American Literature: Romanticism Sample Final Exam Essays 2015 final exam assignment #5 Romantic poetry

Hanna Mak

Approaching the Study of American Romantic Poetry

It is natural that a discussion of Romanticism should ostensibly lead to a study of poetry, since the medium’s particular emphases on highly emotive and evocative language, as well as its notions of form, are so generally predisposed to suit the aesthetics and overarching ideals of the movement. While the medium of poetry is essential as an expression of American Romanticism, however, oftentimes the identification of Romantic elements in poems which long precede or follow the period can serve to obfuscate otherwise powerful details or messages which fail to strictly align with a markedly Romantic interpretation. On the opposite side of the coin, it is often the case that such analyses are of particular use in revealing the influence of broad Romantic patterns, thereby revealing their significance in relation to one another over a long period of time. Ultimately, a balance should be struck between these negative and positive points in determining the ideal course of one’s poetic study.

Anne Bradstreet’s poem, “To my Dear and Loving Husband,” is in many ways highly suited to the discussion of Romantic themes and aesthetics in that it serves an example of a spiritual predecessor to works within the movement, sharing a great deal of sentiment and language which appears to portend the later style. In this passage, Bradstreet’s tone not only borders on the sublime in her celebration of romance, but also makes notable use of superlatives in a manner that is quite reminiscent of the language employed in more definitively Romantic works:

My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,

Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.

Thy love is such I can no way repay.

The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.

Although the form Bradstreet employs may be markedly traditional, the intensity of the sentiments she aims to express appear to be duly in line with Romantic ideals. As a result, her work not only serves to illustrate a variety of basic themes that are often present in Romanticism, but also provides an appropriate context for the development and proliferation of these themes in works by later authors. This contrast and development is extremely important to emphasize because the themes that dominate Romanticism can often be so wide-reaching and evidently universal, that at times, it almost seems possible to reveal fragments of its influence anywhere. Therefore, it may be greatly beneficial to establish a gradient of Romantic themes in this manner, guarding against unnecessary confusion and frustration.

Despite these benefits, though, it should be noted that the study of Bradstreet’s poetry in this context is not without its drawbacks. If a student aims to study Anne Bradstreet with relation to the subject of American Romanticism, it makes sense for her poetry to precede others from a chronological standpoint. Despite the outward logic of this chronological approach, however, for students who are less familiar with American Romanticism, it could pose a different sort of barrier to their comprehension of the style. While her poem is ostensibly valuable as a forbear of the Romantic period, a study of her poetry almost purely within this context will have its limits due to its historical placement, and may overextend the analysis of Romantic themes in her work. As one possible method in the circumvention of this effect, it might be of use to pair a later, yet thematically similar poem alongside that of Bradstreet. This would not only provide a more immediate context as to the extent of the themes’ development and expansion in later works, but also directly emphasize the limits that such a reading may have when imposed too heavily upon even its spiritual predecessors. Although it is important to acknowledge the relative fluidity of such categories and labels, they can hazard the risk of ceasing to mean if applied too loosely.

In contrast, in the analysis of poems which follow the Romantic period, the reader is confronted with a variety of other discrepancies, although not always to a problematic effect. Although a poem may exhibit distinct connections to American Romanticism, displaying aspects of its influence in terms of similar themes and aesthetics, it would seem that later poets seldom escape the complications brought forward by their own time, sometimes blatantly contradicting or ironizing the Romantic elements which they employ. James Wright’s poem, “A Blessing,” begins with a stark juxtaposition between the real setting and the abstract: “Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,/ Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.” The transition between the two lines is jarring—the first line references an actual place in its detail, but essentially only does so in terms of its formal name, rather than the distinct visualization of its image. Immediately following that, however, the setting becomes descriptive and ideal; highly generalized, yet easily pictured in the mind’s eye. Ironically, while the first line tends more towards Realism in its specificity, the second, while Romantic in its exaltation of nature and idealization of setting, provides a much more evocative image. Clearly, such techniques of play indicate that Wright’s poem moves beyond Romanticism, despite retaining many of its thematic and aesthetic ideals. Its most effective use in the discussion of American Romanticism, however, is perhaps to be found in these subtle differences and small ironies. Definitions, especially in reference to abstract terms, can sometimes be even more effective when they highlight what the thing is not, rather than what it is. Through its offering of both Romantic and Post-Romantic elements, the reader’s understanding is deepened.

However, despite the potential benefit to be found in the study of later poems within this context, there can still be notable drawbacks. The intense focus of the Romantic period upon the relatively universal themes of willpower and potent feeling only serve to increase the aspect of uncertainty as to whether the poet drew from Romantic forbears, or simply from the well of emotion and human experience. Therefore, in a similar vein as the poems which preceded the Romantic era, the poems which follow it can also serve to confound the reader’s sense of meaning in regard to the period’s terminology. James Wright’s poem appears to be Romantic in a number of ways. The appreciation of nature, for example, is a prominent aspect of the poem: “Her mane falls wild on her forehead,/ And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear.” Here, Wright finds great natural beauty in the wildness of the pony, and feels the influence of his environment in the gentleness of the wind. His language also asserts the significance of emotions, via a succinct yet evocative description of the way he perceives the ponies’ feelings:

They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness

That we have come.                                                              

They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.

There is no loneliness like theirs.

Although both the aspects of elevated nature and emotion that are crucial to the Romantic style are evident in this passage, to what extent was Wright specifically drawing on this tradition? Furthermore, is this poem best understood and appreciated according to the ways in which the work corresponds to specific Romantic terms? Although the answer to this may vary among different readers, it is possible that such a practice, which often amounts to dryly forcing phrases into the mold of applicable terms and patterns, may detract from the art itself. Ironically, such a marked dependence on reason and technicality seems to represent the polar opposite of the Romantic ideal. While it is necessary that students of literature must operate in an analytical frame of mind, it is also important to be able to recognize and appreciate the subtle beauty that poetic language can provide.

The study of poetry is ultimately necessary in order to cultivate a more advanced knowledge of American Romanticism, but achieving a sense of focus is key. It is possible that this focus may be achieved through the careful structuring of one’s study patterns, both in the selection and specific ordering of the material. Unfortunately, since the concept of balance is highly interpretive, the effectiveness of any schedule may vary notably from person to person. In the case of poetry, however, a broader sense of direction may also be accomplished via an increase in the number of samples to draw from. When the perspective is too close, the image can appear blurry and out of focus; sometimes the image becomes the most distinct in taking a step back.