The Romantic Movement was one that often presented the natural world in its works. The natural world was often used as a way to interrogate the sublime as well as personal identity. In James Hogg’s short story ‘Storms’ and John Clare’s poem ‘The Mouse’s Nest’ the natural world is the focus of the work. However, both these writers present the concept of the natural world in vastly different ways. While Hogg’s short story presents a violent, dangerous and destructive force, Clare writes of a softer, seemingly gentler, world which works on a smaller scale than that of a storm. That is not to say that these two interpretations are incompatible, but rather that they are opposite sides of the same concept, and present different but entwined representations …show more content…
He writes this while the shepherds are in the depths of a storm, in a situation of life and death, but treats this as an opportunity that even the most powerful members of society have no share in. It’s interesting that he chooses to write ‘kings and conquerors’ as this allows the statement to encompass a spectrum of power. Not only are conquerors, those that take power, denied what these shepherds have, but so are Kings, those that inherit power, denied this. The suggestion here is that this is something which man’s definitions of power have no place in. In this period of history, divine right of kings had long since been questioned, and this quotation seems to be an indication of this. Sublimity, divinity, was not something that could be taken or inherited but earned and discovered. This may also be an indication of the virtues in a simple life, a live surrendered to the whims of nature, and its place as inherently more spiritual than the earthly concerns of kings and conquerors. It seems counter-intuitive that the shepherd’s would find such comfort in sleep in the middle of a storm but it is this duality to nature that is so interesting. What can be so frightening, so destructive, is also something that can lift the mind and soul into the
...f the natural” (Abbey 6) then proceeds to personify everything around him from ravens that “croak harsh clanking sounds of smug satisfaction” (Abbey 16), to a Juniper tree that might be mad, or simply suffering “an internal effort at liberation” (Abbey 27). While Abbey explores the contradiction of man and nature merged, yet separate, McCandless frequently re-shapes his paradigm to incorporate discovery. Non-adherence to predetermined configurations allows both men to have the relationships they seek with wilderness and industrial society. We see on close inspection that what at first appears to be a contradiction is actually a purposeful non-conformity that allows each man to tailor his experience.
Throughout the Romanticism period, human’s connection with nature was explored as writers strove to find the benefits that humans receive through such interactions. Without such relationships, these authors found that certain aspects of life were missing or completely different. For example, certain authors found death a very frightening idea, but through the incorporation of man’s relationship with the natural world, readers find the immense utility that nature can potentially provide. Whether it’d be as solace, in the case of death, or as a place where one can find oneself in their own truest form, nature will nevertheless be a place where they themselves were derived from. Nature is where all humans originated,
The poem “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant reveals a very unusual aspect of nature. While most people think of nature as beauty and full of life, Bryant takes a more interesting approach to nature. He exposes a correlation between nature, life, death, and re-birth. Using nature as a foothold, Bryant exercises methods such as tone, setting, and imagery in a very intriguing way while writing “Thanatopsis.”
More than 150 years have passed since the peak of the romantic era. The world has inconceivably reached heights unknown seemingly at the expense of nature. The very paper that this has been written on has come at the killing of countless trees. It seems that in the war between the genius against the noble savage, the scientist against the romantic, man against nature, those who believe in nature have lost all the battles. However war is not always starkly clear. The complex relation between man and nature creates a base for conflicts and resolutions between human and nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and the film Beasts of the Southern Wild. Despite seeming to be on the losing foot, it is nature that wins the war ultimately.
In ‘All the Pretty Horses’ Luis states ‘among men there was no such communion as among horses and the notion that men can be understood at all was probably an illusion’, by this he means the relationship man has with nature is totally unique, it is sacred; the relationship between men is a misapprehension. In some respects the reader may agree with the statement because it is true, man’s relationship with animals and nature is fairly simple compared to man’s relationship amongst each other which is far more complex due to conflict of opinion and other complications. John Grady Cole’s relationship with Alejandra faced much turmoil and complication, one of the biggest issues they faced was the fact Alejandra’s family condemned their relationship and forbid her to be with him. To a certain extent John’s romance with Alejandra mirrors Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in respects to their forbidden love, however their story does not end in tragedy. Wordsworth shows nature to be more of a companion for man in ‘The Solitary Reaper’. The woman reaps the crops alone in the field singing with a voice so ‘thrilling’ it resonates ‘Long after it was heard no more’. Although she is lonely, she is wholly reliant upon the sustenance she receives and the relationship she has with nature. The poet proceeds to compare her to the Cuckoo and the Nightingale stating ‘No Nightingale did ever chaunt more welcome notes to weary bands’ being compared to birds with such beautiful song surely displays her oneness with nature. Unlike the ‘maiden’ Victor tries to control and dominate nature, this resentment could stem from the fact his mother died of the fever, making him go to extreme lengths in constructing this figure from different body parts to create a cre...
Richard Wilbur's recent poem 'Mayflies' reminds us that the American Romantic tradition that Robert Frost most famously brought into the 20th century has made it safely into the 21st. Like many of Frost's short lyric poems, 'Mayflies' describes one person's encounter with an ordinary but easily overlooked piece of nature'in this case, a cloud of mayflies spotted in a 'sombre forest'(l.1) rising over 'unseen pools'(l.2),'made surprisingly attractive and meaningful by the speaker's special scrutiny of it. The ultimate attraction of Wilbur's mayflies would appear to be the meaning he finds in them. This seems to be an unremittingly positive poem, even as it glimpses the dark subjects of human isolation and mortality, perhaps especially as it glimpses these subjects. In this way the poem may recall that most persistent criticism of Wilbur's work, that it is too optimistic, too safe. The poet-critic Randall Jarrell, though an early admirer of Wilbur, once wrote that 'he obsessively sees, and shows, the bright underside of every dark thing'?something Frost was never accused of (Jarrell 332). Yet, when we examine the poem closely, and in particular the series of comparisons by which Wilbur elevates his mayflies into the realm of beauty and truth, the poem concedes something less ?bright? or felicitous about what it finally calls its 'joyful . . . task' of poetic perception and representation (l.23).
By analyzing the structure, the reader encounters the imagination and individuality prized by the Romantics. In addition, an examination of the literary devices presents the reader with the personal connection Romantic writers longed to have with nature. Lastly, the content of these pieces proved to be intertwined and demonstrated the desire to spread creativity and inspiration to others. As said by Michelle Williams “Everything’s connected, and everything has meaning if you look for it”
Within “twenty love poems and a song of despair” written by poet Pablo Neruda, nature seems to be used as a device to put across the meaning of the poems to the audience through conventions such as metaphors, personification, pathetic fallacy and man y others that will be discussed below. The use of nature as a big theme throughout the poems can be linked back to Neruda’s life. It is widely known that Neruda travelled to many countries for various reasons and whilst there, he enjoyed visiting many of the locations that were nature based including the sea, the mountains and the fields. References to these as devices can be seen throughout the poems.
The political, ideological, and economic climate of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was ideal for allowing the Romantic Revolution to take hold and flourish. It began primarily in England and France, but soon spread to much of Europe and to the United States. This essay will focus on the Romantic’s relationship with the natural world, their distaste for the Industrial Revolution, and how the Romantic poets valued imagination and emotional connections. The Romantics had a lasting impact on European and American society, political ideals, and the regard we hold for ideals and values such as nature and childhood. The Romantic’s ideas ran counter to much of the thinking of the intellectual community and to the values of industry and government of the time. By changing and challenging the minds of the masses to think differently they created a revolution in literature.
John Clare’s “The Mouse’s Nest” introduces the setting of the story in the first line, “the hay.” All of the 14 lines have ten syllables; some lines are in iambic pentameter, which contains an unaccented followed by an accented stress. This consistency of the rhyme indicates the steady life of the rural life Clare presents. The “a” sound of the simple words “grass” and “hay” seems to be similar in meaning, which reflects the simplicity of life in this rural environment. The observer’s point of view seems to be close when he sees the ball of grass. But in line 2, he “passed and went away,” indicating a shift in perspective as if there is nothing going on. The assonance of “as” and “passed” highlights the observer’s ignorance, as if his focus is not on the grass ball anymore.
Nature has long been the focus of many an author's work, whether it is expressed through poetry, short stories, or any other type of literary creation. Authors have been given an endless supply of pictures and descriptions because of nature's infinite splendor that can be vividly reproduced through words. It is because of this fact that often a reader is faced with two different approaches to the way nature is portrayed. Some authors tend to look at nature from a more extensive perspective as in William Wordsworth's "I wandered Lonely as a Cloud." While some authors tend to focus more on individual aspects of nature and are able to captivate the reader with their intimate portrayals of nature that bring us right into their imaginations as shown in John Keats' poem, "To Autumn."
The Romantic movement of poets in the nineteenth century marked a movement from the earlier thinking of the poets and writers of the Enlightenment. Enlightenment writers saw nature as a prime example of scientific principals, and as an orderly representation of the universe. In contrast, Romantic writers viewed nature as the representation of God’s power and God’s presence in the living and natural universe a source of both inspiration and emotion and that it resembled the most perfect state man could be in also known as the Sublime. The Romantic views on nature can be best demonstrated in my opinion the poetry of Wordsworth and Shelley.
Nature is often a focal point for many author’s works, whether it is expressed through lyrics, short stories, or poetry. Authors are given a cornucopia of pictures and descriptions of nature’s splendor that they can reproduce through words. It is because of this that more often than not a reader is faced with multiple approaches and descriptions to the way nature is portrayed. Some authors tend to look at nature from a deeper and personal observation as in William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, while other authors tend to focus on a more religious beauty within nature as show in Gerard Manley Hopkins “Pied Beauty”, suggesting to the reader that while to each their own there is always a beauty to be found in nature and nature’s beauty can be uplifting for the human spirit both on a visual and spiritual level.
The poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth is about the poet’s mental journey in nature where he remembers the daffodils that give him joy when he is lonely and bored. The poet is overwhelmed by nature’s beauty where he thought of it while lying alone on his couch. The poem shows the relationship between nature and the poet, and how nature’s motion and beauty influences the poet’s feelings and behaviors for the good. Moreover, the process that the speaker goes through is recollected that shows that he isolated from society, and is mentally in nature while he is physically lying on his couch. Therefore, William Wordsworth uses figurative language and syntax and form throughout the poem to express to the readers the peace and beauty of nature, and to symbolize the adventures that occurred in his mental journey.
Through the ingenious works of poetry the role of nature has imprinted the 18th and 19th century with a mark of significance. The common terminology ‘nature’ has been reflected by our greatest poets in different meanings and understanding; Alexander Pope believed in reason and moderation, whereas Blake and Wordsworth embraced passion and imagination.