Poetic Anthology of the Romantic Movement

The Romantic movement refers to a period in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, which led to a surge of interest in the artistic and intellectual movement, described by Berlin (2013) as ‘the greatest single shift in the consciousness of the West that has occurred.’ This was a ‘reactionary response against the scientific rationalisation of nature during the Enlightenment, commonly expressed in literature, music, paintings, and drama (Rees, 1982).’ In addition, nature alludes to the notion of pantheism ‘where God or a divine creative force is inherent within nature or even the creative power of man himself (Isnard et al., 1992).’ The poems I have chosen for my poetry anthology, involve the celebration of the beauty of nature in its various dimensions or the intense relationship between nature’s spirit and human experience; collectively helping to appeal the poet’s experiences and ideas about nature.

I have decided to begin my anthology with the works of the Romantic poet and visionary William Blake, who was regarded as one of the most significant and original Romantic poets of the eighteenth-century (Wikipedia, 2013). Acknowledged to be ‘the most anthologised poem in English (Eaves, 2003),’ The Tyger (1794) is part of ‘The songs of Experience’ collection, which was a more mature piece of work highlighting the poets’ outlook on his life and the nature of creation. According to Hirsch (1964), the combination of the tones of terror and the feeling of reverence at someone that could create the tiger and the lamb enables the poet to ‘celebrate the divinity and beauty of the creation and its transcendence of human good and evil without relinquishing the Keatsian awareness that miseries of the world are misery.’

Through this eminently symbolic poem, Blake’s strong vision of a creative force allowed him to incorporate his own personal philosophy of the spiritual and intellectual revolution, driven by individuals by using the tiger as a ‘symbol of divine spirit’ that isn’t restricted to the established rules (Adams, 1963)’. Blake’s simplicity in language and structure negates his complex ideas but allows him to achieve greater power further, through the use of alliteration such as “frame” and “fearful” which links to imagery like “burning” and “fire,” to create lyrical emotion. Although the poem seems to have a few lacking narrative movements, the continuous repetitive questioning gives a direct address to the creature but it also allows readers to become familiar with the unconventional meaning and stresses, which provides limited significance on its symbolism. Thus, this poem can be interpreted as causing readers to adhere to this continuous, divergent and pointless quest in provoking the reader’s emotional and mental stagnation.

Alternatively, the next poem within the collection is I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (1807) which offers a careful expression of Wordsworth’s emotions, through embracing and incorporating the Romantic’s philosophy of nature, his own life, and personal experiences. Wordsworth’s choice of language urges him to personify nature in a vivid way, such as the daffodils “tossing their heads and sprightly dance” and this helps us visualise the daffodil’s beauty luring him into a state of deep mourning of how humanity restored to depraving nature. Inspiration is drawn from nature’s beauty, so the narrator can experience a meaningful and personal emotion, which is reinforced with the subliminal imagery of the daffodils. The poem’s style can be interpreted as being Wordsworthian because it allows the poet to recollect emotions and portray nature as a permanent reconciliation between his two roles as a philosopher and a poet (Beamingnotes, 2018). Geoffrey Durrant asserts that the poem is ‘an account of the experience of poetic creation (Durrant, 1969).’ However, it is also important to consider that the daffodils can be used as motifs of understanding other people’s state of mind. In this case, the narrator becomes an isolated individual at first but later becomes enraptured by nature’s delight, whenever he experiences loneliness. Therefore, Wordsworth explores the impact of nature on humans, through the expression of the poet’s sentiment and how nature will always have an everlasting effect on him.

The third poem in the collection is To Autumn (1819) which has three tightly interwoven stanzas, offering to show Keats’s admiration and how he expresses the beauty of nature in its genuine and artistic forms. As the poem develops, this is evident when Keats’s memories of a walk he had once been taken in complete solitude (Jones 1969). Keat’s multisensory language seems to erupt with ‘nature’s fecundity (crossref-it.info, 2019).’ This is demonstrated through the use of concrete nouns of “flowers” and “trees” as well as monosyllabic verbs such as “plump” and “blend” conveying the sublimity of nature and the season’s energy. Additionally, the use of the archaic diction “thy” and “thou” focuses on the celestial being of autumn, which can be inferred that the capability of the season is to capture humanity’s attention. The consistent structure of the poem follows a repetitive rhyme scheme pattern due to its form as an ode, which helps split the three stanzas into distinct thematic sections, enabling the poet to focus his attention on different ideas. Hence, this poem is one of Keat’s ‘traditional’ views about the beauty of nature and his powerful use of rich sensuous imagery helps readers create a meaningful image in their creative mind.

Correspondingly, Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind (1819) also includes vivid natural imagery and just like Keats, Shelley reflects on the transitory of nature and he believes that nature plays a key role in having a healing influence on humans. This is demonstrated when he urges the “west wind” that plays the role of being nature’s most dynamic agent, to take away all of his old dead thoughts like “withered leaves” so he can start a new peaceful life.

In regards to the poem’s language, Shelley uses dark imagery to depict the seasonal change, as the persona addresses that Autumn brings in death and misery as opposed to Spring’s “thine azure sister” which comes to rejuvenate the fallen seeds and bring in new life. Moreover, the poem follows a large rhyming scheme, combined with Shakespearean sonnet couplet and this gives the poem a cyclical and interwoven form, giving the reader’s a reflection on the nature theme (Greenblatt, 2012). This poem is reminiscent of nature having a divine presence, as Shelley depicts this by referring to the West Wind as a “wild spirit.” This has strong links with Spinoza’s theory about pantheism, as Moreau (1995) defines it as being ‘a doctrine in which God is identified with the whole of nature,’ indicating that there is an ‘immanent God within’ as opposed to the exalted God in Christianity which is outside the universe.

For the fifth poem in my anthology, I have chosen the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, as he merges his poem The Nightingale(1843), to elucidate a limited vision about the way nature is portrayed through the figure of the nightingale, more commonly depicted as a ‘melancholic bird (Poemanalysis, 2017). Throughout the poem, Coleridge justifies why the nightingale should be celebrated as a ‘merry’ bird. As Doggett (1974) argues, the singing bird has an inspiration that is traditionally personified, including a pure poetic voice, a lyrical poem, love, and the soul. The conversational figure is a normal and not a figurative person, as they are more involved ‘in reminiscence and anecdotal discussion of everyday, domestic activities.’ This infers that the speaker will have to direct the reader, as the nightingale will become the target of observation.

The poem’s high lyrical voice adds a notably stylised effect, which is subdued by alliteration, “shapes sounds shifting elements” and assonance, as Coleridge believed that the sublimity of nature wasn’t justified by common diction. Constructed in the blank verse form in iambic pentameter, the poem follows a similar tripartite structure to Keat’s To Autumn (1819) but all the parts are independent of each other, yet the theme of nature merges these parts. According to Barbarese (1997), the poem isn’t resistant from the imminent critiques of the poem as the use of motifs and warped ‘transitions’ have failed to prevent criticism. Nonetheless, Coleridge has still succeeded in interpreting the idea that there are two worlds for a Romantic poet; one where matters of nature can be observed by the people and the poet before he is elevated and the other being the predominant spirit of nature elevating the poet’s imagination, leading to the molding of both worlds (Potkay, 2009). Thus, Coleridge’s admiration for nature was conveyed through vivid descriptions of the nightingale and its musicality and this further supports the reader in understanding Coleridge’s intention of describing nature in such a distinct way, in order to depict its accurate meaning.

Overall, I believe that these poems epitomise the central theme of nature in Romantic poetry, through the different perceptions and views of both the poet and reader alike. The concept of nature works in creating a vision of happiness and Romantic poets state that nature has entrusted a strenuous amount of delight to mankind. For William Blake, he believes that nature’s concept is being isolated from humanity’s imagination, through enriching vision and being aware of your own existence, which prevents humanity’s downfall. Similarly, William Wordsworth also believes in the isolation of imagination, while John Keats celebrates nature for its sensuous appeal. Poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Samuel Taylor Coleridge share a similar romantic passion for the idea of pantheism. While Shelley might recognise that not all of nature’s power carries positivity, it can be argued that all five Romantic poets have used rural settings and descriptions of the beauty of nature, in order to celebrate nature in its various forms. Furthermore, I believe that my choice of poems depicts the theme of nature as a great source of inspiration through the use of simplistic language and symbolism to personify nature.