romanticism

How is the waking dream that Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley describes characteristic of the Gothic tradition?

It is the product of her fevered imagination, which creates vivid images of a horrifying animated corpse. The images appear mysteriously, seeming to come out of thin air from "beyond the usual bounds of reverie." Shelley's description of the scientist's animation of the creature he created connects the world of reason and a world of nightmarish horrors.

How is the power of Shelley's imagination similar to nature's creative force?

It produces a story instinctively and without conscious effort.

How does Shelley's idea for Frankenstein fit the Gothic literature tradition?

It takes readers from a world of reason and science to a world of dark mystery.

In which line of Verse I does the speaker compare his state to that of being drugged or poisoned?

My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,

ode

a lyric poem, characterized by heightened emotion that pays respect to a person or thing, usually directly addressed by the speaker.

incitement

act of urging

acceded

agreed

The tiger is an archetype of experience because it is _____.

an experienced hunter

aspire

have high ambitions; yearn or seek after

Which is the suggested theme in the poem "Infant Sorrow"?

infant struggles in an unsafe world

immortal

living forever

platitude

statement lacking originality

Why do you think the speaker in "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is describing the urn as a "historian"?

the urn can tell stories from times past

vales

valleys; depressed stretches of ground

summary of verse vi

villagers are leading a heifer, or a young cow, to be sacrificed. He wonders who is going and where they are going. He remarks that the village they have left "forevermore will silent be."

vintage

wine of fine quality

summary of verse iv

"Away! away!" the speaker tells the bird, and he tells the bird that he will follow. He will not follow by following Bacchus, who is the god of wine in classical mythology. Rather, he will follow on the "wings of Poesy," or poetic fancy. In the rest of the verse, the speaker imagines himself with the bird and describes the dark forest that surrounds him.

In what ways do "The Lamb" and "The Tyger" represent opposite sides of human existence?

"The Lamb" urges meek acceptance, while "The Tyger" glorifies nature and power.

Horatian Ode

(also called homostrophic) was developed by Roman poets. This type of ode contains only one type of stanza.

pindaric ode

(named for the ancient Greek poet Pindar) uses groups of three stanzas, one of which differs in form from the other two. Pindar's odes celebrated victors at the ancient Olympic Games.

In what lines from this excerpt of the final verse does Keats seem to be speaking directly to the reader?

6 and 7

heroic quatrain

Four lines of iambic pentameter; abab "Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget What thou among the leaves hast never known, The weariness, the fever, and the fret Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;"

Gothic literature

Gothic literature takes readers from the world of reason and science to the world of terror. Frankenstein is a classic Gothic tale. Gothic literature is characterized by horror, supernatural elements, dark and frightening images, and mysterious settings. Shelley's use of a vivid mental image as inspiration for a story reflects the high value Romantics placed on imagination. Imagination was considered much more important than logic and reason. Just as nature produces beings freely by itself, Shelley's imagination produces a story without her conscious participation. She was only able to arrive at a story idea when she let her imagination dominate her reason. Gothic elements include family curses, ghosts, phantoms, and monsters, which in the present day have been integral parts of modern science fiction, modern horror stories, and urban myths.

critical perspectives

Historical and political perspective—look for details that suggest economic or political oppression. Archetypal perspective—look for images, characters, and patterns that have universal meanings and strong emotional charge.

iambic pentameter

Iambic pentameter consists of lines containing ten beats with a repeated pattern of weak—strong. Iambic Pentameter in Line of Verse Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget Note how the words repeat a weak pattern (shown in lowercased letters below) and a strong pattern (represented by all capital letters). Example of Weak—Strong Pattern fade FAR / aWAY / disSOLVE / and QUITE / forGET

Ode to a Nightingale

In "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats, the speaker hears the song of a nightingale. He speaks of his desire to join with the bird in its world of beauty, joy, and imagination. The speaker's own morality distresses him. The nightingale and its song, however, do not die but span the centuries. Since he physically cannot join the nightingale in this, he will attempt to touch the immortality he hears in its song through the music of poetry.

Summaries

In "The Lamb," the speaker of the poem is a child. He asks questions of a lamb. The speaker explains that God made them both. Then, in "The Tyger," an adult speaker wonders who could have made such a frightening creature. In "The Chimney Sweeper," a child named Tom has a dream that gives him a new attitude toward life. Finally, in "Infant Sorrow," the speaker is a baby who describes life as a kind of trap.

the tyger archetype

In Blake's "The Tyger," the voice shares the chanting, nursery-rhyme quality of the voice in "The Lamb," but the scene is wilder and grimmer. Darkness replaces light, night replaces day, and experience replaces innocence. This poem also asks about the creature and its creator. It measures the character of the tiger's creator against the ferocity and power of the tiger, suggesting that the creator of the tiger has burning, passionate energy. However, it leaves its question about the creator unanswered. While "The Lamb" urges meek acceptance of the human condition, "The Tyger" glorifies nature and the jungle. Both "The Lamb" and "The Tyger" have archetypal symbols, because they represent common themes for understanding the world. In "The Lamb," the meek, mild lamb is a symbol for Christ. The reference to the furnace in "The Tyger" may symbolize evil or hell.

summary of verse i

In the first verse, the speaker is talking directly to a Grecian urn. In the opening verse, the speaker remarks that the scenes depicted on the urn are frozen in time. On the sides of the urn are figures, "leaf-fringed legends" of Gods and men; men pursuing women, and pipers playing their musical instruments.

Introduction to Frankenstein

Mary Shelley sets out to explain why she wrote such a terrifying novel at such a young age, in response to the requests of The Publishers of the Standard Novels. A special set of circumstances inspires Shelley and three others to attempt to write ghost stories, but she initially has difficulty coming up with an idea. Shelley listens to a discussion between Lord Byron and her husband about the possibility of bringing life to something lifeless, based on Dr. Darwin's experiments. That night, Shelley imagines a figure kneeling beside a body he is trying to reanimate. He is terrified when it comes to life. Shelley uses her vision as a basis for a story, and at the urging of her husband, she develops the short tale into a complete novel. Shelley reflects a concern about humans attempting to play God.

summary of verse v

Recall that the speaker has imagined that he has followed the nightingale into the forest. He cannot see around him but imagines there are flowers, incense, grasses, hawthorn, violets, musk-rose, and eglantine, or honeysuckle.

the chimney sweeper

Religious beliefs pervade Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper." This short poem is about the miseries suffered by child laborers. In this poem, Blake had his eye not in the clouds, but on urban slums and on the factories in which men, women, and children labored for long hours and little pay. the lamb is an archetype of childhood innocence, Blake compares the sweeper to a lamb by describing his hair as curled like a lamb's back.

Blake's archetypes

Remember that an archetype is a symbolic image, detail, or type of character that appears often in the literature of myth of different peoples. Archetypes have universal meanings with which readers have strong emotional connections. Consequently, readers see a similar meaning in an archetype each time it appears in literature. For example, William Blake's poetry contains archetypal images of both an ideal world and of a world that is flawed. You will also find political and historical perspectives in Blake's poetry. Blake sympathized with the people who experienced poverty during the Industrial Revolution.

which lines in verse ii sum up the main idea?

That I might drink, and leave the world unseen, / And with thee fade away into the forest dim:

What is the main idea of these lines from Verse VII of "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats?

The bird's song has been heard throughout the ages. Keats says that the bird was "not born for death," but rather is immortal.

What is the main idea of the introduction to Frankenstein?

The idea for Frankenstein comes to Mary Shelley as a series of terrifying images after she overhears a discussion about reanimation.

summary of verse iii

The leaves on the trees are happy because they will never lose their leaves. The pipers' songs will be always new. The lovers' feelings for each other will never fade away; they will always love each other. It is unlike mortal love, which the speaker says, fades in time.

summary of verse vi

The speaker has been listening to the nightingale in the dark. He is "half in love" with death and uses "soft rhyme" to call death many names. He imagines death would release him from his pain—and yet he realizes that if he were to die, he would no longer be able to hear the nightingale's song.

summary of verse i

The speaker hears a nightingale singing in the forest and his heart hurts at the sound. It is as if he had taken a drug or hemlock, which is a poisonous herb. He feels as if he is sinking toward Lethe, a river of forgetfulness in Hades, the underworld in classical mythology. He is not jealous of the bird's happiness, but he feels too much happiness at the sound.

summary of verse ii

The speaker is now talking to one of the pictures on the urn: it is of two lovers, the man playing "soft pipes." The speaker is remarking that the scene it etched, frozen, in time

summary of verse v

The speaker remarks that when his old age comes, the urn will still remain, the pictures forever etched and frozen in time. To this idea, the speaker concludes with the following very famous lines: "'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,'—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

summary of verse ii

The speaker wishes "for a draft of vintage." Recall that vintage is one of your vocabulary words—it is a wine of high quality. The speaker is wishing to forget the cares of the world by losing himself in the numbing effects of alcohol. In the following lines, he wishes that the world would fade away into the dim forest: "That I might drink, and leave the world unseen, And with thee fade away into the forest dim:"

summary of verse iii

The speaker wishes he could fade far away and forget the troubles of the world. The following are the troubles he speaks of: Men hearing each other groan Men growing old Youth fading The speaker is saying that nothing lasts; all is mortal. When Keats writes that "youth grows pale, and specter-thin, and dies," he is referring to the death of his brother, Tom, who has died from tuberculosis the previous winter.

infant sorrow

Turning the stereotype of the joy of new life on its head, this poem presents a newborn that is not received with joy and that struggles, fights, and sulks. The infant's final reaction was one of surrender to weariness. This is a common reaction among human beings when pressures become too much to bear. The symbolism of "The Lamb" can also help you understand "Infant Sorrow." The lamb is compared to a little child, meek and mild. In "Infant Sorrow," a child struggles in a dangerous world.

Blake is perhaps less well known for his social commentary and his criticism of the ills caused by the Industrial Revolution and political tyranny. In the excerpt from "The Chimney Sweeper," which stanza suggests economic oppression?

When my mother died I was very young, And my father sold me while yet my tongue, Could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep. So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.

the lamb archetype

a child talks to a lamb about their Creator. Both the child and the lamb emerge as archetypes of innocence. The lamb is an archetype of innocence because it is meek and mild.

Ode on a Grecian Urn

addressed to an ancient Grecian urn and contains thoughts about beauty and truth inspired by the urn. The urn is decorated with the following scenes and details: men or gods chasing young women, a musician, trees, a priest leading a young cow to be sacrificed, and the empty town from which the priest and the others have come. Keats reflects that those who are depicted pursuing the women will never catch them. However, they will also never grow old. Keats uses the urn to draw a conclusion about the human experience.

main ideas

away! away! - the speaker asks the bird to fly and he will follow it the happy lot - state of the bird drowsy numbness - speakers own state wings of poesy - speaker speaks of poetic fancy palsy shakes a few - speaker describes how he sees old age lethe wards - river of forgetfulness

symmetry

balanced

In "The Tyger," to what type of worker does Blake compare the tiger's creator?

blacksmith

what type of work does Blake compare to the tiger's creator?

blacksmith

According to "The Lamb," how are the child and the lamb alike?

both are meek and mild

bound

confined to the limits

Frightful must it be, for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world. What is the philosophical assumption behind this statement?

creation is the sole realm of God

Which of the following best describes a theme in Mary Shelley's idea for a story?

damage is done when humans play God

ungenial

disagreeable; characterized by bad weather

What gives Mary Shelley the idea for her story?

discussion between lord byron and her husband about the nature of life

brim

edge

main idea

forlorn! - speaker describes how he feels when he comes out of his dream like state adieu! - speaker tells bird farewell thou wast not born for death - speaker describes the bird plaintive anthem fades - the bird's song is disappearing

Which of the following words best describes Mary Shelley's first attempts to find an idea for a ghost story

fruitless

phantasm

ghost

Which word best describes the relationship between the child and the lamb?

harmonious

Away! away! for I will fly to thee, Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards, But on the viewless wings of Poesy, what is the speaker saying?

he plans to soar metaphorically through the words of his poem

According to Mary Shelley, who persuaded her to write a longer version of her story?

her husband, Percy

how does Tom's dream change his attitude about his job?

if he is good, God will provide for him

How does Mary Shelley's account of her creative process reflect values of the Romantic Movement?

imagination dominates reason

How does Shelley's account of her creative process reflect values of the Romantic Movement?

imagination dominates reason

What is the lamb an archetype of in Blake's poem "The Lamb"?

innocence

Which stereotype is not supported in "Infant Sorrow"?

joy of new life

characters

lord byron - writes childe harold mary shelley - creates a ghost story from a vision shelley's husband - embodies ideas in brilliant imagery student of unhallowed art - awakened a hideous monster dr darwin - preserves a piece of vermicelli in a glass case polidori - has a story idea about a skull headed lady

mead

meadow

requeim

musical composition honoring the dead

irregular ode

no set pattern

contrive

plan

archetypes

plot patterns, character types, or themes with emotional power and widespread appeal.

vocab

pursuit - hobby timbrels - small hand drums passion - enthusiasm citadel - fortress pious - sacred

what motivates the four friends to write ghost stories?

reading volumes of ghost stories while confined to the house

Why does Mary Shelley dislike the idea of bringing herself "forward in print"?

she does not want to call attention to herself

sulk

show resentment by refusing to interact with others

devout

sincere

sestet

six line stanza "Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs, Where youth grows pale, and specter-thin, and dies; Where but to think is to be full of sorrow And leaden-eyed despairs, Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes, Or new Love pine at them beyond tomorrow." This rhyme scheme varies: cdecde.

how does the speaker get his job in "The Chimney Sweeper"?

sold to his employer by his father

best describes the similarities between the speakers in "The Lamb" and "The Tyger"?

speaker asks questions about who made the creatures

gothic literature

subgenre of literature that takes the reader from the reasoned order of the everyday world into the dark world of the supernatural. The popularity of Gothic literature was due in part to the new Romantic Movement in literature. Romantics rejected two central beliefs of eighteenth-century Enlightenment: that reason was the most important human faculty and that the world could be completely explained by reason. Instead, Romantics put their faith in imagination and the healing powers of nature. They viewed imagination in the following terms: It was a creative force comparable to that of nature. It was the fundamental source of morality and truth, enabling people to sympathize with others and to picture the world.

In these lines from "Ode to a Nightingale," the speaker compares his feelings to which experience?

taking drugs

How does the child in the first stanza of "The Chimney Sweeper" get his job? What do these events suggest about the life of a chimney sweep?

the child is sold to his employer by his father. the sweeper's life was one of hardship and misery.

which Gothic element is reflected?

the dark world of the supernatural

What primary idea emerges from the disturbing mental images that haunt Shelley after she overhears a discussion between Lord Byron and her husband?

the implications of human power over life

in "Infant Sorrow", what is the infant's final reaction to his plight?

the infant surrenders to weariness

Which statement best summarizes what is happening with the piper in these lines from Verse II of "Ode on a Grecian Urn"?

the piper and his song are frozen in time

What elements of the Gothic tradition are incorporated in the image of a shape "lost beneath the shadow of the castle walls"?

the setting includes a castle, typical of Gothic tradition. the hidden figure in the shadows also adds to the mysterious atmosphere

summary of verse vii

the speaker calls the bird "immortal" because it has been heard across the centuries by biblical figures (Ruth), by emperors, and by clowns. In the verse's last two lines, the speaker says the nightingale's song has often charmed magical windows, looking out over the seas, in fairylands. "Charmed magic casements, opening on the foam Of perilous seas, in fairylands forlorn."

summary of verse viii

the speaker forlornly, or sadly, leaves his imaginary forest and comes back to his "sole self." He says adieu, or goodbye, to the bird as it flies away, and as it does, the "plaintive anthem" (the bird's song) fades away. In the last lines, which follow here, the speaker wonders if he has just imagined it all—he cannot tell if he is awake or asleep. "Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?"

Why is the tiger an archetype of experience? Does Blake have good reason for presenting archetypes in pairs?

the tiger is an experienced hunter. he presents archetypes in pairs to challenge conventional views

Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss, Though winning near the goal—yet, do not grieve; She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss, Forever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

the youth and beauty of the lovers will never go away

main idea

thy streets forevermore will silent be - villagers never canst thou kiss - young lovers that is all ye know on earth - directed towards audience o attic shape - urn

"The Lamb" and "The Tyger" come, respectively, from Blake's paired books Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. What reason might Blake have had for presenting the archetypes in pairs in "The Lamb" and "The Tyger"?

to challenge conventional views

What is Shelley's main purpose for writing the introduction to Frankenstein?

to explain how she wrote a terrifying novel at such a young age

Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain— To thy high requiem become a sod.

when he dies, he will no longer be able to hear the song of the nightingale

which words in the passage create a dark mood?

witching hour; pale student of unhallowed arts; hideous phantasm of a man