The Grasmere Journal
When I first starting reading this, it seemed like it was going to be a classic romantic piece. Meaning, the narrator is very sensitive to their surroundings, emotions, nature, etc. It doesn't help that the opening entry states, "My heart was so full that I could hardly speak... I sat a long time upon a stone at the margin of the lake, and after a flood of tears my heart was easier." Wordsworth is definitely in touch with her emotions and nature, which is a common aspect of romantic literature. She even takes a moment later on to recall a walk she took a few days before: "I forgot to notice one most impressive sight--it was the moon and the moonlight seen through hurrying driving clouds." The sentiment was almost too much, and I began to question the journals purpose. However, I read the introduction and remembered it said, "she never considered herself an author," and to be totally honest, I was thinking the same thing. But as I read deeper into the text, I started noticing the countless interactions with different townspeople, and I thought, "okay, maybe this is supposed to provide insight into daily, modern life in London?" A lot of her interactions are with people of much lower class. She comes across a lot of beggars, travelers, etc. But she also mentions notable figures like Coleridge quite often. This contrast is incredibly interesting. I also find William Wordsworth's role to be compelling. I'm not sure how popular he is during this time, but people probably enjoyed reading about his day to day life.
"Resolution and Independence"
I want to start by bringing attention to the 6th stanza, line 40: "But how can He expect that others should/ Build for him, sow for him, and at his call/ Love him, who for himself will take no heed at all?" This definitely seems like a turning point in the poem; up until this point it's full of sentiment and contemplation of nature. Then Wordsworth takes a sudden (and kind of depressing) turn. He uses the Old Man as an example of someone working their life away and never getting much in return. He also uses the Old Man to consider his own place as a poet. Line 122, "Cold, pain, and labour, and all fleshy ills;/ And mighty Poets in their misery dead." The last two lines do a really great job of pulling the entire poem together. Wordsworth is calling on God, asking him to protect his security. Meaning, "please don't ever allow me to end up like that Old Man." I think it's interesting that he first questioned God's love, but after meeting the Old Man, he decided to call on God's love for assistance.
"I wandered lonely as a Cloud"
It's interesting to the thought process behind this poem; there's an entire stanza added to the 1815 edition, but it was first published in 1807? That's a lot of years in between, so I'm curious to know why Wordsworth continued to work on it, especially since it seems like a simple poem about dancing daffodils. Line 15 (1815 edition), "A poet could not be but gay, in such a jocund company." Wordsworth also mentioned the "Poet" in the previous, so maybe there's some sort of thread behind attempting to describe a poet's feelings, sentiments, thoughts, etc.?
Excellent observations! On the revisions to "I wandered lonely," the anthology doesn't give you all the information you might need to answer this question. Your reading of "Resolution and Independence" is very good, but I wonder if the point is really "don't let me end up like the old man"? Perhaps the point is more that the speaker begins to "scorn" his petty worries (144) because he realizes that this old man who is disabled, alone, and poor can still give a stately and lofty speech (99-101) and even be cheerful and kind to the speaker (142). The next question would be: what are the speaker's worries? What is he getting worked up about in the poem? Answering this will help us understand how the poem transforms DW's journal entry into a lyric meditation on the speaker's condition.
ReplyDeleteI was also expecting The Grasmere Journal to be a classic romantic piece but I was surprised when I read it. While there is sensibility throughout the journal entries, it was not what I was expecting and a lot more calm than I thought it would be. We have read so many novels with an overabundance of sensibility so this was a nice change. I definitely find the journals more interesting after the class discussion on Tuesday. I still find them a little puzzling but I think the various encounters that she recounts are interesting. While I do agree that it is a account of everyday life, I also think there is more to it than that. Especially the passages that she writes about the poor. I also think the fact that the journal was written for her brother and not necessarily a public audience is interesting.
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