Hi!
I'm doing ext 1 English and my module is on Romanticism. I have written an essay but not too confident in it. Your feedback would be much appreciated!
Criteria for the Essay:
- Composes a sophisticated response to the question posed, using the prescribed text and one other appropriate text in an insightful manner
- Demonstrates perceptive understanding of the relationships between the texts, their context and Romantic ways of thinking
- Demonstrates highly developed control of language to express complex ideas with clarity
The essay is a generic one for the module: the quote was "Scientific, religious, and philosophical paradigms have shaped and are reflected in the literature of the Romantic Period."
Can you check to see if my arguments make sense? What I can improve on and fix? If there are logical leaps? Ways to improve expression and flow.
Generally tips on how I can improve
Romanticism is further emphasised through scientific, religious and philosophical paradigms. Significant influences that are reflected in the literature of the Romantic Period is scientific, religious and philosophical paradigms. Romanticism captures and represents a sublime moment or experience, which can be further distinguished through scientific and religious elements. Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”, David Caspar Friedrich painting “The Abbey in the Oakwood”,Coleridge's poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and Lord Byron's poem “She walks in Beauty” contains elements of Romanticism but also captures emphasises on religious, philosophical and scientific paradigms.
The link between nature and man, is reflected through Romanticism with characteristics of religious paradigms. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” contains natural and religious symbolism, which coincide with one another to represent a connection with man and nature. The most significant role in this poem is the revelation of religious, apocalyptic and natural symbolism, which dominates the purpose of this poem. The symbolism of the “albatross” that is hung around the Mariner’s neck is religious allusion to the crucifix of Jesus, this is apparent when Coleridge writes“Instead of the cross, the albatross about my neck was hung”. Furthermore, the “cross” in “cross-bow” also alludes to the murder of Jesus Christ, which logically alludes the natural link of the albatross as a symbol for Christ. The reader is can depict that the Polar Spirit “loved the bird that loved the man who shot him with his bow.” Coleridge links man, nature and religion here in an analogy, symbolising the link between the love of God who loved his son, and His son who loved the men that killed him. Thus, the biblical and religious symbolism found in this Romantic poem mainly reflects the religious apocalypse that deals with the Mariner’s revelation that good will triumph over evil, and his acceptance of all nature as God’s creation.
Similarly, David Caspar Friedrich painting “The Abbey in the Oakwood” distinguishes a link between nature and man that is reflected through literature of the of Romantic Period with religious paradigms. Friedrich was a very religious person and wanted to create a religious feeling through landscapes. Dualism, especially appears in his landscapes, with the body and the soul, the earthly and the spiritual side is present as one in this painting to distinguish a connection between man and nature in a Romantic artwork, in addition with religious allusions. In this painting, he represents man in the foreground and the divine in the background. The abbeys door is a symbol of man moving on into the afterlife or leaving the darkness of the natural earthly life behind, to the divine paradise. The visionary gleam of the heavenly realm is completely detached from the earthly regions, which are still sunk in darkness. Thus, this bleak landscape can translate to the religious and natural connection with man and nature, where nature is eternal, but what man creates is transient; as the abbey and the tombs have become damaged with time, but the moon continues to appear after so many years. The brightness of the sky symbolises the only optimistic thing in this bleak landscape. The snow here, symbolises winter, which embodies the Christian idea of resurrection. Hence, this Romantic painting is shaped by religious paradigms, which portray a connection between man and nature.
Scientific paradigms makes apparent its revelation in Romantic literature. It is through discovering scientific paradigms in Romantic texts that the a connection between nature and science is revealed.
The idea of scientific conception of knowledge, finding the "truth" through math and evidence, allows individuals to examine characteristics of scientific paradigms in Romantic texts. In the Romantic novel, “Frankenstein”, Mary Shelley, depicts Victor Frankenstein's role as the character of Enlightenment, having scientific morals. Drawing him out of nature, Victor learned the Enlightenment or scientific way of thinking, thus Shelley demonstrates a connection between science, man and nature. Victor tries to develop his idea that he makes a creature throughout the science, and articulate the role of man playing God. For instance, Victor says, “As a child, I had not been content with the results promised by the modern professors of natural science…. the steps of the knowledge along the paths of time, and exchanged the discoveries of recent enquirers for the dreams of modern natural philosophy.” Through the short recount of Victor’s experience as a child and the hyperbole on the words “discoveries” and “knowledge”, the reader is able to comprehend that while Victor is growing up, he is learning many scientific influences. Furthermore, while Victor is distinguished as a character with qualities of the scientific paradigm and the Enlightenment period, in contrast to this, the creature or monster he creates is self-evident of Romanticism and nature, thus Shelley distinguishes a connection between man, science and nature. Similar to this notion, Mary Dwyer in her article “Mary Shelley and the Romantic Imagination” states that “… it (Romanticism) celebrates emotional depth, artistic endeavour, creative-self-expression and individuality”. Thus, the first person narration distinguishes that his discovery to make the creature is definitely influenced by science. Therefore, it is through further evaluation of Romanticism that individuals are able to gain a profound insight to how scientific paradigms have shaped Romantic texts, to reveal a connection between man and science.
In contrast, “She walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron helps the reader to understand how romantic and neoclassical elements both complement and contradict one another. “She walks in beauty” has a close inclination to nature. “She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies;” This line can be seen to celebrate the beauty of the woman, furthermore with a closer examination it also focuses on nature, comparing the woman to the night and stars in the sky. The importance of nature in these lines is emphasised by the alliteration,“cloudless climes and starry skies” making it a major focus. Throughout the poem Byron continues to compare the beauty of the woman to nature, how, “her aspects and her eyes... mellowed to …the tender light which heaven to gaudy day denies”, this section's idea is emphasised by the metrical inversion of the iambic tetrameter. Thus, the unknown woman in the poem is the embodiment of nature holding many natural qualities idealised by Romantics and Byron could be seen to be expressing his love of nature through his admiration for the unnamed woman. “She walks in beauty” is a Romantic poem that reflects the Romantic period through its reference to nature found in the description of the women. McGann states that “Romanticism is thoroughly intertwined with nature and that the attitudes toward nature that are common in the Western world today emerged mostly during the Romantic period.” Hence, it is through the close examination of Romantic literature that individuals are able to gain an insight to how both neoclassical and romantic paradigms complement but also contradict one another.
Religious and Romantic philosophy are expressed within Romantic literature. Coleridge's poem “Frost at Midnight” has a distinct portrayal of the contrast between religious and philosophical values of Romanticism, but also of the Enlightenment. During the Romantic period, worship and prayer was considered as a communal affair. “Frost at Midnight” contrasts with this attitude by revealing Coleridge’s individualistic alternate Romantic spirituality. This is reflected in “Frost at Midnight” by Coleridge’s “solitude, which suits abstruser musings,” which demonstrates the developing individual spirituality outside of quintessential frameworks. Coleridge’s alternative spirituality is further demonstrated through the personification of the burnt matter, an “idling Spirit,” which is joined together with an unnatural “fluttering stranger” who takes on a godlike aspect within the poem. This reflects the worship of the “great city” in favour of a nonreligious spirituality found within nature. Thus, demonstrating how Coleridge’s poem “Frost at Midnight” has been shaped by the Romantic rejection of mainstream religion during the Romantic period. Additionally, “Frost at Midnight” also reflects the significant philosophic thinkers of the Romantic era, as portrayed by the poem’s evaluation of the role of imagination. Coleridge’s dreaming “with unclosed lids” enables the reader to perceive “things to come.” This reveals underlying elements of Immanuel Kant’s philosophy of Idealism, which suggested that imagination fundamentally shapes reality. Furthermore, Coleridge rejects the influence of institutionalised education, as is portrayed by the symbolic association of his school with a prison, “I gazed upon the bars.” This feature reflects the philosophy of the French thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was considered to be the philosophical father of the Romantic Movement and who famously stated “man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” Therefore, “Frost at Midnight” has clearly been shaped to communicate Coleridge’s struggle with mainstream religion and the philosophic paradigms of the Romantic ancestors.
In a similar way, philosophical and especially Religious paradigm are made evident throughout “Frankenstein”. “Frankenstein” contains a great deal of biblical symbolism and religious allusion, particularly the theme of the outcast and the story of creation. The creature is bitter and dejected after being turned away from human civilization, much the same way that Adam in the story of “Adam and Eve” in the Bible, was turned out of the Garden of Eden. This is made apparent when the monster says “Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mould me Man, did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?”, in a similar way, these lines a revealed in the story of ‘Adam and Eve” when Adam expresses his sorrows. The monster accepts himself as a tragic figure, comparing himself to both Adam and Satan. Like Adam, he is shunned by his creator, though he strives to be good. These rhetorical questions epitomize the monster’s ill will toward Victor for abandoning him in a world relentlessly hostile to him and foist responsibility for his ugliness and eventual evil upon Victor. There is also a sense in which Frankenstein himself may be compared to Satan in that he defies God and commits a profound blasphemy by attempting to usurp God's power as the creator of life. Victor says “I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs”; this elaborate description demonstrates to the reader the mysterious and exotic wonders of nature as a representation of the natural and unnatural, and the ability to ‘play God’. In this way, Romantic texts are emphasised with elements of philosophical and Romantic periods. In addition, references to Prometheus, who in Greek and Roman mythology and philosophy is named as the creator of humanity and who also defied the gods by teaching humans a number of important crafts. This shows the reader that Mary Shelley is not presenting her story in exclusively Christian religious allusions but also Greek philosophy. “Frankenstein” can be compared with Prometheus in the way in which he steals fire by harnessing the power of lightning to animate his monster. But, like Prometheus, he also defies the supreme being and continues to pursue knowledge, this symbolised by fire, until it has fatal consequences. Victor states “Such were the professor's words—rather let me say such the words of the fate—enounced to destroy me.”Hence, illustrating to the reader a clear parallel with Frankenstein's crimes against nature. As revealed in “Mary Shelley and the Romantic Imagination” Dwyer explains that “creative imagination can be applied not only to the creation and meditation of art, but also to the consideration of Nature, and that like Mary Shelley, we must learn how to wake with flowers in our hands”. Therefore, there is an inextricable link between man and nature to religious and philosophical paradigms, that have shaped and are reflected in the literature of the Romantic Period.
Significant influences that are reflected in the literature of the Romantic Period is scientific, religious and philosophical paradigms. Romanticism is further emphasised through scientific, religious and philosophical paradigms. Romanticism captures and represents a sublime moment or experience, which can be further distinguished through scientific, philosophical and religious elements. Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”, David Caspar Friedrich painting “The Abbey in the Oakwood”,Coleridge's poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and Lord Byron's poem “She walks in Beauty” contains elements of Romanticism but also captures emphasises on philosophical, religious and scientific paradigms.