Poetic Legacies
Poetry is perhaps the hallmark of the Romantic era. Poetic titans such as Williams Wordsworth, Percey Shelley, and John Keats rose to fame during this time; however, it was not simply their poems that made them famous but their revolutionary ideas surrounding poetry which have left a lasting impact on the genre. Each poet had his own unique definition of poetry and belief of who could be a poet, yet many of their ideologies overlapped, which has helped form many classic romanticism tropes and themes. William Wordsworth is arguably the most well known and influential of the romantic poets. When Wordsworth first began publishing his poems, England hadn’t read anything like them before. There was a nostalgic quality about them, yet this nostalgic quality which is most often focused on experiencing nature becomes not only one of Wordsworth’s signature subjects but also a major theme of romanticism. Likewise, Percery Shelley was seen as one of the most radical poets during the Romantic period in philosophy and political beliefs, which he openly expressed in his poems. Keats, though under-appreciated during his lifetime, was a very diligent poet who ended up contributing a lot to the Romantic poetic tradition. In the following paper I will examine Wordsworth’s I wandered as lonely as a cloud, Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind as well as Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale and illustrate how they all share romantic notions of nature as the ultimate Truth and Spirit, poetry as a form of emotional expression, as well as the importance of the sublime and imagination.
In Wordsworth’s poem I wandered as lonely as a cloud, the theme of melancholy, as well as Nature being the ultimate truth as well as a nature being the birthplace of inspiration and imagination are the main driving forces behind the poem. The first stanza paints a simplistic yet awe-inspiring picture of a field of flowers. The opening line, which is where the poem derives its name, “I wandered as lonely as a cloud”, creates a melancholy atmosphere that is rooted in nature (345). The poet’s journey is one of solitude. This creates an aura of melancholy throughout the poem which is a staple of Gothic Romanticism as well as Romanticism as a general movement. Yet it is due to this solitude that allows the poet to find connection and freedom, in nature, and share these universal truths with greater society. Wordsworth speaks of this poetic unity in his preface to Lyrical Ballads, saying that, “the poet, sing[s] a son in which all human beings join with him, rejoices in the presence of truth as our visible friend and hourly companion” (312). Unlike the trees, which are grounded and firmly embedded in the earth, a cloud is free to roam the earth absorbing the beauty of nature; Wordsworth sees himself, and the poet as untethered which provides a sense of freedom to wander the planet as a diligent observer and scribe of the wisdom that natural environment provides. The third stanza illustrates the poet’s commitment to their search for a Universal Truth which can only be found in nature saying, “a poet could not be but gay; in such a jocund company: I gazed—and gazed—but little thought what wealth the show to me had brought” (346). Entranced by this “host, of golden daffodils” which is as “continuous as the stars that shine” Wordsworth notes that for the poet, it is nearly impossible for them not to find fulfillment or joy in nature (346). Not only does this line suggest that the poet finds fulfillment in nature, but it also suggests that there is an inherent connection between the poet and nature, but that the beauty of nature holds a veracity that enriches human life and emotion. This concept the poet has an instinctual connection to nature and that nature holds within itself a Universal Truth becomes a staple theme of romanticism. The last stanza of the poem expresses how Wordsworth believes that nature is the true source of all poetic inspiration. He writes, “when on my couch I lie in a vancent or pensive mood, they flash upon my inward eye which the bliss of solitude; and then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils” (346). When in a sober or uninspired state of mind, the poet Wordsworth, is able to recall this memory of the ‘daffodils dancing’ and spark his imagination, flooding his body and soul with thought.
Shelley’s poem Ode to the West Wind explores romantic themes such as the supernatural, nature as the ultimate Being, as well as poetry being the essence of truth. The mystic tone of the poem is immediately evident as Shelley writes in the first stanza, “O Wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being, Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing” (806). Shelley compares the West Wind to an invisible spirit, thus keeping with the Gothic Romantic theme that nature possesses supernatural aspects which creates a juxtaposition between what is natural and what is unnatural. It also causes the reader to question whether the lines between natural and supernatural are more blurred than they might originally believe. Shelley is also able to create an aura of mysteriousness and fear using words like “corpse”, “grave” as well making allusions to Greek goddesses like Maenad. This theme of nature obtaining unknown and mystical powers is further elaborated on in the first stanza’s final couplet, as Shelley describes the simply raw strength of nature declaring, “Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere; Destroyer and Preserver; hear, O hear!” (806). Not only is nature a spirit but it is wild, unable to be tamed by man, rather it is nature that can eradicate or preserve man—it is the ultimate Being. In the fourth section of the poem Shelley writes, “the impulse of thy strength, only less free than thou, O Uncontrollable!’ (807). The poem resolves that nature is ultimately the most powerful Being both in the material world and the spiritual world. This makes nature, within itself, inherently poetic under Shelley’s definition of what poetry truly is. In his essay “A Defense of Poetry” Shelley states that “a poem is the very image of life in its eternal truth” (875); likewise he believes that the “poetry is indeed something divine” (879). Poetry isn’t limited to words in Shelley’s mind, but can be any image of life or anyone or object that communicates the truth. For the Romantic poets one of the purest embodiments that can communicate the truth is nature itself, a theme that is seen in almost every Romantic poets’ work.
Keats poem Ode to a Nightingale is a beautiful illustration of how Romantic poetry and poets find deliverance in nature as well as poetry and the imperfect aspects of time. The poem opens with the narrator crying out in “drowsy numbness” (977). The tone that is set in this opening line is one of desperation and melancholy—a theme that is commonly seen in Gothic Romanticism. It is evident that the speaker is craving an escape from some form of emotional oppression. As Keats begins the fourth stanza it seems that he has found this deliverance in the nightingale. He calls out, “Away! Away! For I will fly to thee” (978). Via nature and writing Keats is able to be emancipated from his troubles, this is a theme that is also explored in many of the Revolutionary writings that were taken place during the Romantic period. Keats was constantly looking for a way to relieve his anxiety over his short life. He came up with a term which he coined “negative capacity”. In a letter to his brother he defines this phrase saying, “that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without irritable reaching after fact and reason” (1017). Embracing the concept of the unknown and uncertain was imperative to Keats, especially since he so fervently believed that he was going to live a short life. This often leads to moments of interruption or opposition in his poems. The closing lines of the poem are an example of this stating, “was it a vision, or a waking dream? Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?” (979). The poem ends with time in opposition with itself. The narrator is in an in-between state, not fully awake or fully asleep but rather embracing uncertain vision.
While the poetic legacies that wrote during the Romantic era all had their own slightly varying view on poetry, there are overall themes that are able to connect all Romantic writers poetic and non-poetic to the Romantic movement. The importance of nature as a source of inspiration and truth can be seen in poetry and prose, it is even seen in the Gothic area as a source of fear as well as a vessel for the supernatural. Likewise in the Revolutionary era writers thought long and hard about what makes a human being a human. They questioned their authority figures and fought for basic rights. Romantic poets can be seen questioning the core of poetry as well as making poetry less aristocratic and more available to the common man. The poets wrote with compassion and empathy which was a tactic that the abolitionist writers used to evoke an emotional response out of their readers in an attempt for them to turn against slavery. While each aspect of the Romantic movement had its own personality traits they all contributed to the umbrella that is Romanticism.
