Name : Niyatiben A. Pathak
Roll No.25
Enrollment No.2069108420180042
Topic .
Paper. romantic literature
Submitted to. Department of English MKNU.
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Introduction.....
Discussing prose written by poets, Joseph
Brodsky has
remarked, “the tradition of dividing literature into poetry and prose dates
from the beginnings of prose, since it was only in prose that such a
distinction could be made.” This insight is worth bearing in mind when
considering the various prose works of the poet William
Wordsworth.
Much before William Wordsworth started writing,the early Romantic poets like
James Thomson (1700-48),Oliver
Goldsmith (1728-74),Thomas Chatterton (1752-70),Thomas Gray (1716-71),William Collins-59), William Cowper (1731-1800),George Crabbe (1754-1832),Robert Burns (1759-95), and William Blake (1757-1827) deviated from the neo-classic insistence on
rules. However, Wordsworth is perhaps the only romantic poet who made his
poetic experiences the locus of his critical discourse. Unlike Coleridge, he
was not a theorist. Instead he unravelled before us the workings of the mind of
the poet, and therefore, Wordsworth’s literary criticism ceases to be criticism
in its most literal sense. It comes out as the matrix where the poet’s mind
generates emotions and feelings with that much of intensity and passion
required for transmitting them into poetic experience which forms the basis of
poetic composition. From this perspective, Wordsworth’s Preface to the second
edition of Lyrical Ballads in 1800 can be seen as a poetic
"manifesto," or “statement of revolutionary aims.”[i]
Wordsworth’s
conception of a poet is an important part of his theory of poetry presented in
the Preface to Lyrical Ballads. In the preface, Wordsworth discusses the
definition, qualities and function of a poet.
Wordsworth defines a poet in the
following lines:He is a man speaking to men: a man, it is true, endowed with
more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater
knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, than are supposed to
common among mankind.[ii]
From these lines and from the text we can identify the following qualifications
of a poet.
A poet is a simple
man like other common human beings. This concept actually revolts
against the 18th century glorification of a poet as somebody separate and
different from other human beings.
However, a poet is not ‘‘different in kind from other man,
but only in degree.’’ He has some extra qualities.
A poet is a man possessing a higher
sensibility than others. It helps him
observe and feel things more deeply than others can. By this he reacts more
powerfully to the external impressions.
The poet’s enthusiasm, intense and
keen, takes deep pleasure in the knowledge of the oneness of nature and man.
The poet having ‘a
more comprehensive soul’ shares the
feelings and emotional reactions of other people accurately. He can express
them ever without feeling them directly.
The poet’s imaginative power is greater than average human beings. By this, he can
be “affected by absent things, as if they were present.’’
The poet is not only a man who has a lively sensibility, but one “who has
thought long deep.’’
The poet is not a social instrument but an individual“pleased
with his own passions and volitions.’’ He is not a mere copier, but a
creator. Sensibility becomes more important than rationality.
The end of the poet to write poetry is to give pleasure with a purpose
of enlightening and purifying which is not formally conceived.
A poet is also a teacher. Wordsworth in a letter expressed his
view-“every great poet is a teacher; I wish either to be considered as a
teacher or as nothing.’’ However, pleasure is an essential condition
of poetic teaching. Here we see that Wordsworth is close to the doctrine of
Horace.
The poetic process of Wordsworth
Wordsworth defines poetry as “the
spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings’’ and its origin is in “emotion
recollected in tranquility.’’ At the
first glance, the two contentions may seem contradictory. Because, spontaneity
is a forward process while recollection is a backward process. Therefore, how
the spontaneous poetry is originated from recollected emotion is a question.
There are four stages in the process of poetic creation. These are observation, recollection, contemplation and imaginative excitement.
At the first stage, the poet observes some object, situation or phenomena of nature. However, the poetic expression does not take place at that very moment. Rather the observations are stored in the poet’s heart.
Next, in moments of tranquility, the poet recollectsthose emotions excited by the objects, situations or phenomena.
Then, he contemplates on these emotions.
Consequently, after contemplation, there comes the gradual revival of the “emotion kindred to that which was before the subject of contemplation.” Thus the poet is once again in a similar emotional excitement to what he experienced when he first saw the object. Wordsworth says that “in this mood successful composition generally begins.”
Thus at the moment of creation, the tranquility is replaced by spontaneous emotional excitement of powerful feelings.
James A.W. Haffernan points out that consciousness has a little part to play at the moment of creation, and the poet should abandon to the resurrected passion.
Herbert Read observes, “Good poetry is never an immediate reaction to the provoking cause.”
Wordsworth’s Conception of Poetry: Passion and Reflection Wordsworth propounded his views on poetry, its nature and functions and the qualification of a true poet in his Preface. So far as the nature of poetry is concerned, Wordsworth is of the opinion that “poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Poetry has its origin in the internal feelings of the poet. It is a matter of passion, mood and temperament. Poetry cannot be produced by strictly adhering to the rules laid down by the Classicists. It must flow out naturally and smoothly from the soul of the poet. But it must be noted that good poetry, according to Wordsworth, is never an immediate expression of such powerful emotions. A good poet must ponder over them long and deeply. In the words of Wordsworth, “poetry has its origin in emotions recollected in tranquility.”
Process of Poetic Composition
There are four stages which play a very crucial role in converting an experience into a pleasing composition.
Stage One: Observation
First comesobservation or perception of some object, character or incident which sets up powerful emotions in the mind of the poet.
Stage Two: Recollection
Next comes the contemplation or recollection of that emotion in tranquility. It must be noted that at this stage memory comes into play and brings out what had been lying in the unconscious for days, months or years. A similar kind of incident triggers the poet to visit the past experiences stored in the unexplored regions of his mind.
Stage Three: Filtering
The third stage is that of filtering wherein the poet is purged of non-essential elements and thus makes his experience communicable to all men.
Stage Four: Composition
The fourth stage is when the actual composition begins. The poet seeks to convey his emotions through print and turns into a communicator. In the words of Wordsworth he becomes a man speaking to men. What is important to him is not just expressing his joy but sharing it with his readers. The Solitary Reaper by Wordsworth demonstrates this poetic process.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.[iii]
Themes
The main theme of the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth is that of bliss, or a certain state of natural happiness. Adjacent themes are:
• Man’s relationship with nature
• The effect memories have on people.
Bliss
The poem is mainly about the state of bliss or inner happiness the poet experiences thanks to a group of daffodils which impress him deeply. This inner state of bliss happens almost instantly, even if the poet started off “lonely as a cloud”
Man and Nature
The setting of the poem is very important, as it helps develop the theme of the relationship between man and nature. The poet’s blissful state is not triggered by any event, but by being in nature.
Recollection
The importance of memories and the influence of the past is suggested in the last stanza, in which the poet finds himself in a habitual present, recollecting the image of the daffodils.
Moreover, here you can read useful informations regarding the author’s message.
Solitary reaper .(daffodils)[iv]
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.
No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.
Will no one tell me what she sings?—
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?
Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;—
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more. [v]
THE SOLITARY REAPER is a thoughtful poem on man (human being) and nature. The poet wandering in the hills and valleys of the Scottish Highlands once saw a lovely peasant girl reaping and singing in the field. The sight was pleasing and the sad song appeared enchanting and more moving than the songs of nightingales and cuckoos. The poet tried to get at the meaning of the song which he did not understand: it might be about things long past like battles or some unhappy events; it might be about some matter of common sorrow that had happened and might happen again. The sight and the song have made a deep impression on his mind and will stay in his memory for long.
Summary of the poem
In the year 1803 William Wordsworth toured Scotland with Dorothy Wordsworth and his close friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge as his companions. The sight of reapers in the harvest fields reminded Wordsworth of a sentence in a book by one of his friends: ‘passed a female, who was reaping alone: she sang in Erse as she bent over sickle: the sweetest human voices I ever heard; her strains were tenderly melancholy, and felt delicious long after they were heard mo more’. The poem was thus inspired partly by his own experience and partly by that of his friend. The subject of the poem is familiar scene from rustic life. In order to relate an incident from common life the poet has made use of a language which is used by common people in their everyday life. By doing this, Wordsworth has fulfilled the promise made in the preface to the Lyrical Ballads which is the manifesto of the Romantic Movement.
Once, Wordsworth saw a young girl reaping and singing all alone in a field. The echo of her sweet song was about a battle fought long ago. The song of the solitary reaper was no doubt as sweet as the song of a nightingale which sang from an Oasis in the Arabian Desert. It was certainly more thrilling than the song sung by a cuckoo in the Hebrides. The poet wondered at the subject of her song. Perhaps the subject of the song was a battle fought long ago. Or perhaps she was singing about a humble subject like the sufferings of ordinary people. Whatever might be the subject; the song was spontaneous and seemed to have no end. It impressed the poet so much that he felt thrilled for quite some time. In other words it was an unforgettable experience.
Daffodils' is a best example of Wordsworth's simple poetry style. He has written this poem with more imagination of his own time. By this poem he has told what is poetry. He has defined spontanity and tranquility by this poem. He has observed nature a lot in first three stanza being a cloud that is spontanity and at last he expressed these all experiences in last stanza that is tranquility. So Wordsworth has given a definition of poetry by this poem. The below poem will help us to understand Wordsworth’s poetic creed. “I wandered lonely as a cloud” according to him poem is “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility”. In this poem he describes the beauty of the daffodils He has seen. That gives him pleasure and peace of mind. From the past He comes back to the present and says that whenever he is in passive mood, the sight of the daffodils feels his heart with joy. Daffodils' by wordsworth is perfect example of poetry. this poem has four stanzas and out of four stanzas three stanzas are written in past tense. for eg. "I wandered lonely as a cloud" While final stanza written in present tense. for eg. "for oft when on my couch i lie". that takes it into the present. when we imagine a poet lie on a couch, he recollects the memory of daffodils. which is captured by his inward eyes. When we look at the stanza we find that it would be the better exercise of language and grammar. "my heart with pleasure fills and dances with daffodils" at this time tranquility is vanished. and that spontaneous ovwerflow feeling makes reentry. this poem exactly follows the definition of poetry given by wordsworth.
In the preface to the Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth also discusses the function of poetry. The function of great poetry is "to please, to move, and to transport." The three functions of poetry fuse into an aesthetic pleasure with moral elevation. However, the moral elevation far outweighs the aesthetic pleasure. The moral function consists first 'in the refinement of feelings', second, 'in the knowledge of Man, Nature, and Human life', and third, 'in the power that makes life richer and fuller.'
"Truth, Grandeur, Beauty, Love and Hope,
And melancholy Fear subdued by Faith."
The reader of poetry emerges saner and purer than before. The second great function of poetry is to enable us to look 'into the life of things.' While science sharpens our intellect, poetry enriches our moral insight. The moral force of poetry 'is felt in the blood, and felt along the heart'. So Wordsworth says:
"Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge; it is the impassioned expression which is in the countenance of all science."
Finally, poetry provides shelter and succor to the afflicted human soul. It is a great force for good and welfare. Wordsworth's own object in writing poetry was 'to console the afflicted; to add sunshine to day light by making the happy happier; to teach the young and the gracious of every age to see, to think, and feel, and therefore to become more actively and securely virtuous.'
Thus Wordsworth concludes that 'every great poet is a teacher; I wish either to be considered as a teacher or as nothing'. In this role poetry makes man "wiser, better and happier".
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[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wordsworth
[ii] http://www.bartleby.com/39/36.html
[iii] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45521/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud
[iv] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JrUAmrELLY
[v] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45554/the-solitary-reaper
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