Victorian Period

R.J Thompson

British Literature

Ms. Wilson

15 May 2013

To an Athlete Dying Young

           

            The Victorian Period was a time much different from the Neoclassical Era and Romantic Period in the sense that it did not revolve around feelings of optimism but feelings of pessimism. It was often categorized by a period of loss in faith, despair, and isolation. It was more of a dark period than the other two and people had a much more harsh outlook on life. The confidence, happiness, and imagination of the Romantic Period were starting to fade. Moral and religious criticisms were popular thoughts and many writers turned to writing about oppression, loss, and the cruelties of the changing world. It has also been thought that the Victorian period looked fondly upon heroes, mostly because they hoped that times of hope and glory would come again.

            Even some of the most inspirational and famous pieces from the Victorian Period were written with a pessimistic view on life in one way or another. It was a time of many changes, similar to the Romantic Period and had a much stronger focus on reality. It was a time where more emphasis was placed on social classes and being successful was praised.

            One example of a poem written in the Victorian Period is To An Athlete Dying Young by A.E. Housman. Contrary to the title, the poem is not a poem written in memory of an athlete who was lost at a young age. It instead has a much darker and pessimistic meaning to it, very characteristic of the pieces of the Victorian Period. The true message of the poem can be summed up briefly by the thought that people should die while in their glory days before their lives get worse. Housman says, “Smart lad, to slip betimes away, From fields where glory does not stay”. By this he is saying that it would be smart to leave this world where glory is only short lived. He backs up this idea of fading glory by then proceeding to say, “And early though the laurel grows, It withers quicker than the rose”. Younger days can be thought of as glory days where all the glory and happiness and fame grows very quickly. However, Housman points out that this glory fades very quickly. Before you know it, it is gone and you are left with only the harsh reality of life.

            Another point that Housman makes is that dying while you are young will allow you to be remembered for all of these glories. He says, “Runners whom renown outran. And the name died before the man” implying that a person’s name will die before they get the chance to. Not only will you be left without your glory, but you will be of no importance to anyone anymore and will become forgotten. All good things must come to an end and it is best to get out while you can. By dying in your prime you can be sure that your life will be celebrated and your legend will live on in people’s memories forever. “Now you will not swell the rout     

Of lads that wore their honours out” is Housman once again telling the athlete who died young that he is lucky. He will never have to go down a path of disappointment and face the horrible world.

            All of the above quotes tie this piece to the Victorian Period. As mentioned before, it was a time of pessimistic thoughts, such as dying young being the best way to go. Although Housman most likely does not mean this literally, the message itself is full of sorrow and is a depressing outlook on life. This poem also indirectly touches on the struggles of life after young glory days. Struggle and strife were also defining characteristics of the Victorian Period, which are similar to the idea of the cruel world and its oppression. The theme of isolation can also be picked up on subtly in this poem through the feeling that after glory there was nothing but alienation and separation from the world. You were forever alone to be remembered by no one, almost betrayed in a way. This thought or fear of isolation and alienation was very common amongst the people of the Victorian Period. It could also show that Housman was in a period of isolation. He could have been feeling alienated and forgotten by the world so he was almost jealous of the athlete who died young because he got a chance to go before he experienced this feeling. The darkness of the Victorian Period never got a chance to take its toll on the young athlete and all of his glory.

            All together, the Victorian Period stands apart from both the Romantic Period and the Neoclassical Era. Its dark times are very different from the hopefully emotions and imaginations of previous periods. It was a time of a lot of change that brought about a great change in writing styles as well. Through the pessimistic views of the people came great poems like To An Athlete Dying Young that will serve as examples of the thoughts, struggles, and beliefs of the writers of the Victorian Period. 

Romantic Period Paper

R.J Thompson

British Literature

Ms. Wilson 

10 May 2013

Childish Recollections

            Differently from the Neoclassical period of rational thought, the Romantic period was a time period where thoughts, philosophies and ideas were dominated by imagination and emotion. They valued the impulsive and idealistic events rather than the planned and the practical. This period was about choosing intuition over reason and beliefs over logic. It was full of irrational thoughts and philosophies. It was a time period full of passion, especially for nature and the past. Romantics believed in a society without oppression, only freedom. They often tried not to understand their lives, but to come to terms with how things were by looking deep into their inner life and thoughts. Their minds were constantly thinking as they mentally strengthened themselves to live and embrace the life around them. They valued the idea of the individual and that each person lived their own life in their own way.

Historically, the Romantic period was also a time in history where great industrial and colonial changes were beginning to take place. Many romanticists turned to nature, inner thoughts and memories to block out the oppression and changes that were going on around them. With such a large period of growth comes large changes in power that left many people of the era frightened, confused, and feeling disconnected from society.

           

One piece that fits into the Romantic period very nicely is the poem Childish Recollections. Childish Recollections highlights the feelings of nostalgia of its author, George Gordon (Lord Byron). His romantic ideas of youth and imagination are written into Childish Recollections. He looks back fondly on memories of playing sports as a child and writes a poem about his memories and emotions. 

            Romantics believed in emotions and passion, all things that can be represented by youth. In the poem, Gordon says “Oh! in the promise of thy early youth” which is just one line that follows along with his reminiscence of his childhood. He looks back at the promises of being young and the freedom that it holds. When you are young your imagination can run wild and you are free to do and believe whatever you want. Childhood holds so much potential for happiness and the possibilities of the rest of your life seem endless. As a child, you are almost promised this freedom of emotion and imagination, to use however you would like. Youth means being care free and following your passions and dreams. In the case of George Gordon, the passion of his youth was sports. Playing sports was the freedom of his childhood that kept him feeling happy and alive. It had such a positive influence on his life that he is able to look back at it with fond memories.  

            Another theme that is a huge part of the poem Childish Recollections is the idea of unity.  Although traditionally the Romantic period valued the individual, Gordon talks about the strong feeling of family with his sports team. In the last line of the poem he says, “All, all that brothers should be, but the name.” By this he means that his sports team was as close to real brothers as you could get with the exception that they didn’t share the same last name. They were a team, and experienced the promises and freedom of childhood together. Much like a family, they shared emotions and memories. They shared in their youth and as Gordon describes, “Our sports, our studies, and our souls were one”. Together they dreamt and lived the wonders of childhood through sports. Gordon shares this idea of togetherness and unity by listing out numerous ways in which they worked together, “Together we impell'd the flying ball, Together waited in our tutor's hall; Together join'd in cricket's manly toil”. Together always, even though they were just children they faced their world together and stuck by each other through the wonders of youth.

When looking back on his childhood he remembers the value of this family as being exceptional and irreplaceable, which does follow the thought process of many Romantics. The family that he gained through his sports was especially meaningful to him because of his lack of a true family structure. When reflecting on these times it is as if he tries to hint at the fact that these pleasures of childhood can’t be compared to any other experiences. He speaks of it so fondly that you can infer that his true passion of sports has not left him and that it will forever make up a part of who he is internally. Like a true Romantic, his nostalgia brings him happiness in remembering the times and triumphs of his youth. Childish Recollections is full of passion, youth and insight into the Romantic period and a few of the beliefs that helped to define this period. 

Neoclassical Period

R.J Thompson

British Literature

Ms. Wilson

8 May 2013

Candide

“For as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end (Voltaire, 1).” This was the belief of many of those who lived during the neoclassical era. It was common to believe that the world was perfect, rational, and that there was a good reason for every occurrence. In the enlightment period thinkers wrote about opinions and their philosophical ideas. One such philosophical idea is the idea of philosophical optimism and that this world is “the best of all worlds (Voltaire, 7).” This philosophical optimism is the philosophy that is foundation for which Voltaire chose to write Candide, the story about a man who travels the world and instead of experiencing the best of all worlds, experiences many of its horrors.

Concluding Candide, Voltaire writes the famous quote “but let us cultivate our garden (Voltaire, 97).” This quote wraps up another philosophical theme to the book; the theme that the past is irrelevant and that all must focus on what we want to get from our future. In Candide, Pangloss, the oracle of the family, is a philosopher who preaches about both the ideas of philosophical optimism and the opportunities of the future. Throughout the novel, Pangloss shares his knowledge and beliefs to everyone whom he meets and even tries to teach Candide his ways of thinking. However, Candide has experienced far from the best of worlds. His life is one bad thing after another: getting kicked out of his home, separated from his love, forced into war, beaten and robbed, caught in a shipwreck, and blamed for an earthquake.

Candide tries to understand and believe Pangloss’s theories and feelings towards the world and the way that it is run. Like Candide, Pangloss has not experienced the most glorious of lives. He too has been pushed near death, that still holds to his core values of philosophical optimism. Towards the end of the book, Candide questions Pangloss on his core values:

“Well, my dear Pangloss,” said Candide to him, “when You were hanged, dissected, whipped, and tugging at the oar, did you continue to think that everything in this world happens for the best?”

“I have always abided by my first opinion,” answered Pangloss; “for, after all, I am a philosopher, and it would not become me to retract my sentiments; especially as Leibnitz could not be in the wrong: and that preestablished harmony is the finest thing in the world, as well as a plenum and the materia subtilis.” (Voltaire, 91)

Even through all of his hardships, Pangloss still holds true to his beliefs that everything in the world happens for a good reason unlike Candide, who goes through the book never believing that things will get any better. These thoughts and core beliefs of Pangloss help to embody the reasoning of many during the enlightment period in the neoclassical era. However, Candide is not a book to preach about believing in the best of all worlds. Instead it is a satire that was written by Voltaire to poke fun at the eighteenth-century philosophers who were wrapped up in the ideas that the world was a perfect place. He constructs this novel to serve as a contrast between the philosophical optimism of Pangloss and the true-life tragedies of Candide.

            Voltaire also wrote about the themes of religious and political oppression. He satirizes the church and the government aside from making fun of the eighteenth-century society. At the beginning of the book, Candide is forced into the army against his will by the government. Voltaire tells about how Candide only accepted the government’s demand after torture, showing government oppression and cruel abuse of power. The book also shows the corruption of the church simply by showing how certain classes of people (ruled by the church) were targeted in times of hard ship. The church overused their powers to rule the country, bringing about the theme of religious oppression.

            As previously stated, this piece by Voltaire fits very nicely into the neoclassical era. The neoclassical era was known for both its satire writing as well as its rational thinkers. Voltaire combines both of these into Candide by writing a satire piece mocking the rational and optimistic thinkers of his time. Overall, Candide ties together many themes while effectively conveying Voltaire’s thoughts. It will forever be an important piece from the neoclassical era that can be related to many other literary pieces, even way after Voltaire’s time.