consider how romantic poetry engages with its socio

8/3/2019 Consider How Romantic Poetry Engages With Its Socio

1/5

1

Consider how Romantic Poetry engages with its socio-political contexts

The Romantic era was a thriving period for change. It follows the classical era where society

was celebrated and artists produced images of symmetrical architecture and humans

interactingit was very much a time of man as the social animal. The Romantic period was

its polar-opposite. The Romantics focused on the natural world, and often found solitary in

isolation and the engagement with the unknown. This sense of restlessness is projected in the

writing of the Romantic poets. Not only was the Romantic period a time for artistic change,

but also political revolutions. The French Revolution, American War of Independence and

the Enclosure Acts of 1803-1816 are all socio-political events that inspired some of the most

revolutionary poems of the Romantic era. The British Industrial Revolution also inspired the

Romantic poets to begin giving a voice to the poor, as they were being forced from the

countryside into the industrialised cities.

The Female Vagrantby Wordsworth was published amongst his collection of poemsLyrical

Ballads. This poem is written in Spenserian stanzas and is a womens narrative. The title of

the poem is significant, the fact that the female character is not named emphasises the fact

that it is a common story. Romantic poets often gave a voice to the poor. This poem was

inspired by two social changes at the time, firstly the Enclosures Act and secondly the

American War of Independence in 1775. The poem starts with Wordsworth describing the

pastoral idyll, he describes the female living happily with her father in nature, making a

living from their landOne field, a flock, and what the neighbouring flood Supplied, to him

were more than mines of gold.1

Wordsworth engages within the lives of the Vagrant and her

father describing them as living in harmony with natureA dizzy depth below! His boat

and twinkling oar: Wordsworth continues to describe the Vagrants pious life, and describes

her as a good Christian who prays everyday he made me kneel beside my bed and he also

describes her as an educated figure I read the book and loved the books in which I read.

The first socio-political change to affect the figure in this poem is the Enclosures Act of

1803-1816. The line All, all was seized, and weeping side by side, We sought a home where

we uninjured might abide implies that the Vagrant and her father fell victim to the Enclosure

Acts, this meant that landowners were able to seize land from smallholders, this caused farm

1

All quotes from the poem come from Wordsworth and Coleridge, Ed. Celia de Piro ; The Female VagrantTaken from Oxford Student Texts Lyrical Ballads (Oxford, Oxford Community Press, Revised 2006) P.49-58

(pp.49)


2/5

2

labourers to go the city and join in the Industrial Revolution and fall into the hands of greedy

factory owners. Wordsworth was particularly affected by this act as John Clare, a poet who

influenced Wordsworth, was forced out of his Northamptonshire home and driven insane by

his new home in the city. The poem continues to tell the story of the Vagrant, like John Clare

the Vagrant and her father are traumatised leaving their hereditary nook. Another socio-

political event to occur is the end of the Cottage IndustryThe empty loom, cold hearth,

and silent wheel. With the Industrial Revolution taking place domestic poverty was strife,

and the once thriving Cottage Industry was replaced with large industrial factories. The next

stanza has moved onto the next socio-political issue approached in the poem. The 1775

American War of Independence was something that Wordsworth felt very strongly about,

through the voice of the Vagrant Wordsworth projects his views of Warevil time was

come. The language in the poem gradually changes from positive and naturalistic to a

negative aggressive palette of wordsfoul ravage and miserable are just a few

examples. The Vagrant continues to state how she has been swept up into the folds of the

war, the recruiting system described is aimed at the poor; the noisy drum, Beat round, to

sweep the streets of want and pain. The exploitation of the poor is something that is a

reoccurring theme throughout the poem. Wordsworth continues to tell the story of the

Vagrant and her family following her husband to War in America, using different poetic

techniques Wordsworth now uses naturalistic language to describe horror; he also uses

personification to increase the horror of her experience - Ran mountains-high before the

howling blast. Wordsworth continues to project his views of war through the poem as the

stanzas progress with the storyThe pains and plagues that on our heads come down states

that War punishes everyone, especially the poor who are exploited to fight these wars. The

socio-politics of this poem are what drive the story of the Vagrant forwards; this also

illustrates the cruelness of humanity and lack of insincerity for the poor during the Romantic

period.

The Convictby Wordsworth is also fromLyrical Ballads. Like many of the other poems in

the collection it is about social punishment, but also focuses on the comfort of nature.

Wordsworth wrote this poem in first person narrative and it starts with a light, upbeat rhythm

While the joy that precedes the calm season of rest2. This first stanza contrasts with the

next that states the poet does not want to leave nature to visit the prison a contrasting

2All quotes from the poem come from Wordsworth and Coleridge, Ed. Celia de Piro; The Convict Taken from

Oxford Student Texts Lyrical Ballads (Oxford, Oxford Community Press, Revised 2006) P.115-116


3/5

3

environmentwith a deep sadness I turned, to repair to the cell where the convict is laid.

The poem continues to describe the convict, there are clear connotations of death, suffering

and no hopehis eyes are intent on the fetters thatlink him to death. The French

Revolution was a socio-political event that inspired the Romantic poets. The famous cry of

Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity was one that the poets adopted, and the reoccurring themes

of brotherhood appear in many of the Romantic poems. There is an example of this fraternity

is portrayed in this poem, Is come as brother thy sorrows to share. The Dungeon by

Coleridge is a similar poem to The Convict; it is also about human suffering. The opening

line of the poem talks about cruelty being inflicted, And this place our forefathers made for

man!3 Like the Dungeon there are references to fraternity To each poor brother who

offends against us. The poem is clearly one of horror and the poet often asks rhetorical

questions suggesting that he is appalledIs this the only cure? Merciful God! Like The

Convictthis poem is split into two stanzas, the first focusing on the unnatural man-made

horrors of a dungeon he uses negative language such as corrupt and groaning. The

disgust for this society is also portrayed using powerful images such as savage faces and

hopelessly deformed. The second stanza is a strong contrast, with the first line of it

responding to the opening line of the poem with With other ministrations thou, Oh nature!

Coleridge now speaks of how nature is healer and would be more beneficial to convict rather

than dungeonsHealest thy wandering and distempered child: Thou pourest on him thy soft

influences. This is a very revolutionary idea that much of society would have frowned upon,

but the Romantics believed it strongly. The famous French philosopher Rousseau inspired the

Romantic period, the words published in his text Social Contract(1763) Man was born free,

yet everywhere he is in chains4

In both The Convictand The Dungeon this philosophy has

obviously been applied. Both these poems are criticising society and using philosophical

ideas of the time to inspire two very similar poems. They also both suggest that Nature is the

most efficient healer which is a very Romantic idea.

The Romantic period also saw an eager shift from the city back to the countryside. The critic

Claire Lamont states that For the Romantics society had become an evil force moulding and

stunting its citizens5

and this idea was something clearly reflected in the poetry. William

3All quotes from this poem come from Wordsworth and Coleridge, Ed. Celia de Piro; The Dungeon Taken

from Oxford Student Texts Lyrical Ballads (Oxford, Oxford Community Press, Revised 2006) P.874

Wordsworth and Coleridge, Ed. Celia de Piro; Oxford Student Texts Lyrical Ballad(Oxford, Oxford Community

Press, Revised 2006) P.1605Claire Lamont, Ed. Pat Rogers; Romantics and the Romantic taken from An Outline of English Literature

(Oxford/New York, Oxford University Press, 1998) P.250-299 (pp.252)


4/5

4

Blakes poemLondon is an example of the corruption in the city. William Blake starts the

poem as a journey describing his own charterd trip, he progress to set the entire tone for

the poem with the line And marks in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe. 6

The use of the word marks suggests that the city has tainted its inhabitants with the sorrow

and misery they feel, it also parallels with the idea of mapping out his journey, linking with

the other repeated word charterd. Blake continues to describe the bleak situation, finishing

his second stanza with The mind-forgd manacles I hear; this reflects back to the quote

from Rousseau that the Romantics famously used for inspiration, it is also a statement of

Blakes own philosophy. In this poem Blake uses buildings and architecture to symbolise the

corruption of the cities society the Chimney-sweepers cry is used to chastise the

blackning Church. He also describes a soldiersblood being smeared upon the palace

walls, highlighting the horror of War and corruption in Blakes London. The last stanza

moves into the night time and London does not improve in the dark. The journey continues to

contrast the screams of a prostitute with the cries of a childHow the youthful Harlots

curse Blasts the new born Infants tear. The line ends with the famous image Marriage

hearse, with this Blake combines the notion of love and desire with death and destruction.

The industrial revolution evoked radical change with the move of the cottage industry and the

factories and mass move to the city.

The poems that I have presented suggest that the Romantics took strong influence from the

socio-political events at the time. The French Revolution, American Civil War, Industrial

Revolution and the many law changes that affected the poor. The three different poets, who

have been explored in this essay, portray three different approaches to the socio-political

changes that emerged during the Romantic Period.

Word Count: 1850

6All quotes for this poem taken from Ed. David Wright; London by William Blake, taken from English Romantic

Verse(Great Britain, Penguin Group, 1968)


5/5

5

Bibliography

Enright, D.J and Chickera, Ernst de;English Critical Texts 16th

Century20th

Century

(Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1987)

Piro, Celia de; Oxford Student Texts Wordsworth and Coleridge Lyrical Ballads (Oxford,

Oxford University Press, 2006)

Wright, David;English Romantic Verse- edited with an introduction by David Wright(Great

Britain, Penguin Group, 1968)

consider how romantic poetry engages with its socio

Documents