechten in 1933.

Reviews

[tegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

don't test me edna... i WILL weep

"BIA. shall I forget, then, when i am old, i ever was a child?
i tell you i shall never think of you
throughout my life, without such tenderness
as breaks the heart,—and i shall think of you
whenever i am most happy, whenever i am
most sad, whenever i see a beautiful thing.
you are a burning lamp to me, a flame
the wind cannot blow out, and i shall hold you
high in my hand against whatever darkness.

BEA. you are to me a silver bell in a tower.
and when it rings i know i am near home."

"BEA. the way you draw your gloves on is to me
more marvelous than the way the sun comes up!"

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fairy tale drama written by Millay for the students at Vassar College to perform, this is an over-the-top melodrama with love triangles, deathbed vigils, accidental murder, the works, and I loved it. It's beautifully written and Millay knows just which emotional buttons to push.

[Melissa]

As always, these are the energies and writings of a woman who was at once, Euterpe and Athena. If I live to be two hundred, both her works AND the woman herself, shall always hold a place of quiet honour and deep affection in my soul.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This at several points really reminded me of Shakespeare. And I say that as a person who does actually enjoy reading Shakespeare. If you're not familiar/don't enjoy reading scripts I wouldn't say this is one to start with or one that will change your mind. I enjoyed the dialogue, and found the plot paced well but perhaps a bit thin. I think the characters were (unsurprisingly considering the script format and the length of the play) two dimensional, and, honestly, there were more characters than I think the average reader would like to contend with. But I did find myself very moved at times with the emotion of the characters, and I will definitely continue reading Millay's work.

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This five-act play is a pull-out-all-the-stops fairy tale to honor Vassar College on its jubilee. The writing is by turns light-hearted and pathetic. The genius evident in poems she had written by this time is not on display, unless her descriptions of the sports activities the two young women Beatrice and Bianca share (rowing, riding, tennis) really are—as I suspect—full of Shakespeare-worthy double entendres.

[Bruce · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like the idea of the lamp and the bell, but I did not like the play.

[Myrna Azzopardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet story. Should be performed more often as it would introduce children to certain language and themes slowly (such as friendship and unrequited love) and adults may enjoy it as well. Language and imagery used is obviously not very refined but I don't even think that was St. Vincent Millay's intention. Definitely recommend for pre-teens.