1. The Old Familiar Faces Charles Lamb

2. Biography Charles LAMB (1775-1834)
English writer, poet and essayist during the Romantic period
Part of a literary circle with famous romantic writers such as: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor.
Best known for his Tales From Shakespeare. In fact, first published by William Godwin, Mary Shelley's father.
In 1796, Charles' sister suffered from a mental disorder and stabbed their mother. She is sent to a mental hospital.
As far as the poem is concerned, the death of his mother highly contributed to his motivation to write it.

3. The Old Familiar Faces Title: Evoques nostalgia, friendship, memories
I have had playmates, I have had companions,
In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
I have been laughing, I have been carousing,
Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies--
I loved a Love once, fairest among women:
Closed are her doors on me, I must not see her--
I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man:
Like an ingrate, I left my friend abruptly;
Left him, to muse on the old familiar faces.
Looking back on schooldays (positive)
Looking back on old friends (=literary circle?)
Title: Evoques nostalgia, friendship, memories
Form / connotation : Composed of 7 stanzas, each containing 3 lines (tercets), an elgy
Long vowel sounds
No rhymes
1st person narrator creates proximity/ empathy with author
Looking back on past relationships (love)
Looking back on past relationships (freindship)
Ghost-like I paced round the haunts of my childhood,
Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse,
Seeking to find the old familiar faces.
Friend of my bosom, thou more than a brother,
Why wert not thou born in my father's dwelling?
So might we talk of the old familiar faces--
How some they have died, and some they have left me,
And some are taken from me; all are departed--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
Looking back on childhood (negative)
Expressing regret and affection for friend
All have left, departed

4. Themes: Nostalgia Lexcical field of nostalgia
I have had playmates, I have had companions,
In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
I have been laughing, I have been carousing,
Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies--
I loved a Love once, fairest among women:
Closed are her doors on me, I must not see her--
I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man:
Like an ingrate, I left my friend abruptly;
Left him, to muse on the old familiar faces.
Lexcical field of nostalgia
Postive + Negative tones expressing happiness and sadness and regret
4 anaphoras « all all are gone »
7 epistrophes « old familiar faces »
Metaphor « closed her doors on me »
Similie / Hyperbole « earth seemed a desert.. »
Shifts in verb form :
Past tense
Present tense (present perfect = unspecific period in time)
= all are gone, but memory still lies
Ghost-like I paced round the haunts of my childhood,
Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse,
Seeking to find the old familiar faces.
Friend of my bosom, thou more than a brother,
Why wert not thou born in my father's dwelling?
So might we talk of the old familiar faces--
How some they have died, and some they have left me,
And some are taken from me; all are departed
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
To carouse = drink and make merry

5. Themes: Relationships; friendship and love
I have had playmates, I have had companions,
In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
I have been laughing, I have been carousing,
Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies--
I loved a Love once, fairest among women:
Closed are her doors on me, I must not see her--
I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man:
Like an ingrate, I left my friend abruptly;
Left him, to muse on the old familiar faces.
His relations, love and friendship
Postitive :
« joyful school days » in the days of childhood
Superlatives « fairest of young women », « a kinder friend has no man »
« friend of my bosom, thou art more than a brother » - « thou »
Negative :
Anaphora/ repetition « drinknig late, sitting late » = negative connotation, once the evening is over, they have left
Metaphor « closed her doors on me »
Adjectives/ lexical field « left abruptly », « haunts of my childhood », « paced »
« some they have died… »
=> He is « seeking to find » the old familiar faces he once cherished
Ghost-like I paced round the haunts of my childhood,
Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse,
Seeking to find the old familiar faces.
Friend of my bosom, thou more than a brother,
Why wert not thou born in my father's dwelling?
So might we talk of the old familiar faces--
How some they have died, and some they have left me,
And some are taken from me; all are departed--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
Cronie = close friend or companion

6. Themes: Death, loss and regret
I have had playmates, I have had companions,
In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
I have been laughing, I have been carousing,
Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies--
I loved a Love once, fairest among women:
Closed are her doors on me, I must not see her--
I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man:
Like an ingrate, I left my friend abruptly;
Left him, to muse on the old familiar faces.
No rhymes, informal tone
Lexical field of regret
Similie « ingrate » = someone who does not show proper appreciation or thanks for something
Shift stanza 6, « you », asks question directly to reader
Lexical field of death and loss
Imagery/simile: « ghost-like » , « desert » = lonliness
Feminine endings (stressed the unstressed sylable) = haunting quality = > link to female tragedy of mother and sister
= looking back on life full of loss and regret
situations generalised to fit in any man’s situation, first person naration
Ghost-like I paced round the haunts of my childhood,
Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse,
Seeking to find the old familiar faces.
Friend of my bosom, thou more than a brother,
Why wert not thou born in my father's dwelling?
So might we talk of the old familiar faces--
How some they have died, and some they have left me,
And some are taken from me; all are departed--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
The first published version of poem begins:
Why are they gone, the old familiar faces?
I had a mother, but she died, and left me,
Died prematurley in days of horrors 
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces

7. Links with Blake and Frankenstien
I have had playmates, I have had companions,
In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
I have been laughing, I have been carousing,
Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies--
I loved a Love once, fairest among women:
Closed are her doors on me, I must not see her--
I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man:
Like an ingrate, I left my friend abruptly;
Left him, to muse on the old familiar faces.
Frankenstien who had a happy childhood with many « playmates » and « companions »
The Garden of Love: innocence, play, happiness
The Chimney Sweeper: loss of innocence
Frankenstien who loved Elizabeth, who « closed her doors on him »
Henry Clerval, Frankenstiens closest friend who he « left abrubtly » «  like an igrate »
Ghost-like I paced round the haunts of my childhood,
Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse,
Seeking to find the old familiar faces.
Friend of my bosom, thou more than a brother,
Why wert not thou born in my father's dwelling?
So might we talk of the old familiar faces--
How some they have died, and some they have left me,
And some are taken from me; all are departed--
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
Regret, despair that Victor feels looking back on the « haunts » of his actions.
« I walked about like a restless spectre », « I wandered like an evil spirit »
Regret, despair that Victor feels looking back on all the ones he loved that « taken from him » .