Romantic Poetry

Romantic Poetry


Romantic Poetry

William Wordsworth’s poem “Lines Written In Early Spring” is both bittersweet and joyous. It consists of two main themes: rebirth of nature and man’s relationship to man. In the first few stanzas, the speaker describes how the nature looks and changes when it’s spring. With the flowers coming out and the animals coming with their own distinct sound; “I heard a thousand blended notes”.
But the stanzas joyous mood, quickly shifts to pure melancholia, in the very last line of the first stanza; “Bring sad thoughts to the mind”. Here the speaker says that even though there is so much beauty in nature, it still saddens him to think about. The second stanza is a direct continuation of the first stanza, in that aspect that there very similar. He starts of describing how the nature touches his sole and that certain link he feels with nature. Which clearly gladdens him, but alas again in the last lines of the stanza, the mood of the poem switches from the happy idyllic feeling of being one with nature, to again feeling a deep sadness, this time towards the man’s negative relationship with his fellow man and how it destroys the world; “And much it griev'd me my heart to think what man has made of man.
The reader creates a strong melancholic contrast between man and nature. It’s almost as if the speaker feels an obligation to ponder the mistakes of humanity. It’s very evident in the last lines, in the last stanza; “Have I not reason to lament what man has made of man?”

The form of the poem is rather simple really, it is composed of six four line stanzas, it is written in iambic. And the rhythm goes like ABAB in each stanza.



Now Charles Dickens’ “Coketown” and William Wordsworth’s “Lines In Early Spring” look very different on the paper. And it can be quite tricky to find similarities in these two great works of arts.
“Coketown” is a story about a fictional town (inspired by industrial towns like Preston etc.) In the mid 18th century. An...

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