An Idealized Artistic Persona - Essay Example

?Write an essay of 500 words in which you compare and contrast the depiction of the Romantic autobiographer evoked in the two passages below. Throughout history, writers have developed numerous ways of constructing an idealized artistic persona, which can then be presented to the reader in the form of a first person narrative. Modern readers looking back at the writings of previous centuries can gain many insights from an analysis of these imagined personalities, because they reflect the philosophies and underlying assumptions which were current at the time. This paper looks at two famous passages which introduce such writerly personas from the Romantic period in English literature as William Wordsworth (1770-1850) and Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859). Wordsworth’s extract from the Prelude, and de Quincey’s extract from Confessions of an English Opium Eater have one feature in common: they both demonstrate a truly romantic sensibility. Beyond this central similarity, however, there are some major differences such as genre, national/international perspective, and proposed levels of social and moral behaviour which the “autobiographer” persona claims to embody. The Romantic movement was essentially a continental European phenomenon when it first emerged, through the works in French and German by writers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749-1832). In Britain it flourished in literature first, and then later spread to music and other arts. It is seen in connection with some important developments in European history such as the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on scientific discovery, and the use of logic and reason to make sense of the world, and the Industrial Revolution, which saw a widespread move of populations from rural areas to the cities in search of work in factories which had begun to spring up. The French Revolution of 1789 was evidence of great changes in political understanding also. In some ways the Romantic movement was a reaction to these seismic events: a key characteristic of this period is that writers began to focus on “the powers and terrors of the inner imaginative life” (Watson, in Watson and Towheed, 2011, p. 3) In the Wordsworth text, the power of the inner imaginative life of the author is presented as something positive, sweet and pleasant, citing “visionary things, and lovely forms/And sweet sensations…” (Wordsworth, ll. 61-62). He speaks of the power of his own former years, (Wordsworth, l. 51) and depicts the task of capturing them in writing as a form of “honourable toil” (Wordsworth, l. 53). Wordsworth’s early life is presented as an idyllic scene, painted for the reader under a shining sun, evoking strong emotions for their edification and enjoyment, in a timeless English countryside. De Quincey also aims to arouse the emotions of the reader, but in his text the emotions that he evokes are somewhat more extreme, and tinged with danger and excitement, since he mentions for example that be might “shock” his readers with the revelations that are to come. Both personas are presented as something out of the ordinary, in order to captivate the interest of the reader, and this also is a feature of the Romantic sensibility: “The idea of the writer as an original genius, an exceptional man ahead of his time, possessed by inexplicable, spontaneous, visionary inspiration, first became dominant in the Romantic period.” (Watson, in Watson and Towheed, 2011, p. 7) Both men introduce themselves to the reader as older, wiser individuals who have retired from their busy life to devote themselves to inner contemplation and recording their innermost thoughts about their own experiences. Wordsworth displays his academic credentials through lofty abstract terms such as “inquiry” (l. 55), “knowledge” (l. 57), and “judgements” (L. 59) while de Quincey finds it necessary to spell out the fact that he has been reading various very academic writers, and that he is “a scholar and a man of learned education.” The texts are each presented, then, as insights into the workings of the mind of a great man. A key difference in the two texts can be seen also in the titles of the works in which they occur. Wordsworth’s “Prelude” has connotations of a carefully planned introduction to a major work, with proper structure, as indeed is suggested by the well-crafted verse format and the elevated language that follows. De Quincey’s title, however, has a much more down-to-earth and graphic tone, since opium eating was a habit that had, by the time of writing, become a notorious pastime. There is less indication of structure in this title. A major difference in the two texts lies in the fact that Wordsworth writes in poetry and de Quincey writes in prose. Poetry has a higher status than prose, since it is written and read almost exclusively by wealthy and higher class people. The genre reveals a difference in social status between the two writers. De Quincey acknowledges as much when he admits that he only barely qualifies for the title of “gentlemen.” The social difference is also matched by a hierarchy of moral behaviour. Wordsworth’s revelations are harmless, and idyllic. He speaks of his own life as if it were yet another example of the lyric poetry that he is already famous for. Just as the beauty of the landscape inspired Wordsworth to write about the meaning of life, and reflect on his place as a recorder of God’s great creation in his famous poems, this also is a work that is intended to edify and flatter the reader. His text presents a world of high and noble thoughts which underlines the social superiority of mainly upper class people who have the leisure time to enjoy poetry, literature, and long walks in the country. Wordsworth was primarily an academic, and his poetry was an expression of his creative side, as if he wanted to distil all of his advanced book learning into his poetry as a leisure time activity. In contrast to the well-heeled and academic lifestyle of Wordsworth, Thomas de Quincey’s daily life was that of a jobbing journalist, trying to get his prose works published in magazines. The persona the de Quincey projects is considerably more urban, and workmanlike on the one hand, but at the same time decadent, with its emphasis on the taking of opium. He was born fifteen years later than Wordsworth, and had developed a fascination for the Romantic poets, looking to them as guides and examples for writers to emulate. Unfortunately however, de Quincey had neither the financial means, nor the strength of character, to pursue this aim in the same way that the older Wordsworth was able to do. The kind of journalistic prose writing that de Quincey made his living from was regarded with much less admiration and respect than the poetry of the likes of Wordsworth. Unlike the poets, De Quincey was a full time writer, but in those days this was no guarantee of success: “it did not automatically grant him celebrity status, certainly did not grant him status as a man of genius, and it did not pay well either.” (Watson and Towheed, 2011, p. 77) Since many of the pieces he wrote were published anonymously, or under pseudonyms, the fame and renown that he sought was very slow in coming to him. There is a tone of mocking and irony in de Quincey’s text, that is entirely missing in Wordsworth’s text. The mention of the “housekeeper”, significantly framed in inverted commas, suggests, but does not state explicitly, that this woman is de Quincey’s lover, and that they are living together in an unmarried state. The phrase honi soit qui mal y pense which is a formal French rebuttal of any accusation of wrongdoing is a deliberate attempt to throw scorn on the conventions of upper class life. De Quincey suggests with this phrase that he knows perfectly well what sort of moral behaviour is expected of a scholar and a gentleman, and that he can discuss the point in several languages, but that in fact he chooses to live a dissolute life. The intention is to inject an element of scandal into the piece, which will tempt the readers to read on and find out more salacious details. The two authors project an image of themselves which defines the relationship they wish to have with their readers. Wordsworth clearly wishes to be respected, since he stresses honour, and he implies that the reader will even love him, as he refers to himself in the third person as “him thou lovest” (l.8). De Quincey flatters his reader by referring to him as “courteous” and craves his reader’s indulgence, because he knows that his writings could be perceived as shocking and offensive in some quarters. This shows that de Quincey enlists his readers in a conspiracy to subvert and mock traditional values. In conclusion, therefore, it is clear that both Wordsworth and de Quincey take great pains to build a close relationship with their reader, and to present themselves as characters who are exceptional in an academic and intelligent way. The main difference, however, between the two is that this Romantic intimacy remains honourable and respectable in Wordsworth’s case, as befits upper class readers, while de Quincey speaks of immoral habits which titillate the reader. Wordsworth’s text is formal, and somewhat prim in its tone, while de Quincey’s ironic narrative is suggestive and entertaining in a way that subverts the fundamental values of these same upper class readers. The Romantic autobiographical persona has therefore changed from its early pastoral ideal into something considerably darker and more threatening by the time that Quincey was writing. References De Quincey, T. (1821) Confessions of an English Opium Eater. Reproduced in Watson, N.J. and Towheed, S. (Eds). Romantics and Victorians, pp. 277-279. Watson, N.J. and Towheed, S. (Eds). (2011) Romantics and Victorians. Bloomsbury Academic and the Open University. Wordsworth, W. (1799) “The Prelude” First Part, ll. 450-64. Reproduced in Watson, N.J. and Towheed, S. (Eds). Romantics and Victorians, pp.190-191. Read More