Looking with Child-like Wonder: Fanny Kemble

Fanny was the first woman to ride on a steam engine train. Her account of this first trip is honest and contains child-like simplicity. The visual descriptions are only the beginning, her emotions are the truly captivating part. She writes this in the form of a letter. Fanny is child-like in her analysis of the train. She has never encountered a train before; thus, she compares it to the closest thing she does know: a horse. Somehow, she expects this "little fire-horse"'s qualities to be similar to her previous form of transportation, such as the need for hydration and calling her wheels "feet". Later, she expresses the desire to pat the head of the "snorting little animal". The mental picture I form of someone trying to pat a train is pretty amusing. Kemble expressed with glee: "I felt as if no fairy tale was ever half so wonderful as what I saw" (491). Can you imagine what Kemble would think about some of our modern day inventions? I think all of us can relate to Kemble to a certain extent. Personally, I love new experiences and get really excited about them in the same idealistic way as Fanny. The day I got a George Foreman Grill I thought it was quite possibly one of the coolest things I had encountered in the realm of the kitchen. I think it's important to stay in touch with our child-like sense of wonder.

Carlyle: Hero to the Working Class!

Thomas Carlyle is worthy of admiration. He was an advocate for the improvement of the conditions of the working class. The way that England distributed its' resources so poorly broke the heart of Carlyle. He was unafraid of peoples' reactions to the vital radical changes that he proposed. The intro sums up his reputation perfectly: "Carlyle's reputation rests on his vigorous denunciation of a materialist society and his rousing calls for social reform." (477) Carlyle used his pamphlets to incite changes. He spoke honestly about the horrific nature of the conditions. The pamphlet that stood out to me the most was Midas. He wrote it during the 40's, the people were having problems with class and poverty. His target audience were the "higher class" members that were blind to the suffering of the poor. The "rich" will be burdened when informed of the truth and many wanted to live on ignorantly blissful.
The most gruesome and sad situation that Carlyle calls to attention is the parents' acts of mercy to their children. Immigrant parents were being tried for the murders of their children and brutally harassed for the actions. To the average person, parents murdering their children is grotesque and I believe their actions should be punished; however, Carlyle brings him the motives of the parents. These parents saw themselves as being merciful and protective of their children. The children were ill-cared for and cried for food all day long without relief. The parents did not want their kids to suffer and they did not see circumstances improving. I do not believe that this would give me the ability to kill my children, but people are often victims of their circumstances, both the children and their parents.
Carlyle was attempting to shake up a materialistic world. Are there any Carlyles of the present time? We may be in desperate need of one.

Beauty from Pain: Percy Bysshe Shelley

Shelley was not afraid of being himself, regardless of controversy. He seemed to often be counter-cultural. My sense of him was that the people of his time had to choose whether to love or hate him, apathy towards him was unlikely. One of his first writings was The Necessity of Atheism, that pretty much summarizes him: gutsy and radical. He seems to live in his own idealistic version of reality. No matter how reproachable his behavior, he still managed to act without much hindrance. His first affair of the heart involved a sixteen year old girl named Harriet that he convinced to elope with him. Within a few years, they had a child and the sparks of the relationship had worn off; thus, Shelley moved onto Mary Wollstonecroft. Elopement with her happened shortly there after. In spite of his affair, he and Harriet still had a second child. His boldness shocked me when he asked Harriet if she wanted to join their group as a platonic sister. How can you ask your pretty much ex-wife to be like a sister to you? Percy paid alimony to Harriet but that was about the extent of his involvement with her. Mary miscarried her first child and suffered extreme depression after this. Using Byron's method, Percy coped by starting a new love interest. This whole swap was just outrageous. Percy experimented with Mary's stepsister Claire and Mary tried out one of Percy's college friends. Why on earth they thought this would repair things I do not know? Death and depression seemed to continue to follow this family. Mary's sister committed suicide. Also Harriet, whom was depressed by the rejection of Shelley, drowned herself. Call them optimists, but the Shelleys found the silver lining, because of Harriet's death, Mary and Percy could make their relationship official. I was astounded at the callousness of their actions. Percy's only heartache in the whole situation was that Harriet's children were not given to him. Fathers usually received custody but he lost the privilege. He wrote it off as that he was: "...an idealist persecuted by social and political injustice and despised by the world unable to appreciate his 'beautiful idealisms of moral excellence.'" (392) My only question is what moral excellence?
Percy suffered the losses of all but one child. Mary remained in depression and I could not really blame her. Still operating under Byron's method, Percy just started another love affair. In the end, Percy died in a shipwreck with his mistress's husband. That poor girl must have suffered!
My favorite work by Percy was To a Sky-Lark. It contains beautiful imagery of nature and the process of life. The ending stanzas stood out to me the most. "Our sincerest laughter with some pain is fraught; our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought." (404) I believe Shelley is on target with this assessment. Blues and music by Kelly Clarkson would never have made it without the themes of pain and suffering. Our hearts are sensitive to pain and thus, the songs that epitomize our feelings are the dearest to our souls.
The other line worth mentioning says: "If we were things born not to shed a tear, I know not how thy joy we ever should come near." (404) Beauty comes from pain. We truly cannot appreciate things unless we have lost them. Joy is beyond happiness, it is not defined by situation, thus, we do not know if we can have ever-present joy until trial comes. Percy experienced much pain and trial in his life, as we observed in his biography. I believe some of his pain was self-induced, but the loss of his children is devastating and beyond his control. One can assume that the one child that Percy and Mary watched enter adulthood was loved with more gratitude because of the loss of the other children. Children's value can be overlooked, but because of their sufferings, they truly valued their child. I think this attitude is admirable. Although I have many negative feelings towards Percy, I can certainly commend his attitude in regards to suffering.

Lord Byron: a man of many talents and women...

Reading the biography about Byron is vital to comprehending his stories. Byron inherited a title from his great uncle and all the financial benefits that accompanied it. He put it to good use by going to college and living extravagantly. Despite his "party boy" lifestyle, Byron thought that he had not changed much since his humble beginnings. He experimented with many different aspects of the social spheres, such as sailing and sitting in the House of Lords. Byron dabbled with many different styles of writing as well. The introduction stated that "Byron embodied contradictions more than he resolved them." (357) This assessment is actually quite accurate from what I have observed. His feelings on copyrights are a good example. He said that nobles should not be writing for money, so he gave his copyrights away like popsicles on a hot summer day.
Byron's love life is the most surprising and relevant issue to the understanding of his writings. While he was at college, he met his half-sister, Augusta, and had secret relationship with her that resulted in a child. Since the society as a whole presumed it was his child, he did the best thing he could think of to quiet the public critique: he proposed to another woman. No surprise, this marriage ended within a year, shortly after the birth of their first child. Byron's solution for all problems seemed to be to pick up a new love interest. After separating with his wife, he continued an affair with Claire, Mary Shelley's step-sister. This whole situation becomes more ridiculous when the reader finds out about Shelley's affair with Claire. Thus far, Byron has two illegitimate children. His love life does not end there. He moves on to a married woman named Teresa. By this time, Byron has gained a reputation as a "player" of some sort and the society was not particularly supportive of his lifestyle. If I had to apply an adjective to Byron, it would be impulsive. He seems to have the mentality of an immature young man that acts without any consideration of consequence. This carelessness also implies an uncertainty of self.
I know this opening section about his biography may have been a little bit long, but I still consider it incredibly important. That being said, on to Byron's writings!
My favorite work would have to be She walks in beauty. Footnotes usually aid me and I am grateful for them. In this case, I wish I did not have it. The note reveals that this poem was constructed about his cousin's wife. The twisted, animal-like sexuality of Byron is being displayed again. If I overlook his attraction to his cousin's wife, I see the beauty of his words. He talks about true beauty being natural and innocent. I myself am an old-fashioned girl that values these qualities and that is probably why the message of this poem is appealing to me. Considering his frequent rotation of women, I would have expected him to be a completely focused on the exterior alone. In this poem, he proves that he finds beauty in more than just a woman's appearance, but also in her thoughts and goodness. This more balanced view of beauty is refreshing to me.
In most areas, Byron seems to act without much remorse for his bad choices, but the end of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage seems to have a masked admittance of responsibility. The last stanza says, "the child of love,--though born in bitterness and nurtured in convulsion...Fain would I waft such blessing upon thee, as, with a sigh, I deem thou might'st have been to me!" (362) One can easily connect this to one of his illegitimate daughters that he was not able to invest in personally.
Don Juan is probably one of the most-well known works by Byron. He bravely includes aspects of his personal life and also attacks on social, sexual, and religious inconsistencies. This radical approach was not smiled upon by society as a whole. Since people tended to associate qualities of characters to their author, Byron made Don Juan a more innocent character. He made him the seduced, instead of the seducer. I believe it was his attempt to downplay his bad reputation if possible. My favorite aspect of Don Juan is the style in which Byron scribes it. The message is communicated in a more conversational manner. He narrates using "I", which seems to be highlighting that his own views are presented. Thus, Byron wants to be associated with his stories and does not all at the same time. One cannot be too surprised by this seeing his tendency towards being inconsistent. However, Byron admits his own inconsistency, but seems to have no problem with it.
Don Juan is presented as an angelic boy that came from a controlling mother and a lackadaisical father. After the death of his father, Don Juan was subject to a strenuous education dictated by his mother. As important as I think education to be, the mother in this story would have driven me to an inch within my sanity. The mother in this story, Donna Inez, is often compared to Byron's wife, Annabella. Clearly, his wife was very smart, but a little arrogant and power seeking. This is an example of how writing can be a great form of expression. Byron can vent about his wife under the guise of fiction. Any friends or family of authors should be careful or they might end up in their next story. The mother-son relationship is explored throughout the story. The mom has a hard time letting her son grow up, which is a typical maternal trait. She tends to limit her son's view by forcing him to see her way. The narrator criticizes Inez for not sending her son into the outside world to gain knowledge. I believe that children need a good foundation of wisdom from their parents, but I agree with Byron that much knowledge is gained by entering the world and gathering various viewpoints. Byron might be hinting that Annabella would not consider any opinion or piece of wisdom outside of herself.

Random Question: "Her cheek all purple with the beam of youth..." (386) Since when is youthfulness a shade of purple? In honor of this youthfulness, my font will be purple for this post.

Comments on Coleridge

I believe that to gain a better understanding of the literature, one should begin reading the introduction biography about the author. In many cases, themes and ideas can be traced if one knows the author's background. My basic assessment of Coleridge from his biography is that he was constantly trying to find his happiness in some new means. In the beginning, he married based upon societal expectation and was quickly discontent. He had an affair with Sara Hutchinson and for a time, seemed happy for a time. But around this same time, he became addicted to an opium. Because of the side effects of the drugs, Coleridge plunged into depression and worthlessness for a time. One would wish that his failed marriage and affair were part of his dejection, but he seemed to see no particular issue with the affair. In The Eolian Harp, he seems to attempt to justify his unfaithfulness: "I praise him, and with faith that inly feels; Who with his saving mercies healed me, a sinful and most miserable man, wildered and dark, and gave me to possess peace, and this cot, and thee, heart-honoured Maid!" (326) He is referring to Sara in this passage. Coleridge seems to think that Sara is a blessing from God that he is justified to possess. The Bible is very clear on adultery and Coleridge was well-versed enough to know this. This seems a prime example of human nature. We pick and choose "right" and "wrong" based upon personal benefit, instead of morality.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is perhaps Coleridge's most prominent of writings. The introduction's theme is basically the limitations of human knowledge, understanding, and experience. As the story continues, the relevance of this opening becomes more apparent. The ancient Mariner is recounting his tale at a wedding, which seemed like an odd setting to me. Usually, wedding conversation is limited to small talk, not epic tales, but that aside, the elaborate story is told. The crew of the Mariner's ship is visited by a special friend, an albatross. At first, the crew takes care of the bird with the utmost charity, but then one day for no obvious reason, the Mariner kills him. All of the crew worried that this murder would place a bad omen upon the ship. The misfortunes came, but in an unexpected way. The Mariner stood upon the deck with the dead bird hanging about his neck, waiting for judgment in a sense. Warning, Rabbit trail ahead: Why did they save the dead bird? Instead of death, the Mariner is given life-in-death, which in my opinion appears much worse. In a lot of cases, death can be viewed as a means of escape or a painless ending. Because of his cruelty, death was too kind of a treatment for him. His entire crew keeled over and he was left floating adrift alone. Despair flooded over him and he wished he was dead. As time continued, he finally started praising the beauty of God's creation and at that moment, the albatross fell into the sea. It was the metaphorical lifting of his burden. The punishment is still fulfilled later as everything is ripped from him. He is left with no crew or ship. His physical life was still spared, but he was dead in spirit. Coleridge uses this story as a moral lesson. The Ancient Mariner tells the wedding guest this story to save the man from ever discrediting God's creation. Love and care of all God's creations is the moral of the story. The power of this story comes from evoked emotions. At one moment, the reader may love the Mariner, and the next, despise him for his senseless act.
As a whole, I am not a Coleridge fan, but I am an animal lover and thus, anyone that is in opposition to animal cruelty wins some of my respect and affection.

Just A Spot of Dot

From the introduction, one quickly finds Dorothy Wordsworth to be humble and unassuming. Her writing was at the urging of her brother, William and she claimed he was the only reason that she did. The other interesting aspect of Wordsworth was her role in the family. She lived with her brother and his wife, Mary Hutchinson. Her nephews and nieces were well-loved and nurtured by their aunt.
Her piece that struck me the most was Address to a Child. All her writings exhibit a sense of sincerity and genuineness. This truthful style makes it easy for the reader to relate and comprehend the emotions that are exhibited. Dorothy's brother had died in a shipwreck and this address was sent to her nephew as a means of comfort. The focal point of this story is wind and its effect. The usage of wind was metaphorical genius. She opens the story with questions about how wind comes and goes. Questions seem an appropriate beginning because her nephew is probably longing for answers as to why his father had died. In the following lines, she discusses how wind affects nearly everything in nature. She portrays the vastness of wind and highlights how even scholars do not understand the purpose or pattern of wind. Even if one goes looking for the answers, wind is beyond comprehension. This metaphor is perfect because the loss of the boy's father is also incomprehensible. I believe she is telling her nephew that there is no explanation as to why his father had to die; just like the wind, human life can come and go without reason. Dorothy is expressing it gently through her symbolism, but essentially, her advice to Johnny is to do his best to move forward and stop chasing after the wind for answers.

William Wordsworth: The Beauty of Simplicity

Wordsworth is a man that has won respect from even those that did not accept his political ideas because of the simple grandeur of his writings.
I found myself smiling as I read, "Simon Lee". This story tells about a wrinkled up, old couple and their daily struggles. William speaks plainly but yet, with surprising eloquence. This couple are happy and satisfied even in the midst of their dire life. Simon and his wife reminded me of my grandparents. My grandfather was a builder all the way up to his death at eighty-three. He might have constructed fewer homes, but he never retired. The weathering of years did not keep him from working and traveling all over the world as well. Elderly people, regardless of their occupation, have achieved the beauty of a long life. A simple life lived well is a thing of beauty.
His writings appear very natural and genuine. The carefully scripted images let the reader's imagination fill in all the blanks. I believe that his works are so widely acclaimed because of their simplicity of subject. He writes about topics that an average person has or will face, such as aging or the death of a loved one, like in We Are Seven. The footnote informed me that William lost his own mother when he was eight and that explains the empathetic way in which he wrote this story. The emotions of the little girl are so genuine that one can speculate that Wordsworth incorporated in his own emotionally straining childhood. Although two of her siblings have died, she refuses to count them absent. One could say that she is coping through denial, but I believe that she is letting the memory and spirit of her siblings live on in her. Wordsworth probably had a similar reaction to the death of his mother.
If one had to sum up Wordsworth in one word: Natural. His style was simple and unforced. The theme of most of his work is being enraptured in nature's glories. I must confess that poetry is not my cup of tea, but I found him enjoyable. It is no wonder that everyone seemed to like him in his day.