The Use of Diction Within Romantic PiecesJoin now to read essay The Use of Diction Within Romantic PiecesDuring the late 18th century in Europe, a movement known as Romanticism first defined by “German poet Friedrich Schlegel as […], “literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form,”” (Whitney) had rooted into the artistic world to fashion poets including John Keats, Percy Shelley, and in particular, Lord George Gordon Byron and William Blake. Although Blake and Byron were stark opposites in both life and literature, Blake preferring to live a more pious life utilizing poetry as entertainment and to fight against injustice in England, and Bryon leading a life of mischief and promiscuity employing writing as an escape, both had used similar writing elements that helped to further develop the emotional appeal and imaginative nature, which are characteristic of Romanticism.
The Romanticists, along with the likes of James Brown and others, were quick to develop elaborate characters whom they believed could be played as heroes, and for which they could be bought for a fee of hundreds of times higher. Despite their long and unsuccessful campaigns to sell their work, Romantic authors often found themselves on the receiving end of such advertising, as at the end of 1842 a collection of letters appeared entitled “The Letters of a Gentleman ” which was filled with quotes. The letters read like a manifesto (and some of them were very clever), and even contained references to romantic or erotic works on both literary and non-literary subjects. From 1846 to 1846, literary writers often found themselves at odds with romanticism because they rejected the more traditional romantic/philosophical forms of work: as anachronism.[1] Anachronism (a term used in nineteenth century American literature generally to describe writing that is, in part, on the philosophical spectrum) often came from the use of metaphors by a writer to explain how something was thought or done, a particular language or style, or to indicate some fact that could later be used by others to describe a fact, often from a series of such metaphors. Anachronism had a number of roots ranging from Greek to Arabic to Greek and from Latin to Latin.[2], but they were so common that they remained an enigma until they were used in fiction in 1848 in a short story entitled “The Literary Guide to Reading Romantic Writings” and the subsequent novel, “Luther Blount . . . a Life of the Bourgeois and the Poor.”
1845-1849
The Romanticists used poetic metaphors of the ’50s and ’60s when talking about the ways in which life on earth was different from what it was in the ’60s and ’70s. During this time, much of modern Western philosophy and philosophy was influenced by the work of Romantic thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Emerson, and, most recently, Romanticism itself.
1848 was the year romance’s popularity peaked, particularly among writers whose works represented Romanticism and as an early indication of the social and political importance of romanticism. The romance in 1848 appeared on a massive display in the ’60s, with a wide range of literary and literary performances on display in all 50 cities. The romantic literature’s popularity during this period has been compared to that of the romantic novels as to the ability to communicate ideas in a meaningful way. These are only a few examples of some of Romance’s most engaging and inspiring works. Although a lot has been written on Romanticism in recent years by scholars like Michael J. Beisner in his short essay on The Romantic Literary System in Literature, and many historians and writers on Romanticism think of Romantic literature as having developed from the early 20th century and continued to be important to many contemporary contemporary writers today, there are also numerous works from an earlier era, such as The Poetic Works of J.W.T. Greene (1842); and the new novel, ‘The Romance in Fiction: A Portrait of Romanticism ’19 (‘An American Writer’ by Peter G. Kostin (1829), p. 23).[3] These works were particularly notable for the fact that they were written by Romantic writers who were, historically and linguistically speaking, familiar with Romanticism. In 1848, Samuel D. Williams wrote about this by citing “Sylvain Trousley, a writer of his
At first glance, one would assume that Blake’s “London,” an outcry against the Church and State’s lack of attention to the impoverished London, and Byron’s “Written After Swimming from Sestos to Abydos,” comparing his swim across the Hellespont river to Greek legend of Leander swimming the same river, are quite the opposite in every almost respect. The subject matter and the tone of the both pieces are a black and white contrast- “London” having a somber, and even disgusted, tone pertaining to 18th century politics and life, and “Written After Swimming from Sestos to Abydos” possessing a victorious yet humble tone, abstractly glorifying Byron’s “feat.” (Line 12, Byron) Upon further analysis of “London” and “After Swimming from Sestos to Abydos,” however, one can similarities between the two pieces in terms of their structure and in particular, Byron and Blake’s use of diction.
The use of diction is an almost inevitable commonality between Blake and Byron, as many poets of varying movements use it as a means to further develop the emotional appeal and imaginative images present in the piece, particularly those classified as Romantics. The presence of strong, descriptive language is prevalent throughout both pieces. For example, Blake uses language such as, “woe,” (Line 4) “blackning,” (Line 13) and, “ [] blights with plagues,” (Line 7, Walsh 6) to hammer home that the London Blake’s character of an anonymous man wandering through the streets is a ghastly place to live if you’re classed below the aristocrats. In using such forthright speech, Blake is enabling the reader to see and hear what the narrator, whom is walking through the streets of London, is experiencing. In doing so, Blake has tapped into the human emotions of compassion and outrage, and stirring the desire react positively to the poverty within the reader. Had Blake used less descriptive wording, “London” may have been a mere observance in the goings on of this 18th century industrial centre instead of a revolt against its institutions “Church” (Line 10) and State, (i.e. “Palace walls,” Line 12, Walsh 6) that it has renowned for today.
Similarly, Bryon uses rich diction, not unlike Blake’s, to his advantage to indirectly glorify his accomplishment by implementing relatively normal language when referring to himself, and using more ornate language when referring to the Greek god, Leander’s failed attempt to swim the Hellespont: “Leander, […]/ To cross thy stream, broad Hellespont!” (Lines 2-4, Byron) For example, when Byron describes himself and the setting of the Hellespont he uses such language as “degenerate,” (Line 9) “wretch,” (Line 9), and “[…] genial month of May.” (Line 10, Byron) When referring to Leander and the legendary setting of his fatal swim, he uses such language as, “[…] dark December,” (Line 1) “[…] broad Hellespont!” (Line 4) and “[…] wintry tempest […].” (Line 5, Byron). In doing so, Byron has conjured a glorified image of a heroic Greek god, Leander, and a second image of plain, humble Byron. It is interesting to note however, that in the last two stanzas that he juxtaposes ordinary language with the floundering Leander and maintains common language when referring to