Abstract:
Inspired by personal experience, growth, and exposure to the works of a number of Romantic poets, this project aims to provide analytical questions about religious foundations for the works of English Romantic poets while attempting to find answers through a creative lens. Considering both the secular and religious elements of the poetry of William Blake, Percy Shelley, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, I analyze the use of Christian allusions and attempts at moralizing through these allusions.
Approaching primary texts (The Prelude by Wordsworth, Songs of Innocence and Experience by Blake, “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” by Shelley, and The Lyrical Ballads by Coleridge and Wordsworth), I identify key characterizations of and mentions of religious connotations.
Taking into account the critical interpretations of the writers’ own spiritual beliefs, I examine the use of these allusions in establishing a clear theological message through the poets’ work. After thoroughly interrogating the intentions and potential interpretations of these messages, I turn to my own reflections on the piece.
There exists a vast amount of research regarding religious allusions within Romanticism, including research focusing on Wordsworth, Blake, Shelley, and Coleridge. The personal religious beliefs of each author have been explored so that they work in conjunction with one another in their shared movement. A clear comparison can be made in the comparison between William Wordsworth, who may work to exemplify the work of a religious poet without necessarily externalizing these ideas, and Percy Shelley, who provides a clear alternative as a known atheist utilizing biblical references within his works.
This consideration has sparked the conception of Romanticism as an inherently religious or, conversely, a secularizing movement. Along this train of thought, the argument may be made that the dichotomy of presenting Christianity against secularism is misguided and overlooks the broader implications of these two concepts, even within one literary movement. This opposition to the juxtaposition of Romanticism as a strictly religious or secular movement invites a closer interrogation of the religious allusions present within Romantic works.
The work of William Wordsworth, as a Christian, inspired discussion about the spiritual questions and musings, and lack thereof, within his poetry. The lack of explicit discussions of his religion in Wordsworth’s work has caused questions surrounding the extent to which his personal beliefs influenced his writing, with explorations into why religious ideas may be markedly present as well as where they are decidedly absent. His well-known religious beliefs have inspired a closer investigation into the impact of his thought on not only his poems, but also on Romanticism as a whole.
From a different perspective, many scholars have worked to examine Percy Shelley as an atheist. Despite his personal beliefs, Shelley utilized biblical allusions in his poetry. This complicated the reception of his work during his lifetime and has started conversations regarding the impact of one’s beliefs upon the work they create.
The difference in the approach regarding Shelley as a writer as opposed to that of Wordsworth highlights the complicated interplay between poet and poetry, as well as Romanticism as Christian and secular.
My thesis focuses on the complex relationships between Romantic poets’ personal beliefs and the ways in which these beliefs found representation in their work. Using my own findings and the interpretations of others, I present my own collection of work exploring religious topics and ideas touched on by existing Romantic poetry. This collection is a combination of methodology as both a creative production and consideration of past scholarship.
Taking into account the critical interpretations of the writers’ own spiritual beliefs, I examine the use of these allusions in establishing a clear theological message through the poets’ work. After thoroughly interrogating the intentions and potential interpretations of these messages, I turn to my own reflections on the piece.