Romantic poetry comparision

William Blake

Firstly what was happening around the 18^th century?

·         The world was becoming obsessed with science and consumerism. New scientific discoveries and theory's derived from scientists i.e. Sir Isaac Newton drove individuals to become immersed with the control and security these theories brought to human life.

·         Isaac Newtons ideas developed into concept and control. With little other scientific discoveries, individuals whole heartidly believed these objective theories and effectively, lived by them.

·         This restricted individuals minds as they were assured x=x, that there was an answer for everything.

So who is William Blake?!.. Oh my god! He was only the first of the great English romantics to assault these principles of science and consumerism through writing verses, lyrics and dramas. Each his poems involved elements such as;

·         Blake's longing for spiritual reality

·         The redefinition of human definition of imagination beyond the ‘Newtonian’ (work arising from Isaac Newton) ideas of concept and control

·         So basically, Blake's work expressed that Romanticism relies on the imagination, the freedom of thought and expression and an idealisation of nature.

o    Like, Blake, many of the writers of the Romantic period were highly influenced by the war between England and France and the French Revolution.

o    Blake saw this war as an inspiration, Blake composed in hopes of bringing change to the public’s spiritual life. Blake felt that, unlike most people, his spiritual life was varied to be free and dramatic.

o    Blake attatches these ideas through mysticism and symbolism, his love of liberty, his humanitarian sympathies, his idealization of childhood, the pastoral setting of many of his poems, and in his lyricism.

‘A Little Girl Lost’

Children of the future age,
Reading this indignant page,
Know that in a former time
Love, sweet love, was thought a crime.

In the age of gold,
Free from winter's cold,
Youth and maiden bright,
To the holy light,
Naked in the sunny beams delight.

Once a youthful pair,
Filled with softest care,
Met in garden bright
Where the holy light
Had just removed the curtains of the night.

Then, in rising day,
On the grass they play;
Parents were afar,
Strangers came not near,
And the maiden soon forgot her fear.

Tired with kisses sweet,
They agree to meet
When the silent sleep
Waves o'er heaven's deep,
And the weary tired wanderers weep.

To her father white
Came the maiden bright;
But his loving look,
Like the holy book
All her tender limbs with terror shook.

'Ona, pale and weak,
To thy father speak!
Oh the trembling fear!
Oh the dismal care
That shakes the blossoms of my hoary hair!' 

Summary of the structure

1^st stanza - This poem begins with Blake addressing ‘children of the future age’, informing them to ‘know that in former time’, that in fact, ‘love was thought a crime’. By doing this, Blake is trying to help the children of this ‘former’ era understand that before they were born, ‘love’ was seen as a ‘crime’ if it wasn't affirmed by marriage.

2^nd  stanza - As the poem progresses,  Blake notes that in the ‘age of gold’ that ‘youth and maiden’ are ‘bright’. This infers that two ‘youths’ love is blossoming in the absence of the parents there, as they are ‘free from the winters cold’. This presents that Blake may be using the winter as a metaphor of the parents having a grudge against the ‘youths’ being together, rather than being warm and welcoming, they display a ‘cold’ attitude towards ‘youths’ falling in love.

Blake tends to incorporate imagery of nature throughout. This is conveyed as the ‘youthful pair’, ‘met in the garden’, the ‘holy light’. This may be biblical reference to the garden of Adam and Eve as they also met in the ‘holy’ garden. By doing this, Blake is portraying the ‘youths’ love as pure and innocent, bringing no harm to anyone.

3^rd stanza – Although, it is clear by stanza 3 that the ‘youths’ were aware of their guardians. As they always assured their ‘parents were afar’, suggesting they may fear ridicule. After a while, the lovers grow confident with their love and ‘soon forget to hear’ out for their parents. This develops a sense of security within the lovers and shows how love can distract them from obligations.

4^th stanza – Despite this, the lovers pursue their love despite the consequences which their ‘parents’ may give. The lovers ‘agree to meet when  the silent sleep’. This depicts how the ‘youths’ agree to meet only once their parents are asleep, growing more courageous on their pursuit of love.

5^th stanza – Blake makes readers feel intrigued as they wonder if the pursuit will last. This romance is short-lived as the ‘maiden’ returns home, with the welcome of her fathers face being ‘white’. This reflects the disappointment he has caught her mid-way. This is extended further as Blake incorporates more biblical references, as his ‘loving look’ is now like the ‘holy book’. This may refer to the restrictions religion may bring, as the ideal of marriage is what the ‘maidens’ father favers.

6^th stanza (final) - By the daughter going against this, he has grown ‘pale and weak’. The pure ‘maiden’ according to her father, can’t ‘shake the blossoms of hoary hair’. This presents that now the ‘maiden’ has past her curfew, she is unable to redeem herself, according to his biblical restrictions. So basically this poem is criticising societies attitudes towards young lovers, as we see, the maidens father disproves of the love his daughter is expressing with another.

Comparison lalala..

Blake sets up readers expectations by informing us that ‘love, sweet love, was thought a crime’. By referring to the past perceptions on love, readers are able to understand the 18^th century attitudes towards courting. Blake does this by personifying ‘love’ as being restricted as if it was as bad as a ‘crime’. By utilising the term ‘crime’, Blake amplifies the extent even ‘sweet love’ was forbidden and controlled by boundaries. This creates an idea Blake was trying to critisise how ‘sweet love’ was forbidden the renaissance era, drawing readers to see how the conventions of love were objective and came with high moral judgement. Thus, making people reluctant to ‘love’ freely, as it would be as equal to committing a ‘crime’. Likewise, Shakespeare also critisises the conventions of love in the 17^th century. As ‘Sonnet 130’ depicts that ‘black wires grow on her head’. Opposed to praising his lover, Shakespeare juxtaposes the ordinary ideas of praising and complimenting his lover, in which the usual 17^th century sonnets did. By using a metaphor to compare his lovers hair to ‘black wires’, Shakespeare is simply going against making unrealistic, superior comparisons  This infers that Shakespeare is taking his lover and her flaws at face value. By producing this sonnet, Shakespeare, similar to Blake challenges and possibly reverts the conventions of love created by society.

In addition, Blake is keen to assert the ‘maidens’ fear of judgement by society. This is depicted as Blake describes the ‘holy light’ as responsible for removing ‘the curtains of the night’ in which the lovers are hiding. As Blake uses a metaphor to convey the ‘night’ as ‘curtains', it highlights how the couple rely on the ‘night’ to mask their love and hide behind the ‘night’ as if it were ‘curtains’. Also, by involving the metaphor of the ‘holy light’ removing these ‘curtains’, readers are driven to feel this may represent how the ‘maiden’ has lost her virginity. As the the poem progresses, Blake utililises a metaphor again to present how the fathers discovery of his daughters lost innocence turns his ‘loving look, like the holy book’ into ‘terror shook’. By referencing how the fathers ‘look’ and ‘light’ in stanza two are both ‘holy’, this urges readers to feel the ‘maiden’ lives in fear of her fathers perception of love and outside forces. This may be a comment on how the ‘holy light’ is the idealisation of love created by society, in which the ‘maiden’ is rebelling against. Comparatively, Alphra Behn uses her work to express how women shouldn't resist seduction due to the conventions imposed by society. In ‘The Willing Mistress’, Behn contrasts Blake in the fact that although the ‘trees shade them’ the sun couldn't of ‘betray’d’ them. This highlights the idea that Behn isn't disrupted by nature, in fact, Behn depicts it as enhancing their love as it ‘shades them’.

Behn extends this, using natural imagery to depict her love as relentless and heated as she describes it progresses in the ‘heat of the day’, not a ‘disruption’ as depicted in ‘A Little Girl Lost’. This outlines the erotic stance Behn took to pursue her freedom and ignite her passion felt for her lover. By doing this, Behn undermines conventions of love in the 17^th century, as Behn openly addresses the erotic subjects courtly love objected. This may of been a break through on how  contained gender roles were. Although, it can be argued that as ‘The Willing Mistress’ was being seduced by ‘Amyntas’, a Greek god, that in fact the gender roles were still prevalent  As ‘Amyntas’ ‘layed’ her on the ‘ground’, it portrays how the male still is dominant within the relationship and there is still an element of subjection in society, despite that women were then allowed in theaters.

Overall, Blake, Shakespeare and Behn all relate back to how love was controlled and influenced by events that occurred in society. Despite this, Blake portrays how the new ‘young age’ should consider this and learn from it, as now morals have changed, children have the privilege to be more free with their expression of love. Furthermore  Shakespeare was keen to mock how love had been exaggerated and created unrealistic expectations of lovers, physically and mentally. Whereas, despite Behn efforts to be relentless and erotic, Behn's work still had elements of how relationships still have the capacity to revert back to the traditional patriarchal gender roles. 

Alssssssssssssy yo