Nature and Solitude

           In many of the poems we read in class, the poet is observing nature by himself or in a small group. This sense of solitude and isolation often seems to influence the author and inspire insight into the sublime, majestic qualities of nature. Several of the poems demonstrate how the poet applies an individualistic approach to nature, making the experience of being in the forest, field, etc more personal. The setting they describe creates a foundation that the authors then build on in order to explore themes like memory, the self and higher ecstasies.   Wordsworth particularly appears entranced with this personal connection to nature. He explores it in both Tintern Abbey and the Prelude, often in conjunction with memories of himself at a younger age. These reflections and memories typically involve him being alone and interacting with nature. In the Prelude, he thinks back to when he stole the boat and trembled at the cliff ahead of him. The whole experience and memory of it is constructed of his solitude and what surrounded him. He remembers how he felt, partly because he stole the boat, but also because he recalls the sensation associated with the cliff. This is not to say that he was necessarily scared of the cliff but mere that it influenced him in a significant way. This could be compared to standing in awe of the Grand Canyon or any other natural wonder. Tintern Abbey also serves as a significant object for Wordsworth. Both the cliff and the abbey serve as focal points for him, each standing larger than the rest of nature around it, set apart like the poet.

           In this portrait, Wordsworth looks contemplative, possibly thinking about something that has happened in his past. He is in the center of the portrait, making him the focus of the piece and there is nothing to really distract from him, even his clothes are fairly uninteresting. All of this emphasizes his isolation and the attitude of meditation it brings about.   He also mentions how, as a child, he wandered through the forest and bathed in a stream. This experience inherently requires isolation, for to have been in a group would have either drastically altered the memory into something less ideal or never allowed the opportunity to arise. Yet again, this solitary nature carries with it the benefit of letting one absorb details and thoughts that would otherwise be pushed aside and ignored in the onslaught of distraction. Even if one cannot fully appreciate nature or beauty as a child, the important aspect that Wordsworth seems to point out is that one does experience it. In essence, his poetry indicates that there is always time for reflection later, as long as there is something to reflect on. More often than not, he explicitly states that his views differ over the years, yet this does not diminish the initial, personal outlook that was gained by those private excursions.
            Unfortunately, the peace of nature can be broken and intruded on. Wordsworth also recalls how he once saw a dead man in a lake. What was at first described as “calm” with “breathless stillness” seems jolted and distorted when “the dead man, ‘med that beauteous scene…bold upright rose with his ghastly face” (Wordsworth 8). It is as though the dead man is not meant to be there, that he is not harmonious with the purity of nature. This also applies to the living; people other than the author tend to disrupt their observations and thought processes. What this statement does not apply to is narrative poetry, in which the audience sees less of the author himself and more of a necessary number of characters. Even in poems that tended toward narrative however, nature can speak for itself, as Lalababaganoosh points out in their post, The Spirits in the Last Minstrel. Nature becomes a character in itself, or rather, a couple of characters, as elements of nature are cast as spirits of the river and mountain. This shows how the landscape is just as much a part of a country as the people that inhabit it and how the poet can give voice to that which is normally silent. The people in a country are important too though, often shown in the characters of a poem. A good website that supports this argument is http://www.literature-study-online.com/essays/wordsworth.html. It discusses several of Wordsworth's poems, including The Thorn, The Mad Mother, and The Complaint of a Forsaken Indian Woman. All these discuss solitary mothers and their relationships to their children and nature.
            This brings up the interesting question of whether the author,narrator, or observer are actually necessary at all. In one of my posts, I mentioned how Wordsworth discusses a place that “was made by Nature for herself. The travellers know it not, and ‘twill remain Unknown to them; but it is beautiful”. In several poems, nature is mentioned or described without any kind of human trespass, leading to the dilemma of whether this natural purity is truly ideal without someone to see it. Wordsworth argues that the spot is beautiful in itself, that it does not require the travelers to make an opinion, but through his writing of it, he has done exactly that. If the poets did not see these beautiful sights, they could not write or think about them. Nature serves as artistic inspiration, something generally perceived as good, but does this destroy what nature existed prior to human intervention? There does not seem to be a conclusive answer. Related to this topic though, ars makes a good point when they claim that with Wordsworth’s emphasis on the individual, it is “no longer an act of viewing nature and taking a physical representation of it with you to add to your collection or reading a collection of a traveler’s analysis but instead attaching yourself or someone else to that spot”. This interestingly changes the idea of what is being collected, from collecting nature to collecting the poet and his identity. Woodring makes an interesting statement regarding the poets and the essence of nature, claiming “in their various ways, Austen, Schiller, Wordsworth, Lamartine, and Pirsig all agree that nature is in us unless by artificiality we drive it out of ourselves and into the mountains and seas” (Woodring 195). This describes the calling of the poets, to work with nature to create and express the humanity they find in themselves during their excursions and silent moments. Interestingly, this also raises the duality of nature and the poets place in it. If nature is inside him, found in solitude, he is then a part of nature rather than an intruder into it.
            As mentioned before the idea that nature and solitude are so closely connected intimately ties in the persona of the poet and their self. Morris Dickstein would probably agree with this idea, since he states that “solitude is the ground for Wordsworth’s early imaginative links with nature, as it also marks his later experiences of time, loss, and separation. Solitude—as in ‘emotion recollected in tranquility’ – is the condition for Wordsworthian sincerity and self-exploration…” (Dickstein 260). He also goes on to describe Wordsworth as a solitary man even with a large family. This evidence only strengthens the argument of how much of himself Wordsworth put into his poetry and how much the lone walks and experiences must have influenced him. 

 

            This picture really captures the singularity of the poet surrounded by nature. It also shows the magnificence of the landscape. It seems to manifest the profound insight that the artist gains from his isolated experience. It almost looks like the poet is looking down on nature but I do not think the participation is meant to be one-sided. At least, not in a corrupt way, since only the poet is taking something away from the involvement.
            In the Leslie William Bowles presentation, there is even a quote from Bowles that states “these Sonnets were originally composed in my solitary hours; when, in youth a wanderer among distant scenes I sought forgetfulness of the first disappointment in early affections.” This statement reinforces the importance that those solitary moments had for the Romantic poets and gives some insight into how they played a part in the creative process. The presentation actually goes on to say that Bowles’ sonnets were significant because they disregarded conventions of the time and focused on sentimentality and nature, something that is often said about Wordsworth, who was influenced by Bowles. Michelle also had some great points in her post about how Bowles and Wordsworth are similar and the ways in which both are finding peace in their poetry and in nature. One of the words she used that perfectly described the goal for these poets was serenity. That word exemplifies what the solitude of the poetry is meant to represent, for it is supposed to evoke that kind of peace compared to any sense of loneliness or sadness. Another supporting website is http://www.reocities.com/academia69/3poets.html, which mentions how Coleridge celebrates his individuality and solitude in Frost at Midnight. Like Wordsworth, he uses nature imagery and an introspective perception to convey his emotion.
            The solitude in nature is an important to the poet and extends across all of the sections of the class. It captures the self of the poet and nature itself, and in doing so, establishes the identity of countries. Many of the Romantic poets discuss their own experiences of calm peace, yet also impart this perception onto their characters, sometimes ostracizing them from civilization in the process. Doing this allows both poets and characters to reflect on themselves, their past, and how nature influences them.



Wordsworth and Solitude

Morris Dickstein

The Sewanee Review , Vol. 95, No. 2 (Spring, 1987), pp. 253-275

Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27545741

Nature and Art in the Nineteenth Century
Carl Woodring
PMLA , Vol. 92, No. 2 (Mar., 1977), pp. 193-202
Published by: Modern Language Association
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/461940