In the novel Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, Austen parodies Gothic fiction in the Romantic era of literature. At the beginning of the novel, nothing hints to the readers about a potential villain or villainess that will seek to use or to oppose our “Gothic heroine” Catherine. She seems to go about her days as a normal young woman in Victorian times would in the city of Bath. However, as the novel goes on, first the reader, and then Catherine, starts to realize that there is actually a villain that arises. The two characters that I found the most villainous within Austen’s parody novel are Isabella Thorpe, Catherine’s new friend in Bath, and her brother John Thorpe.

Ⅰ

The first character that I believe to be a villain in the novel is Isabella Thorpe. Isabella is, at first, portrayed as a kind and welcoming friend to Catherine, who had been in real need for a new friend. When Isabella and Catherine first meet, Catherine is “…soon invited to accept an arm of the eldest Miss Thorpe [Isabella], and take  a turn with her about the room” (26), Isabella being a welcoming presence to Catherine in such a new environment to her. After a while, their friendship starts to grow, and when, one day, Isabella asks her to go with her and their brothers to Clifton, Catherine has to decline because she already has plans to go on a walk with the Tilneys. When she hears this, Isabella gets upset, saying things like how “…her dearest, sweetest Catherine would not seriously refuse such a trifling request to a friend who loved her so dearly” (79). By saying this, Isabella is disguising her manipulative intentions with false kindness and friendship and encouraging Catherine to break a promise that she had made to the Tilneys. As Catherine gets to know Isabella more and more, however, in this moment she starts to see what the readers have picked up on when Austen says that Catherine recognizes that “Isabella appeared to her ungenerous and selfish, regardless of every thing but her own gratification” (79). This moment is a coming-of-age moment for naive Catherine, and she keeps her promise to go on a walk with the Tilneys, doing what is right by her own standards and not letting Isabella trick her into leaving with her.

Still, later on, when Catherine is staying with the Tilneys in Northanger, Catherine awaits a letter from Isabella to update her on what is going on in Bath. When she finally receives this letter, however, it is addressing her broken engagement with Catherine’s brother James, and, in the letter, she says that Catherine’s “…kind offices will set all right:– he is the only I ever did or could love, and I trust you will convince him of it” (171). Isabella is asking Catherine to write to her brother and tell him to get back together with Isabella, trying to abuse her friendship with Catherine to get James to come back to her. Catherine sees this as wrong, being “…ashamed of Isabella, and ashamed of ever having loved her” (172). 

This letter, and Isabella’s attempts to pressure Catherine to do the wrong thing for the sake of their toxic friendship, has brought upon the realization that the girl she used to call her dearest friend has been using and manipulating her to get what she wants the entire time that Catherine had called her a friend. 

Ⅱ

The other character that I believe to be a villain, although less prominent of a villain in the novel than his sister, is Isabella’s brother John Thorpe. When the Thorpes tell Catherine that they want her to go to visit Blaize Castle with them, Catherine tries to refuse because she has prior engagements planned with the Tilneys. When John hears this, he tells Catherine that “…as we turned onto Broadstreet, I saw them…” (69) driving around the town without her. This, of course, is a lie, but Catherine believes him. Hearing this, Catherine decides to go with them after all, but while they are heading to the castle, “Catherine looked round and saw Miss Tilney leaning on her brother’s arm, walking slowly down the street” (70). When Catherine sees that John had been lying to her the whole time, she demands that he stop the carriage so she can explain to the Tilneys what had happened, “but Mr. Thorpe only laughed, smacked his whip, encouraged his horse… and drove on” (70-71). Here, John is making Catherine powerless by, by modern standards, abducting Catherine and kidnapping her to take her to Blaize Castle against her will. Catherine is not the biggest fan of John, but after this happens, she starts to see how possessive and manipulative John really is.

Another moment of manipulation on John’s part is, when he and Catherine are alone together to talk for a little while, he tries to propose to her. However, he uses very abstract language, such as when he says that “going to one wedding brings on another… then we may try the truth of this same old song” (100), and he lies compulsively, such as when Catherine says that she always enjoys company and that “there are very few people I am sorry to see” (101) and John responds by saying that he only wants to spend time with who he likes and the rest can go to hell, following that up by saying, “…I am heartily glad to hear you say the same” (101). Here, he takes Catherine’s words and twists them to suit himself. A little later on, Isabella receives a letter from her brother telling her that he had proposed to Catherine and that she said yes. Catherine is confused by this, saying, “…as to making me an offer, or anything like it, there must be some unaccountable mistake” (113). Here, John has twisted her words and their situation into something that they are not, and, much like his sister, he is using Catherine for his own gain and manipulating her to get what he wants.

Both Isabella and her brother John I see as the villains of the story. They are both pushy, possessive, manipulative people, and both of them tried a few different times to trick Catherine into making the wrong decision or to abuse Catherine’s innocent and naive personality to try and get what they wanted out of her. Like any good heroine, Catherine, by the end of the novel, figures out what these villains are trying to do to her and drops them out of her life so she can live happily ever after with her new husband Henry Tilney.

In William Wordsworth’s piece “Preface to Lyrical Ballads”, he discusses how he views poetry, poets, and the importance of pure human emotion. He also explains why he wrote these poems, and why they were supposed to be so drastically different than the popular works of the time. As far as poets go, he believed they are capable of feeling emotion in a deeper way. And they don’t just experience these emotions, but can also call them back again to reflect on them at a later time. In doing so, these poets hold their lessons and experiences until they can put them into simple words for everyone to understand as well as appreciate. Wordsworth’s goal was to create a work of poetry that was unlike other previous, classical pieces. He wanted to create something for everyone to see as art. Something to appreciate, and be captivated by. By using what he called “the language of the common man”, Wordsworth crafted another realm of poetry. One filled with everyday vocabulary, one that burst with feeling, and one that a reader could embrace without confusion. 

Working with Wordsworth on some of these poems used in the “Lyrical Ballads” book, was Samuel Coleridge. In Coleridge’s piece titled: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, he does use a ballad based structure. However, he does twerk it slightly to help with the rhyme scheme or to add emphasis to a specific line. I think it is interesting that he does follow the ballad scheme, yet the poem is literally a story being told. This was definitely influenced by the “Lyrical Ballad” pieces. But Wordsworth also contributed to this piece. The poem follows mostly iambic pentameter. It sounds pretty to read aloud. But the story brings you chills. This complete belief in nature and these powerful beings. Like Wordsworth, he uses religious references toward nature, but does so in a manner that strikes a human feeling and makes you really think.

There are things that stick out to me in the wordy definition of Wordsworth’s “Lyrical Ballads”. The first is, “But Poets do not write for Poets alone, but for men…the Poet must express himself as other men express themselves.” (191). This idea being that regardless of one’s education, the common person can read and reflect on the poet’s work. The second is, “it will be the wish of the Poet to bring his feeling near to those of the persons whose feelings he describes” (191). This is just a continuation of what was being said in the first quote. The third thing, “the Reader is utterly at the mercy of the Poet respecting what imagery or diction he may choose to connect with the passion” (192). And the final think is “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility” (193). This just means that one should reflect on whatever is before them and try to break it down so that we can analyze it, and hopefully appreciate what we’ve experienced.

                Now the comparison of Wordsworth and Coleridge’s poem “This Lime-Tree Bower my Prison” (329-330) and how this poem may or may not idealize Wordsworth’s ideas on poetry. The form in which Coleridge chooses seems to be more stream of conscious because the stanzas look more like paragraphs and perhaps what we me think of poem. As you read this poem there isn’t any language that stumps the reader.

                In this poem there is a lot of reference to nature and reflection. For instance, “So my friend Struck with deep joy may stand, as I have stood, Silent with swimming sense” (lines 37-39). The words give the impression of reflecting, with nature being the portal to the emotions of the author’s thoughts. And again, “Henceforth I shall know That Nature ne’er deserts the wise and pure” (lines 59-60). Nature is a natural way for a person to step back from life and enjoy that natural beauty that is life.

                I would have to say that Coleridge’s poem matches with what Wordsworth was trying to convey because he used simple language in which the reader could put himself in that moment and also reflect on what was being said and make a connection in that moment, maybe not exactly, but similar. The poem had this negative tone in the beginning, “Well, they are gone, and here must I remain, This lime-tree bower my prison!” (Lines 1-2). It doesn’t take much effort to imagine that this person is unhappy, but that changed, “Henceforth I shall know…Awake to Love and Beauty!” (Lines 59-64). This section goes to the opposite of one who has contemplated their situation and has come to terms by seeing the beauty in which nature has helped nurture this epiphany.

                All-in-all Coleridge follows the advice of Wordsworth with keeping his reflections in a tranquil moment and expressing them in simple language.

Kayli Dutton

Theresa Traver

English 277

31 January 

Blog Post 1

    William Wordsworth was one of the leading poets during the Age of Romanticism. During his years as a writer in the 18th century, Wordsworth had an interesting and (at the time), radical outlook for how the literary art of poetry was meant to be both executed, as well as enjoyed by the public. In his publication of “Lyrical Ballads”, Wordsworth prefaces the rest of his work by outlining these ideas which included; poetry should be written in common language for the common man, poets are meant to write works of which the common man can both relate to and understand, and that poets were a more “comprehensive soul”. He’s ideals not only shaped the way Wordsworth crafted his works, but influenced many writers of the time as well. In Wordsworth’s poem titled “Nutting”, many of these poetic archetypes can be found, as well as multiple themes and characteristics commonly found within literature during the Age of Romanticism. 

    “Nutting” by Wordsworth illustrates many of the commonalities and thought patterns found within romantic era works of literature. Some of these attributes included- a focus on nature, self, and emotions. All of these things can be found within this work of poetry. Written in blank verse, “Nutting” comes across as being a sort of stream of consciousness; recounting a significant experience within nature. Written in the “common language”, as Wordsworth believed poetry should be, Wordsworth describes his encounter in nature as being “One of those heavenly days that cannot die”. This language is filled with words with romantic connotations, which illustrates the pleasant emotion Wordsworth felt during this moment in nature. The poem then goes on about the beauty of the nature that is the setting of the poem, in a fashion that is very characteristic of the Age of Romanticism. 

    Wordsworth presents the readers with a poem that elicits an emotional response from readers as he reminisces about a day in his past with such fondness. He writes it in a language that is understood by everyone, about an everyday issue, relevant to more than just the upper class. Written in blank verse with no rhyme, Wordsworth creates a reading experience that is seemingly more humble, genuine, and relatable to the intended audience of the time. Wordsworth’s ideals as illustrated in “Lyrical Ballads”,  as well as those of the Romantic Era in general, are both well represented in “Nutting”. 

I chose to look at Coleridge’s poem, Lime-Tree Bower My Prison, in the context of “Preface to Lyrical Ballads”.  This poem does fit the purpose of the preface and can serve as a model of the stated objectives of both Wordsworth and Coleridge.  In this preface Wordsworth highlights the importance of common language defining their new experimentational poetry.  This seems to serve two objectives, the first, perhaps, to humble the poet and the second to cast a wider net for the targeted audience.  This second objective isn’t stated outright, but seems a likely consideration.  Coleridge doesn’t employ abstract metaphor or complicated poetic devices.  Instead the lines and concepts are direct and presented as a stream of consciousness.  An example of this can be found in lines 49-51, “Pale beneath the blaze Hung the transparent foliage; and I watch’d Some broad and sunny leaf.”  In this style Coleridge captures a pure, unadulterated style that directly delivers emotion and experience to the audience.  His words do not elude to some hidden message or context, but are meant to be taken as straight-forward, literal experience.

                “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” outlines that common language will be coupled with common events, which will be accentuated to “throw over them a certain colouring of imagination.”  This concept seems central to Coleridge and Wordsworth, and in this way, they aimed not to create common art, but to obtain it through common means.  This idea is clearly portrayed throughout the stanzas of Lime-Tree Bower My Prison.  In line 62 Coleridge states, “That Nature ne-er deserts the wise and pure.”  This simply stated line, can provide deep internal contemplation.  For instance, it is no error that nature is capitalized.  These subtleties color the work of Coleridge and Wordsworth and I believe their poems were designed to inspire rigorous internal reflection.

                It seems that Coleridge wanted to flirt with the obligations of blank verse poetry, without rigid adherence.  This too is another element outlined in the “Preface to Lyrical Ballads”.  Coleridge mostly employs ten syllable stanzas, which are generally displayed in iambic pentameter.  However, while both distinctions are characteristic of blank verse, Coleridge never commits fully to either attribute.  Wordsworth declares in the preface, “that by the act of writing in verse an Author makes a formal engagement that he will gratify certain known habits of association.”  However, later Wordsworth states that Coleridge and himself “have not fulfilled the terms of an engagement thus voluntarily contracted.”  Why does Coleridge loosely adhere to the rules then, at least hinting at the form of blank verse?  Perhaps, this is because (as Wordsworth asserts) a poem will be read repeatedly, while prose only once.  It can be argued that neither Coleridge or Wordsworth wanted to abandon every poetic rule, but wanted to loosen the rules and allow free-will and inspiration to take precedent.   

                The final distinction I would like to make is that Lime-Tree Bower My Prison isn’t just about nature in an experiential and emotional way.  More importantly, the poem is about the effect of nature as a transformational catalyst.  When the poem begins the author is forlorn and sees his isolation in the lime tree bower as a prison sentence.  Throughout the poem we get to see a metamorphosis, which I believe is due to the purification delivered through nature.  The more he praises the beauty around him, the more beauty he can see.  In this regard, experiencing nature is delivered as cathartic and medicinal.  It is more than just an observance of beauty, but actually a process of evolving beautifully.  I think this active process, shared between human and nature, was elemental to both Coleridge and Wordsworth’s work.

Frustrated with common poetic themes and formats, William Wordsworth wrote “Preface to Lyrical Ballad” and in his essay he introduces his ideals for poetry. Among these ideals he defines poetry as “writing in verse an author makes a formal engagement that he will gratify certain known habits of association” (Preface Woodsworth). Woodsworth stresses quite a few times during the preface how poetry to him consists of the relationship and engagement between author and audience. Alongside defining poetry, he also describes what differentiates poets from regular men. He says that poetic men have “acquired a greater readiness and power in expressing what he thinks and feels” (Preface Woodsworth). Wordsworth stresses the importance of self-reflection and believes the process for writing has to follow strong thought on prior occurrences. Also, remaining calm, and not losing one’s self to exciting situations is thought to be important. Through these ideals and definitions, it makes sense that Wordsworth would apply his own thoughts to his poems.

In the poem “Lucy Gray” by William Wordsworth, a young girl goes missing while she is walking in a snowstorm. The only evidence of the girl happens to be a set of footprints that stop at a bridge, then disappear. One can assume based on the situation, that Lucy Gray died from falling off the bridge, or from exposure. One also knows what’s happening due to the language used in the poem: “to the bridge they came/they follow’d from the snowy bank/those footmarks, one by one,/Into the middle of the plank,/and further there were none” (Lucy Gray, Woodsworth). The language used in this poem is easy to understand, as it doesn’t include many figures of speech or hard to understand poetic diction. This aligns with Wordsworth’s ideals set forth in “Preface to Lyrical Ballad”. He explained how he wanted all audiences to understand poetry, straying from the idea that poetry is for those in academia. He says, “I have proposed to myself to imitate…to adopt, the very language of men” (Preface, Woodsworth).

Another one of Wordsworth’s poetic ideals is for poetry to be of relatable subject matter; “I proposed to myself in these poems was to choose incidents and situations from common life” (Preface Wordsworth). This method is used in “Lucy Gray”. Though in terms of relatability, it is common tragedy from losing a child, where everyone has heard of a child becoming lost and dying. Especially in the time when this was written, this would have been extremely relatable for those reading his poems.

Lucy Gray, in the poem, despite all evidence pointing towards her demise, Woodsworth writes of her and her merging with nature. Nearing the end of the poem, it says that “yet some maintain that to this day/She is a living child. /That you may see sweet Lucy Gray/Upon the lonesome Wind” (Lucy Gray Wordsworth). It seems that instead of acknowledging Lucy’s death, people claim to see her and how she is a part of nature. I think this plays to the notion of hoping for the best, even the impossible, in times of tragedy. Sometimes, people make up stories to help them cope with loss, and I think Wordsworth is referencing that here. He does state in his preface that, “Each of these poems has a purpose…Namely to illustrate the manner in which our feelings and ideas are associated in a state of excitement” (Preface Wordsworth). Losing a child in the snow isn’t exactly exciting with positive connotation, but it is a situation with many stressful and therefore exciting aspects.

I do believe that Lucy Gray illustrates Wordsworth’s ideals and vision for evolving poetry. Common language, relatability, and meaningful content are all largely present in this poem, and arguably the most important of Wordsworth’s ideals.

In “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” William Woodsworth sets the foundation for what he defines as good poetry. For Woodsworth, he saw the poets of his time focusing their poems far too much on how they were writing them rather than what they were writing. He saw this poetic diction as a deterrent with a class dividing connotation of poetry being an art form only belonging to the higher class. Instead of following his colleagues, Woodsworth goal was “to choose incidents and situations from common life, and to relate or describe them, throughout, as far as was possible in a selection of language really used by men…” he wanted to write poetry that anyone, no matter their social status, could relate to, understand, and find beautiful. Woodsworth also believed “Poetry is the image of man and nature” in which he wanted his poetry to have a focus on nature since it is accessible to everyone and therefore relatable. Both the ideologies of the language of the common man and how their daily life relates to nature  can be seen emplaced into his work such as “Nutting.” 

“Nutting” by William Woodsworth takes place with the speaker finding a beautifully untouched bower containing nut trees, “A virgin scene!” After spending some time admiring it, the speaker begins to hack off branches, “Then up I rose,/And dragged to earth both branch and bough, with crash/And merciless ravage.” The speaker remembers their defiling of nature with regret and pain as he did when they saw the sky where there were once stood branches and realized what they had done. The last three lines, “Then, dearest Maiden, move along these shades/ In gentleness of heart; with gentle hand/ Touch—for there is a spirit in the woods” is extremely significant because it serves as a cautionary tale and refers back to notion in “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” of poetry being intertwining man and nature.

Woodsworth’s attempts to expose the bonds between nature and man to be a lot closer than they are believed to be; connected. Furthermore, “For there is a spirit in the woods” sets a belief that nature and man are not only connected, but they are one. “Nutting” sends out a warning message to the humans cautioning that if they do not respect nature, it will only bring them pain and suffering in the end which aligns to his previous goals he set in “Preface to Lyrical Ballads.”

In the poem Lucy Gray we can see Wordsworth’s ideas of what poetry should be in full view. The first is that of nature and life, as we discussed in class, sadly it seemed that it was common for villages to have missing children stories where children leave and never return, and this poem shows that as it follows the last moments of Lucy’s life and her eventually becoming one with nature as people can still hear her singing in the wind. This leaves the family of Lucy Gray with some hope as she may still be alive or that after she died she became one with the forest and wanders it for the rest of her days peacefully.

With Wordsworth’s second reasoning for writing lyrical ballads, that to emphasize poetry as an art form and enlighten his readers to the depth of human emotions, this is shown through the metre of the poem as it alternates from iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter, which give the poem a sort of nursery rhyme quality. This is a poem that feels like the story came first and the metre followed allowing not only the story to captivate the reader but also the flow which makes one appreciate the poem more.

It also follows his last ideal that poetry doesn’t have to be overly complicated or ornamental in order to hold the reader. The idea and story for this poem are quite simple but based on the skill of his writing he holds the reader’s attention for the whole poem, and since it’s in a more simple form and language it can be appreciated by anyone rather than just by those who could read or understand the complex language most poems contained. He returns the art back to the people by not only taking a story from an actual village about a girl who went missing during a storm, but also gives it a rhyme to be heard for years whether it be read in front of a large crowd in a town square or to that of a family by the fire.

“ Lucy Gray” by William Wordsworth relates to the same ideals he conveys in “ Preface to Lyrical Ballad.” For instance, the poem has a simple and easy vocabulary that constantly repeats in order to explain the folktale of Lucy Gray.  It also presents the poet’s feelings towards Lucy’s story in a straight forward manner. He starts the poem with the first stanza by saying “ Oft I heard of Lucy Gray, And when I chanc’d to see at break of day The Solitary child.” This suggests that he holds a connection to the tragic folktale. He knew of the child and holds strong thoughts and emotions towards her sad tale. Furthermore, the poem follows the rhyme scheme of ab ab. Which is an uncomplicated and easy rhythm to follow and comprehend. Another one of Wordsworth’s poetry principles he sets forth in “ Preface to Lyrical Ballad” that his poem “ Lucy Gray” conveys is that the poem emphasizes the depths of human emotion. In lines 41-45 it exposes the immense fear and pain Lucy’s parents went through from her disappearance. To add on, at first he compares Lucy Grey’s beauty to a plant that grows inline 7. He also ends the poem by explaining that Lucy died peacefully in the snow, singing to this day and skipping. Lucy’s young spirit lives happily within the cold snow. He conveys that she is at peace with nature although she is dead. William Words Worth most definitely follows his ideas he presented in “ Preface to Lyrical Ballad” in “ Lucy Gray. The poem holds simple ideas, emphasized human emotion, and wrote of nature and life.