Tintern Abbey p 235 Nature Poetry of Romantic
“Tintern Abbey” p. 235
Nature Poetry of Romantic Period • Treats rustic/natural subject matter with high seriousness • Antithetical to Enlightenment emphasis on human civilization • Rooted in 17 th and 18 th century art, landscaping, and tourism
Landscape Painting
Landscaping and Gardening
Tourism
Romantic Aesthetics The “Beautiful” and the “Sublime” • Beautiful – Calm, soothing, pleasant, secure • Sublime – Awe-inspiring, mysterious, terrible, infinite/eternal
“Tintern Abbey” The Beautiful and the Sublime
What features of the natural landscape does the speaker describe? • “Beautiful” features – Line 4— “soft inland murmur” – Line 8— “quiet of the sky”
What features of the natural landscape does the speaker describe? • “Beautiful” features – Lines 10 -14— speaker “reposes” in an orchard on “cottage plots” – Line 16— “pastoral farms”
What features of the natural landscape does the speaker describe? • “Sublime” features – Line 3—“rolling from their mountain springs” – Lines 5 -8— “steep and lofty cliffs” of the “wild secluded scene”
What features of the natural landscape does the speaker describe? • “Sublime” features – Line 14— orchard trees “lose themselves ’Mid groves and copses” – Line 16— hedgerows are “sportive” and “run wild”
What features of the natural landscape does the speaker describe? • “Sublime” features – Line 17— “wreaths of smoke. . . among the trees”
Who is the speaker of the poem? • Persona who narrates the poem • Wordsworth himself • Meditates on personal experience as tourist • Examines emotional impact of memories of Tintern Abbey
How did memories of nature affect the speaker? • “Beautiful” effects – Lines 22 -30—Provided emotional comfort and tranquility – Antidote to the “din” of urban settings
How did memories of nature affect the speaker? • “Beautiful” effects – Lines 30 -35—Built moral character – Inspired “acts of kindness and of love”
How did memories of nature affect the speaker? • “Sublime” effects – Lines 35 -45—Gave insight into spiritual meaning of life – We “become a living soul” and “see into the life of things”
What is the speaker’s transformation? • Lines 58 -93—Speaker traces transformation – “Boyish days”—thoughtless enjoyment of nature – Maturity—recognizes nature’s moral and spiritual power
Who is the speaker’s companion? • Lines 114 -115—Speaker addresses companion – His “dearest friend” – His younger sister, Dorothy Wordsworth
What does the speaker see in his companion’s response to nature? • Lines 116 -121—Speaker analyzes companion’s response – Image of his former youthful self – Future repetition of his relationship to nature
What does the speaker see in his companion’s response to nature? • Lines 121 -conclusion—Speaker predicts companion’s future relationship to nature – Memories of nature will sustain her in times of trouble
What is the relationship of humanity to nature? • Humanity’s perception of nature provides – Comfort – Moral guidance – Spiritual insight
- Slides: 30
