Wordsworth once said, “Poetry is passion. It is the science or history of feeling”. It is bold to say this in conjunction with Shelley. Wordsworth refers to poetry not only in terms of the’science’ behind emotion (creating a logic of the author), but also the history of feeling. This suggests that the poetry was able’recording’ all past emotions, such as elation and despair. This statement implies that prose is inadequate for recording emotions. Wordsworth goes even further in his definition. Shelley states that poetry is an ‘account of the best moments and the most happy’, while Wordsworth declares that poetry[is] passion.’ Poetry is therefore not just a way to record the happiest moments; it’s also a way to create them.
Shelley says in the opening quote that poetry translates a poet’s vision into verse. Shelley also stresses the importance of a poet’s creativity in a poem. Words can only be elevated by their imagination from an ephemeral world to one of eternal beauty. He continues by quoting that poetry “strips away the veil from familiarity” of the world. The metaphorical’veil,’ is a powerful image that blinds the human race from a true beauty. Poets have the responsibility of bringing the beauty of the world into focus. However, this metaphor is even more complicated. It is assumed that a veil will be partially transparent. This implies that the human race is only a whisper from exultation. Shelley also suggests that language can make something familiar suddenly unrecognizable. We become so accustomed to our environment that we cease to notice it. By framing these images in a poetic manner, we hope to re-awaken humanity’s eyes and help them transcend their ignorance of art and monotony. This may suggest that the poets consider themselves to be the ‘best of minds’. Only they have access to such a wide range of idiosyncratic and captivating perspectives. By writing poetry, poets share these views with the public. Shelley’s works are not entirely representative of Romantic literature. Wordsworth for example, a Romantic of first generation, is aware that the beauty of this world may not always be positive, but it still affects his life. Shelley, in his ‘Defence of Poetry,’ does not adhere to this statement. This happiness is recorded in poetry, but only because it has a transcendent quality.
Wordsworth reminds us of his memories in The Two-Part Prelude. They are not positive, but they still have a significant impact on him. His poetry isn’t all negative. Wordsworth is often optimistic about the possibility of happiness. It’s as if he believes he will reach it eventually. The restorative theme is repeated throughout Wordsworth’s poetry. Wordsworth believes that the world is a purifying force, transforming […] into the elements of emotion and thought […], both fear and pain. When he wrote these verses he was able to interact with the environment, becoming more than a passive observer. He says that Nature can ‘[purify] us’, implying that it will not remain a landscape that we describe. Nature becomes a deity that influences our whole future. Wordsworth’s verses encourage a feeling of expectation, as we have already mentioned. We are accused of impure ‘feelings’ and ‘thoughts’ as we wait to’recognize’ the sacredness of ‘the heartbeats’. Nature can help us to appreciate the beauty of life until we realise it ourselves. Shelley’s earlier exploration of exclusivity is also rejected by the use of ‘we’. Wordsworth suggests in his poetry that only poets will recognise a grandeaur, but the verses almost hope that all people one day will achieve this elevated perspective. Shelley defines poetry as a record of the “happiest and best moments” but this definition is not entirely accurate for Wordsworth’s two-part prelude. He does not dismiss other emotions, like “pain” and “fear”, arguing that these are also important to the formation of a ‘best mind’. When one is in a negative state, it will be easier to exult at ‘grandeur.’ The more you feel negativity, however, the more difficult it will be to reach that level. Wordsworth is able to see the possibility of achieving a happiness that he calls ‘grandeur,’ which implies a future hope for greatness. Wordsworth’s poem is less of a’recording’ of happiness than it is a hope to inspire future joy.
Shelley’s quote is primarily about happiness. But he also limits his emotions to a few’moments.’ Wordsworth uses nature in Tintern Abbey and other works to express this theme. Wordsworth uses the idea that memories can help us to understand how happiness in the past may influence our present. The world doesn’t have to be constantly glorious if we can access these “best moments” through our memories. The poet can also choose when to feel this elation, as opposed spontaneous emotion. Wordsworth explains that memories aren’t just restorative – they can be essential.
This is beauty […]
They owe you money
Feelings of tiredness can be sweet
The blood is felt
The narrator is relying heavily on his past happiness to help him overcome the current darkness. It is without ‘beauty,’ that a poet would not be able to create poetry. A ambiguous expression like ‘forms or beauty’ lends poetry an air of universality. It also suggests that poetry isn’t the only art form capable of recording the best moments in human history. These’moments’ are bittersweet, as they can only be achieved by paying off ‘hours’ of fatigue. This bleak image is contrasted by the sibilance’sensations-sweet’, which creates an lilting gaiety. As if this lift of syntax were synonymous with happiness itself. Positive or negative emotions are intensified in an almost carnal atmosphere. It is ‘felt by the blood’. Emotions are no longer abstract constructs, but physical sensations. The rhythmic iambic-pentameter echoes the pulse of the blood as it enters and leaves the heart. Again, this reflects a feeling of debt and dependency. Nature’s poetic inspiration is necessary for a person to be able to pump blood and function. Tintern Abbey gives a rather bleak interpretation of Shelley’s statement. The ‘happiest moment’ is not only a fleeting experience, but it only exists in our memories. This is why it’s important to preserve these memories in poetry, as we wouldn’t be able to live without them.
The influence of the ‘happiest moment’ has already been discussed. We also have to take into consideration the larger responsibility that falls on the shoulders of a poet. Shelley argues that a poet is one of the few people who can reveal humanity’s love for beauty. His work then becomes like a good Samaritan. Poetry cannot be limited to merely recording these happy times. These moments are only ‘happiest” when they are described by a poet. Shelley claims that having a ‘best’ mind is necessary to witness the happiest times. It is the only thing that separates a person from a mere’veil.’
Bibliography
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, Biographia Literara (London: Dent, 1965)
Shelley Percy Bysche: ‘Hymn of Intellectual Beauty’ in Selected Prose and Poetry, edited by John W. Alasdair Macrae (London, Routledge 1991).
Wasserman, E, ed., Shelley A Critical Reading (Baltimore & London: John Hopkins Press, 1971)
The Cambridge Companion to Wordsworth by Stephen Gill (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003) Stephen Gill, Cambridge University Press 2003.
Wordsworth, William. The Two-Part Prelude. Jonathon Wortsworth (Cambridge University Press, 1985).