I'm not a huge fan of poetry to begin with, and especially not that of the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century. Before coming to class, I had thought that Coleridge was a moody, temperamental, drugged-out worshiper of Wordsworth, that Wordsworth had had nothing of value to say except how pretty the trees looked on his daily walk - and I had never even heard of Baillie. Well, I was right about Coleridge, except that our in-depth analysis of his poem "The Lime-Tree Bower My Prison" offered a bit more insight into his moodiness. I had never read this particular piece of his before, but having read the footnote that his wife had dropped boiling milk on his foot and this was what led to his sulking and imprisonment allowed me to see that it was his great desire to be out in nature instead of stuck at home - and I know I've often felt the same way when it's raining and I'm sick of looking at the same four walls at home. Both Coleridge and Wordsworth are fairly straightforward writers; neither uses lofty language or complicated metaphor to make his point. Even if the subjects of the poems are not to my taste, I can appreciate their simplicity. I think many people (even some within our own class) shy away from poetry because they think it is too difficult to understand. I myself am guilty of this, but I'm very glad for the discussion we had. It helped me to see that even though I may not particularly be fond of a certain author, I can analyze and understand his or her meaning.
As far as Baillie goes, since I haven't studied much of her work, I don't know what to make of her. Her "Hymn" and "Song" that we discussed in class were also straightforward; she used simple language and concepts to make her point, not dragging on with flowery language or extended allegories. It also helped that her poems utilized end-rhyme. Who doesn't like nursery rhymes and lullabies? That's sort of what Baillie's two pieces reminded me of.
What I most appreciated was the list of terms Prof. Milstein gave us. The definitions really helped me understand what the differences, however minor, are in poetry. So thank you very much for that, Professor.
Sure thing Liz, and I'm glad you're giving the poetry a shot, even if it's not your favorite literary form. I love poetry because it's like a puzzle, and perhaps I dislike Wordsworth precisely because he is too straightforward and simple for me.
ReplyDeleteYou also mention the tormented artist with cabin fever - I think people like the Romantics precisely because they relate to the therapeutic actions these poets use to "treat" themselves: drug abuse, solitary walks, marital problems and family dysfunction abound in many of these writers' lives.
Part of me thinks that Wordsworth is a cheat though - he always claims to compose these poems in their entirety while walking around with no editing once they are written down. A lot of lyrical hip-hop writers do this, but their songs are quite a bit shorter than Wordsworth's writing.
What do you think?
Wordsworth is a cheat! There's no way that he did absolutely no editing to his poems at all - I'd love to see his original notes if they were available. Even when I think I write something particularly brilliant, I always go back days or weeks later and change something, even if it's just one word.
ReplyDeleteI think he must have taken notes before he sat down to write as well - it's impossible to retain so much detail in one's head. Not that the writing is so great in the end, but still... :)
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