Wordworth and Goldsmith

From Augustan to Romantic

  • Transition in literary themes from Augustan to Romantic periods focusing on pastoral themes.

New Sensibility (1750 Onward)

  • Emphasis on:

    • Feelings and fellow-feeling

    • Sympathy and sensitivity to beauty

    • Reaction against Hobbes and Mandeville

    • Promotion of benevolence in social ethics

    • Good manners as social currency

  • Decline into 'the luxury of grief' in Austen's works.

Pastoral Elegies: Gray and Goldsmith

  • Idealization of rural life versus urban corruption.

  • Concept of a pre-lapsarian, utopian world characterized by:

    • Order and paternalism

    • Nostalgia and primitivism.

Definition of Pastoral Poetry

  • Literary works idealizing rural life, often through shepherd narratives.

  • Usage of the term "pastoral" from the early 16th century.

Characteristics of Pastoral Poetry

  • Representations of rural beauty and simplicity

  • Evolving definitions from classical figures like Theocritus, Virgil, to modern interpretations by Wordsworth.

Goldsmith's Biography

  • Born near Ballymahon, Co. Longford

  • Son of an Anglican vicar; educated at Trinity College Dublin.

Goldsmith's Career

  • Studied medicine, traveled Europe; began writing in London (1756).

  • Major works include:

    • The Vicar of Wakefield

    • The Deserted Village

    • She Stoops to Conquer.

Goldsmith's Politics

  • Identified as Tory Monarchist (possibly Jacobite) with anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist views.

The Enclosure Movement

  • Transformation of British landscape through policies (1750-1860) leading to evictions and riots.

  • Critique of wealth and its destructive potential.

Themes in Goldsmith's Work

Critical Themes

  • Loss of pastoral landscapes due to urbanization.

  • Character portrayals reflecting societal changes:

    • The Village Preacher

    • The Broken Soldier

    • The Village Master.

Recurring Motifs

  • The juxtaposition between luxury and rural virtue.

  • Exploration of the individual's connection to land and community.

Wordsworth's Influence

  • Born in 1770; shaped by personal experiences and political changes, notably the French Revolution.

  • Collaborated with Dorothy Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, influential in Romantic poetry.

Key Ideas by Wordsworth

  • Preface to Lyrical Ballads outlined new approaches to poetry.

  • Advocacy for common life subjects and natural feelings rather than artificial styles.

Thematic Exploration

  • Focus on feelings as central to poetry, emphasizing sincerity.

  • The poet as one with heightened sensibility and emotional depth.

Examination of 'Michael'

  • Set in the context of rural issues and enclosures.

  • The narrative detailing Michael's struggle and loss as reflective of broader social themes.

Concluding Themes

Changes in Pastoral Interpretation

  • Shift from aristocratic fantasy to involving realism.

  • Wordsworth’s portrayal of real characters challenged the tradition.

Literary Significance

  • Exploration of human relationships and rural life reveals critical societal commentary.

  • Legacy lies in blending pastoral ideals with contemporary social issues.