Part 2 of "London, 1802": A Contrasting View of England

According to C. T. Winchester, Wordsworth's sonnets of 1802 "are a proof that the disappointment of his early hopes for the revolution in France had not dimmed his high ideals of England's duty and mission" (244). I disagree with Winchester. The peace treaty between England and France did not end the unsettled peace which he sought during his visit to Calais in August ("Footnote 1"). Wordsworth possibly felt free to pursue his loyalty to his country, England, since he had ended the relationship finally to Annette Vallon during his month long excursion to Calais ("Footnote 1"). He was to marry another woman in October (Burra 95); however, his duty toward his own country, and the view which he saw on the way to Calais from Westminster Bridge had been altered. "Footnote 6" of the "London, 1802" poem emphasizes this:

One of a series "written immediately after my return from France to London, when I could not but be struck, as here described, with the vanity and parade of our own country . . . as contrasted with the quiet, and I may say the desolation, that the revolution had produced in France. This must be borne in mind, or else the reader may think that in this and the succeeding sonnets I have exaggerated the mischief engendered and fostered among us by undisturbed wealth." (319)

In the poem, "London, 1802," Wordsworth feels that England has lost its spirit, it has become "stagnant" (2-3), which is a very dissimilar view from the view he had of his beloved country in his poem, "Tintern Abbey," as well as "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802." I will reference another poem, which dates to the same year that he composed the poem from Westminster Bridge: "Composed by the Sea-Side, Near Calais, August, 1802" (Winchester 245). In this poem, he speaks directly to his country, England (Winchester 245):

Fair Star of evening, Splendour of the west,
Star of my Country!-on the horizon's brink
Thou hangest, stooping, as might seem, to sink
On England's bosom; yet well pleased to rest,
Meanwhile, and be to her a glorious crest
Conspicuous to the Nations. Thou, I think,
Should'st be my Country's emblem; and should'st wink,
Bright Star! with laughter on her banners, drest
In thy fresh beauty. There! that dusky spot
Beneath thee, that is England; there she lies.                (10)
Blessings be on you both! one hope, one lot,
One life, one glory!-I, with many a fear
For my dear Country, many heartfelt sighs,
Among men who do not love her linger here. (1-14)

In lines 10-14, Wordsworth is at odds with his emotions: ". . . that is England; there she lies. / Blessings be on you both! one hope, one lot, / One life, one glory!-I, with many a fear / For my dear Country, many heartfelt sighs, / Among men who do not love her, linger here." He expresses sorrow for those who do not love England. My blog post, "Tintern Abbey" Further Explained from July 23, 2011, shows Patrick J. Kennedy's analyzation of "Tintern Abbey." Lines 90-93 of "Tintern Abbey" state:

. . . but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power (90-93)

Kennedy analyzes these lines as: "Love of nature has brought him into sympathy with man and his sorrows" ("Introductory Note" 97). As I introduced in my blog from July 23, 2011 on "Tintern Abbey," "[t]his 'sympathy with man and his sorrows' possibly explains the return of that spirit for Wordsworth. It also returned when he paused upon Westminster Bridge;" however, it left him in his poem, "London, 1802," when he calls out to Milton: ". . . We are selfish men; / Oh! raise us up, return to us again; / And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power." (6-8). In the poem, "Composed by the Sea-Side Near Calais, August, 1802," he has this sympathy as well, but the difference is that Wordsworth has a love for his country once more; the heartfelt sorrow is for "those who do not linger here." I emphasize this because it also shows that the poem, "London, 1802," is dissimilar from his usual writing style. The tranquility which he obtained through nature in "Tintern Abbey," which restored his view of England in the same poem, as well as "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge . . .," is not evident in "London, 1802." Thus, Wordsworth's reflection upon the view of England in his poems, "Tintern Abbey," and "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," suggest that it was a place of tranquility, even in a time of unsettled peace; however, "London, 1802" reflects upon a dissimilar view of England, which contrasts with his usual writing style. Ultimately, he had two views of England: one of which he glorified, and the England which he felt lost its spirit.  

Burra, Peter. Wordsworth. New York: Haskell House, 1972. Print.

“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. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 319. Print.

“Introductory Note.” Kennedy, Patrick J. Lucidas by John Milton. Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey and Ode on the Intimations of Immortality by William Wordsworth. Dublin: M. H. Gill and Son, N.d.. 91-92. Print. British Library. 23 July 2011.

“Notes. Kennedy, Patrick J. Lucidas by John Milton. Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey and Ode on the Intimations of Immortality by William Wordsworth. Dublin: M. H. Gill and Son, N.d.. 93-101. Print. British Library. 23 July 2011.

Winchester, C. T. William Wordsworth: How To Know Him. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1916. Print.

Wordsworth, William. “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th 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. “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 258-62. Print.

Wordsworth, William. “London, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 319. Print.