A reference from a lecture on Romanticism is appropriate for this point in my blog: "Effusions are artant outpourings of feelings; Poetry is meditative; Romantic poets externalized their emotions" (Minor "Romanticism"). Wordsworth "outpour[ed]" his emotions when he composed his poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge . . ." (Minor "Romanticism"). These emotions can be interpreted as literal ones; however, my analysis of the poem is more figurative than literal. Wordsworth's emotions for a country, a place, which is England, that he loves so dearly, were restored to him through nature, in his revisit to Tintern Abbey ("Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey"). He pauses upon Westminster Bridge on a trip to France to see his former lover and child ("Footnote 1"), and while doing so, he reflects upon this place, "[t]his City" (4), which he glorifies in his poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802." The myth of England as an island nation is absolutely relevant for Wordsworth.
To further explain his unsettled peace is that he had "feelings for his lover and his child [that] were being revived and reengaged, along with his conviction that he was the necessary Poet for these unruly times" (Johnston 786). His visit to France was to relieve himself of these emotions, and be free to love the country which he adored. The sonnet that he wrote as he crossed Westminster Bridge not only expresses his view of London, it translates that spirit which he has for England: he is a soul set free. This tranquility, which he experienced in "Tintern Abbey," and that he experiences at Westminster Bridge as well, is his first view of England, and is not dissimilar from his usual writing style. It is not until his next poem, "London, 1802," which he composes after his visit to Calais, that he writes differently ("Footnote 6"). Yet, I will express this more explicitly in future blogs.
The poem's figurative analysis is expressed in the opening lines:
Earth has not any thing to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning: silent, bare, (1-5)
In these lines, Wordsworth is describing England (1-5), or the city square mile, itself (Bibbee). The view which he describes is not just about the literal view, it is about the spirit of England. The country which he loved previously in "Tintern Abbey" was clear on this July day for Wordsworth (1-5). He believes that everyone should see his country as he does: "Dull would he be of soul who could pass by / A sight so touching in its majesty:" (2-3). "This City now doth, like a garment, wear / The beauty of the morning: silent, bare," conveys that England ("this City") "now" has this spirit (4-5), which is the restoration of the spirit for his country that he obtained from his revisit to Tintern Abbey, physically, as well as in his mind ("Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey" 1-159). Also, according to Peter F. Morgan, "[t]he significance of light in the sonnet is signalled through the simile in [these lines]" (174). He also states: "[t]his contains an allusion to Psalm 104 where the Lord Himself is covered 'with light as with a garment'" (Morgan 174). The reference to the Biblical allusion conveys the spirit in a figurative sense, which is possibly why he chose to use a simile in this particular line in order to compare it to a sacredness (spirit) (Morgan 174).
According to Peter F. Morgan, the poem is about "[t]he 'wonder of the sudden view,' the sense of peril eluded, the enjoyment of the sight of the city at dawn" (115). Also, he states that "it could be said that the marriage Wordsworth is celebrating is that between nature and the city: comparable to the failed marriage in his personal life between himself and Annette, the illicit marriage between himself and Dorothy, and the not yet achieved of an ongoing relationship with his distant daughter, Caroline" (Morgan 113-14). While this is true on the surface, particularly if you are focusing upon the biographical content behind the poem, I disagree with Peter Morgan. I do not think that Wordsworth is celebrating the marriage between city and nature in a literal sense; he is celebrating it figuratively. The marriage which he refers to is how his revisit to nature inspired him once more for a love for his country, England, much like I recaptured from my visit to Hyde Park (nature), and brought back with me upon my return to the city of London. It recreated a love, a glorification of a place, a country, which is England. This figurative marriage is between Wordsworth and his devotion to his country. To me, Wordsworth believed in the idea of England as an island nation. The poem which he composed upon Westminster Bridge on that July day reiterates this ("Composed upon Westminster Bridge" 1-14). It was a glorification of England as a separate entity, one which brought him tranquility in a time of unsettled peace. While the biographical information is relevant to the unsettled peace in his life, the poem is not about the author himself. It is a glorification of England, which is possibly why he chose to commemorate it as he paused upon Westminster Bridge.
My next blog will focus on my analysis that even though Wordsworth discusses certain places, the poem is not just about the history, or architecture, of England itself. He does not name these places in the poem specifically. He reflects upon these buildings as a sentiment, or glorification, of his country: a separate entity. This view of England gives him tranquility in a time of unsettled peace. I will also convey my experiences at two of the places which Wordsworth possibly saw on that July day in 1802: Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral ("domes" 6), as well as Westminster Bridge itself.
Bibbee, Jeffrey. "Thoughts on the 'City' in the poem, 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.'" EN 496. Study Abroad Trip, London, England. University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama. July 2011. Lecture.
“Footnote 1.” Wordsworth, William. “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 317. Print.
“Footnote 6.” Wordsworth, William. “London, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 319. Print.
Johnston, Kenneth R. The Hidden Wordsworth: Poet, Lover, Rebel, Spy. New York: Norton, 1998. Print.
Minor, Lisa. "Romanticism." EN 212. University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama. 18 January 2011. Lecture.
Morgan, Peter F. The Poetic and Pictorial Elements in Works by Five Writers in English: Milton, Pope, Wordsworth, Ruskin, Pound. Lewiston; Lampeter: E. Mellen P, 1992. Print. British Library. 11 July 2011.
Wordsworth, William. “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 317. Print.
Wordsworth, William. “London, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 319. Print.
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