How is the Romantic construction of the Sublime reflected in
the ideological, conceptual and linguistic construction of the texts under
consideration in this Romanticism reader?
You can look here at Blake's Songs, Shelley's Ode to the West Wind, Byron's Manfred and Frankenstein...
Hi guys
ReplyDeleteRe: Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley
What is the sublime?
The sublime according to Pateman (2004, 1991) in the Critical Reader (CR) are “forms of expression which have the power to ‘entrance’ us, to ‘transport us with wonder’, as opposed to merely persuading or pleasing us” (CR, p. 16). Enlarging on Pateman, the Literary Dictionary (2004) states that the 18th century became involved with the concept of ‘the sublime’ after Nicolas Boileau translated ‘Longinus’ into French (1672). Writers in the 18th century considered the sublime to that which is “of awesome grandeur in art or nature” (Literary Dictionary, para. 1). The sublime in Longinus is “loftiness of thought and feeling in literature” (Literary Dictionary, para. 1) connected with “terrifyingly impressive natural phenomena such as mountains, volcanoes, storms, and the sea” (Literary Dictionary, para. 1), Edmund Burke considered the sublime to be “characterized by obscurity, vastness, and power, while the beautiful is light, smooth, and delicate” (Literary Dictionary, para. 1). Pateman states of Burke’s view of the sublime, that it “contains a lurking paradox. . . . that we are drawn to things which cause us pain” (CR, p. 193).
What is the construction of the sublime?
Mountfort (2009) states that the sublime is what takes our breath away and which “affects us in a deep emotional way” (Lecture, May 5). He also stated that the sublime has “twinned aspects” (Lecture, May 5). That is, its construction incorporates two opposing elements. For example, the beautiful and the terrible or horrific intertwined. One example that was explored was a dam, being both ugly (horrible) and amazing at the same time.
----- The construction of the sublime as reflected in the LINGUISTIC construction of the ‘Ode to the West Wind’. Definition of ‘linguistic’: “consisting of or related to language” (“Linguistic”, 2001, para. 1).
Example of language used to convey the sublime dual construction:
The west wind as “destroyer and preserver” (CR, p. 170).
----- The construction of the sublime as reflected in the IDEOLOGICAL construction of the Ode to the West Wind. Definition of ‘ideological’: “concerned with or suggestive of ideas” (“Ideological”, 2001, para. 1).
Example of the ideological to convey the sublime dual construction:
The west wind ends autumn and brings winter and destruction. “Fall is a time of beauty and death . . . shows both the creative and destructive powers of nature, a favourite Shelley theme” (Sparknotes, 2009, para. 4). However, although it is a destructive element, it brings about good in that it scatters the seeds. “O thou/Who chariotest to their dark wintery bed/The winged seeds” (CR, p. 170).
----- The construction of the sublime as reflected in the CONCEPTUAL construction of the Ode to the West Wind. Definition of ‘conceptual’: “speculation that is imaginary or visionary” (HarperCollins, 2004, p. 306).
Example of the conceptual to convey the sublime dual construction:
By referring to the west wind as, for example, “thou” or “spirit” (CR, p. 170), the wind takes on a “divine element” (Gates, n.d., para. 4) and an invisible entity is conjured (Gates). The vivid colours of fall and its tempests can be related to the intense character of the poet while the rotting matter and destruction the wind brings can be likened to the “sacrifice and martyrdom of the Christ-like poet” (Sparknotes, 2009, para 4) who is willing to endure the storm (‘darkness’) knowing that Spring will come with a rebirth or an “impending enlightened state of being” (Gates, para 11). The wind – or spirit – can be both “a destroyer and preserver” (Gates, para 4).
Percy Bisshey Shelley, instead of calling upon the west wind’s “azure sister” (CR, p. 170), calls upon the west wind instead. Thus, according to Gates (n.d.), he is “casting aside the picturesque in nature for the sublime, having been enraptured by its presentation of power” (para 3).
References
Pateman, T. (2004, 1991). From the Critical Reader, 192-193.
Also:
Gates, C. (n.d.). Romantic audience project: a close reading of Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind. J. Perez (Ed.). Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://ssad.bowdoin.edu:8668/space/A%20Close%20Reading%20of%20Shelley's%20Ode%20to%20the%20West%20Wind
HarperCollins. (2004). Collins concise dictionary: 21st century edition (5th ed.). Glasgow: Author.
Ideological. (2001). WordNet 1.7.1. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.answers.com/topic/ideological
Linguistic. (2001). WordNet 1.7.1. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.answers.com/topic/linguistic
Mountfort, P. Dr. (May 5, 2009). Language, literature and desire: the sublime. Part of lecture held at AUT, Auckland, classroom WT605.
Shelley’s poetry: themes, motifs & symbols. (2009). Sparknotes. Retrieved May 16, 2009, http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/shelley/themes.html
Sublime, the (2001, 2004). The concise Oxford dictionary of literary terms. Retrieved May 16, 2009, from http://www.answers.com/topic/sublime-1
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ReplyDeleteHi, group:
ReplyDeleteThe followings are my summary of the romantic construction of the sublime reflected in the linguistic, ideological and conceptual construction of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818).
In the case of Frankenstein, it seems that the sublime reflects in the structure rather than the language itself.
Frankenstein composes letters and these letters are first person narratives. The structure makes the limits to presentation and creates both “a sense of containment and a sense of openness” (Fredricks, 1996, p.187).
At the end of story, the creature, who was made by Victor, escapes into the ‘darkness and distance’ beyond the frame of story (Fredricks, 1996). Mrs. Sville, who was addressed Walton’s letters, remains outside of the flame of story, and she does not respond to close the story as frame (Fredricks, 1996). Fredricks (1996) notes that this open space beyond the frame is one of the sublime settings.
According to Fredricks (1996), Shelley indicates the sublime beyond the restrictive containment of the beautiful, which works to contain and maintain social distinctions and hierarchies. In contrast to the power of beauty, the sublime opens the way for challenging the dominant discourse (Fredricks, 1996).
The sublime emphasizes respect for the limits to human’s powers of appropriating nature, and therefore, it has a power of self-determination in the face of obstacles (Fredricks, 1996).
Meanwhile, after the French Revolution, the word ‘monster’ was politically charged with class and gender conflict. Political radicals like Shelley’s parents Godwin and Wollstonecraft named royalty and the aristocracy the ‘monster’ (Fredricks, 1996). Shelley’s use of the term ‘monster’ for the creature brings in the story marginalized women and the lower classes (Fredricks, 1996).
Then, the sublime of Alps, which represents the frontier of human society, sets the stage for a confrontation between the marginalized and the dominant discourse (Fredricks, 1996). The sublime power opens a space where the marginalized can speak, and then, the monster tells his side of story to challenge Victor’s dominant discourse (Fredricks, 1996).
Fredricks (1996) points out that the monster does not extend his critique to an oppression of women. However, Fredricks (1996) also points out that the sublime setting is associated with emergence of a female subjectivity.
While Shelley lived in the shadow of her famous parents and with Percy at first, she could not express her personal vision (Fredricks, 1996). The sublime setting provides Shelley with her “aerie of freedom” for emergence of her voice (Fredricks, 1996, p.185).
List of reference
Fredricks, N. (1996). On the sublime and beautiful in Shelley’s Frankenstein. Essays in Literature, 23(2), 178-189. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.
According to Broadwell (1997), 'terror was commonly considered the highest manifestation of sublimity' in the 18th century. That notion is backed by a citing from Burke (1757) who states that terror is the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling and his explanation immediately turns the reader's attention to Blake's 'The Tyger' in Songs of Experience. (Broadwell, 1997) The conventional Romantic belief is 'that the terrors of creation have a sublime power that transcends the human perspective. But Blake's accomplishment in "The Tyger" is to present this supernatural perspective without relinquishing the human perspective. (Broadwell, 1997, para2) Words such as 'Tyger! Tyger! burning bright' exemplifies the union of apparent opposites i.e. the terror and admiration, danger and beauty, dark and illuminating, and present a divine visionary aspect of creation. (Broadwell, 1997)
ReplyDeleteBaulch (1996) examines Blake's comments on 'sublime poetry' by comparing his view with that of Kant (1724-1804). For Blake, 'the sublime is the direct experience of the supersensible by means of the imagination.' Whereas, for Kant, 'the sublime is only an indirect indication of the realm of the supersensible ..... to which our conscious understanding has no direct access.' (Baulch, 1996, para3)
Baulch, D. M. (1996). "Forms sublime": William Blake's aesthetics of the sublime in "The Four Zoas", "Milton", and "Jerusalem". Retrieved from Academic Research Library (ProQuest) database.
Broadwell, Y. (1997). William Blake's "The Tyger": An Encounter with Sublimity. Retrieved from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/m/morillo/public/blake.htm