T J 31 (382)

To begin the class, a reward quiz is announced. The class is ecstatic at the opportunity to succeed and be rewarded. The reward quiz answers are; 1. A giant statue broken down and covered in sand, 2. Leaves blowing around, clouds blowing around, waves being blown around, 3. “Beauty is truth” 4. The animals mentioned are lambs, hedge crickets, gnats, swallows, and 5. The living hand is being held towards the person in the poem.

The class splits into small groups to discuss Shelley. My small group consists of myself, Diana Dias, Rachel Christian, Sarah Cook and Rita Daniel. We discuss “Mont Blanc” by Shelley. Rita took away that nature never changes; yet, it paradoxically does, just like humans it changes, it changes in a cyclic nature. Sarah comments that she likes line 34 and thinking of how Shelley’s mind was passively influenced by nature. Rachel comments that she noticed the structure of the line and, when read out loud, the poem climbs with the description of the mountain scene. Nia comments that she likes the idea in the last stanza that the emptiness of the mind can still create. Is this a positive or negative? Does this comment on the power of the imagination? If silence and solitude are vacancy/emptiness, what does this mean for the romantics? Sarah comments they are not empty, because Shelley is influenced by the nature around him while he is in a silent and solitude state and that part of the mountain’s charm is silence and solitude. We move on to “Hymn to an Intellectual Beauty” by Shelley. Rachel comments that belief for the sublime is Shelley’s religion, and Rita believes he belittles religion. Foss calls an end to the small group discussion.

The large group discussion begins with a comparison of Shelley to Wordsworth. Camile comments that both seem to focus on similar subjects, but Shelley seems more restless, he had more of a need to get out into nature, while Wordsworth seemed more confident and peaceful. Caroline comments that being in nature seemed like a spiritual experience for both poets. Foss says Shelley wrote a sonnet to Wordsworth after Wordsworth’s brother had died and his poetry became more conservative. In the sonnet, Shelly mourns the loss of the earlier Wordsworth. Rita says that in comparison with Blake, Shelley seems less political. Foss responds it may seem this way due to the poems he selected for class reading. The poems picked show the transformation and growth of poets. Shelley, along with Blake and Byron, are most political of the “big six.” Shelley also loves to incorporate philosophy into his poetry. In “Sonnet to England in 1819” there is some political activism, and in “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” Shelley shows contentious issues with religion, yet “Mont Blanc” seems very Wordsworthian. Foss comments that Shelley’s poetry influenced Gandhi’s non-violent resistance philosophy. Alex comments that in “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty,” on line 37 “love, hope and self-esteem” Shelley has changed faith to self-esteem. The class moves on to compare Coleridge and Shelley. For Coleridge, the mountain represents a religious experience. The class is asked to imagine Shelley looking at Mont Blanc, which, as of 1816, no one has climbed. Are the last lines reaffirming the power of the imagination, or are they an anguished question? There could be nothing or no one up there on the top of the mountain, how does one know? The last lines could also be interpreted as idealistic. The spirit in Mont Blanc could be the same spirit as in “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty,” “the spirit apprehended by the mind, over the faint and fleeting information of he senses” as referred to in the footnote. Does Shelley have faith in the cycle of nature, or is it anguish? The Romantics love asking questions with no answers, despite, or perhaps due to, the reoccurring theme of the Romantic quest for knowledge.

The discussion then transitions into Byron, who was a good friend of Shelley’s. Both were financially well off, very progressive and run out of England. Shelley was a feminist, vegetarian, atheist, did not follow a monogamous sexuality, and eloped with Mary Wollstonecraft, Shelley, and William Godwin. Byron was also not monogamous, and had an intense relationship with his half sister, which made people angry. Byron and Shelly find themselves together in Switzerland with Wollstonecraft, resulting in possibly the greatest couple of months in literary history. Byron was a very different sort of poet from the others though; he was less concerned with breaking from eighteenth century poets, and more interested in playfulness and wit. While in Switzerland, Shelley’s interest in Wordsworth influenced Byron’s poetry. Byron creates the Byronic hero persona in many of his poems. This archetype doesn’t die with the century; Mr. Rochester, Dorian Gray and Captain Ahab are examples of the Byronic hero archetype.

The class splits into small groups to discuss Keats. The beginning of “Ode to Nightingale” reminded Sarah of Coleridge and his addiction. Nia brought up definition of Indolence, and if it had changed meaning over time. The group asks professor Foss, who says “Ode to Indolence” is usually read as ode to not wanting to work for anything, not wanting to work for the poetic voice’s love or lifestyle. Rachel comments on the importance of urns, in “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, Keats is talks about the Trojan War very quickly through the use of symbolism on the urn. We further discuss the symbolism of swan wings flapping and then the Trojan horse falling. The urn is connected with classical culture. Is Keats trying to show his education? In “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, is Keats asking if art can be unfulfilling? Rita comments that the people on the urn are eternalized. In line 45, Keats calls pastoral poetry cold.

The class is brought back to a large discussion again. Eric mentions that Keats liked books and seemed to reject idea that one needs to go out into nature to gain wisdom. Keats is associated with lower classes, which rubbed a lot of literary critics the wrong way. Keats does not expect a working knowledge of classical knowledge. Camile felt like Keats felt he couldn’t achieve power of the imagination, but in fact, he got the closest to it. Elizabeth thought Keats was very imaginative in his use of metaphor. Keats played with the question of “Am I asleep or am I awake?” In “Ode to a Nightingale” the poetic speaker is worn out by weariness, worry, and fret and is wondering how to be happy like the Nightingale seems. Yet, does this poem offer insight on how to be happy or not? Romantics enjoyed asking questions. The class moves on to a discussion of “This Living Hand”. Professor Foss comments that it seems to say “look at this living hand! You know how much I want to live? Look at this hand man!” Katie comments that within the poem, Keats struggles with death anxiety and seems to explore the stages of grief. The class and small group discussion explored what it means to be a Romantic writer, by comparing and contrasting poets and common themes.