Belinda's Bedroom

The first canto is set in Belinda's privy chamber (what we would today call a bedroom). The bedchamber was reserved for activities like sleeping and getting dressed, or would be occupied when one was ill. This is a private and intimate space into which guests were never admitted. For a young unmarried woman like Belinda, no one would have been allowed into this room other than herself, her serving maids, and her most intimate friends. Using it as a setting creates an immediate sense of intimacy between Belinda and the reader.

The Bank of the Thames

The second canto is, conversely, set in a public place: in and on the Thames river. The Thames is a river which runs through London, and which has long been a symbol of the city. English poets particularly used it to represent both the good and bad aspects of English and...