Charlotte Smith: Demonstration of Sensibility
In Romantic literature, sensibility predisposes to be in someone’s character and could not be something taught or developed. Poets of the Romantic period demonstrated sensibility through their poetry by being moved by a work of art or something in nature. Charlotte Smith’s life is full of melancholy and reflected in her poetry, which demonstrated sensibility through being moved by nature and associates emotion by the scenery. Smith’s three romantic poems, “Written in the Church-Yard at Middleton in Sussex, “To Sleep” and “To Night” are all representations of how her poetry disproves the notion that women crush sensibility. The romantic poem, “Written in the Church-Yard at Middleton in Sussex” …show more content…
In the Romantic period the theme of self and imagination coincides with sensibility. Romantic poems usually have elements of the supernatural and are nightmarish. In the first stanza, Smith is in dire need of sleep but seems to stay awake, “Come, balmy Sleep! Tired nature’s soft resorts! / On these sad temples all thy poppies shed;/(1-2, p. 54)” Smith describes sleep to be soft just as staying within nature. Smith personifies her temples and call them sad Smith is awake and wants to sleep because she is dealing with the stresses of her daily life. In the second stanza Smith continues to refer to her racing imagination when she …show more content…
The speaker seems to be self aware of this anxiety and resonates within that misery. Smith proposes a poem that has a speaker who is never calm, or peaceful and always restless, which is a trait of the Romantics. “Clasped in faithful shepherd’s guardian arms,/ Well may the village girl sweet slumbers prove/(9-10, p. 55).” The battle of staying awake has taken over by falling asleep. Smith finds that there is some pleasure in falling asleep when she declares, “And they, O gentle Sleep! Still taste thy charm,/ Who wake to labour , liberty and love (11-12, p.55).” The goodness of being awake is fascinating but there is some goodness in being asleep. In the same notion these aspects hint at the emotion that is reminded by with nature. In “To Night”, Smith reveals a depressed state of mind and addresses the absent. Smith dedicated this poem to the nighttime and questions why this is something that she still loves. This poem fits in the aspects of the Romantics because Smith views a part of nature to be dark, and gloomy here, “I love thee, mournful, sober-suited Night! / When the faint moon, yet lingering in her wane,/ (1).” She begins the sonnet with a question to herself and wonders why this is something she still loves but is yet so dark. Smith has a connection with dark night and something beyond
In Romantic literature, sensibility predisposes to be in someone’s character and could not be something taught or developed. Poets of the Romantic period demonstrated sensibility through their poetry by being moved by a work of art or something in nature. Charlotte Smith’s life is full of melancholy and reflected in her poetry, which demonstrated sensibility through being moved by nature and associates emotion by the scenery. Smith’s three romantic poems, “Written in the Church-Yard at Middleton in Sussex, “To Sleep” and “To Night” are all representations of how her poetry disproves the notion that women crush sensibility. The romantic poem, “Written in the Church-Yard at Middleton in Sussex” …show more content…
In the Romantic period the theme of self and imagination coincides with sensibility. Romantic poems usually have elements of the supernatural and are nightmarish. In the first stanza, Smith is in dire need of sleep but seems to stay awake, “Come, balmy Sleep! Tired nature’s soft resorts! / On these sad temples all thy poppies shed;/(1-2, p. 54)” Smith describes sleep to be soft just as staying within nature. Smith personifies her temples and call them sad Smith is awake and wants to sleep because she is dealing with the stresses of her daily life. In the second stanza Smith continues to refer to her racing imagination when she …show more content…
The speaker seems to be self aware of this anxiety and resonates within that misery. Smith proposes a poem that has a speaker who is never calm, or peaceful and always restless, which is a trait of the Romantics. “Clasped in faithful shepherd’s guardian arms,/ Well may the village girl sweet slumbers prove/(9-10, p. 55).” The battle of staying awake has taken over by falling asleep. Smith finds that there is some pleasure in falling asleep when she declares, “And they, O gentle Sleep! Still taste thy charm,/ Who wake to labour , liberty and love (11-12, p.55).” The goodness of being awake is fascinating but there is some goodness in being asleep. In the same notion these aspects hint at the emotion that is reminded by with nature. In “To Night”, Smith reveals a depressed state of mind and addresses the absent. Smith dedicated this poem to the nighttime and questions why this is something that she still loves. This poem fits in the aspects of the Romantics because Smith views a part of nature to be dark, and gloomy here, “I love thee, mournful, sober-suited Night! / When the faint moon, yet lingering in her wane,/ (1).” She begins the sonnet with a question to herself and wonders why this is something she still loves but is yet so dark. Smith has a connection with dark night and something beyond