course guidelines path 1 calendar path 2 calendar essay prompts class discussion



ornamental line

Reality and the Imagination

"Jealousy and disquiet were unknown among us; nor did a fear
or hope of change ever disturb our tranquility" (90).
M. Shelley's The Last Man (1826)

 

Points for Reflection

W. Wordsworth's Lucy Poems (1798-1801), PDF

Poem #1

  1. does the narrator betray enough of his passion in this poem that he breaks his word? What exactly is he claiming in the poem's opening three lines?
  2. how do we reconcile the temporal discontinuity apparent between “once” (l.4) and “every day” (l.5)?
  3. are lines 15-16 ominous?  What might the moon represent here?
  4. does line 17 imply that the entire poem is a dream of some sort, or is he daydreaming while riding?
  5. how could the idea of Lucy’s death (ll.25-28) be simultaneously “fond” and “wayward”?

Poem #2

  1. does Wordsworth cast Lucy here as the receiver, or the giver, of praise and love (ll.3-4)? 
  2. what other analogies might a poet use (beside that of a violet half-hidden by a mossy stone) to describe a kind of beauty accessible to only a small few?
  3. does the word “when” in line seven suggest that Lucy’s beauty is conditional?
  4. what implicit commentary do this poem's final lines provide concerning the cult of celebrity (ll.9-12)?

Poem #3

  1. why does the narrator dismiss his past travels overseas as “a melancholy dream” (l.5)?
  2. the narrator's nationalism springs from what other, deeper love?
  3. to what socioeconomic class does Lucy presumably belong?
  4. is the Lucy of poem #3 alive or dead?

Poem #4

  1. why might Wordsworth have Nature appropriate and "make / A lady of" (l.6) Lucy after only three years (l.1), instead of at, say, age sixteen?
  2. is Nature gifting Lucy with power over corporeal existence (ll.8-12)?
  3. what experiences does Nature presumably give directly to Lucy, experiences which would otherwise remain foreign to her?
  4. why conclude the independent clause of ll.13-15 a bit awkwardly, with the word "springs," instead of placing this important verb earlier in the clause?
  5. in the narrator's poetic economy, what tangible effect will intimacy with Nature and "vital feelings of delight" have on Lucy's appearance (ll.19-33)?
  6. given the poem's final two stanzas, at what age do you think Lucy died?

Poem #5

  1. do the poem’s first two lines describe self-mesmerism, or something else?  Under what state of mind does the narrator appear to lack all anxiety?
  2. does Lucy's death appear to be an unfortunate event in this poem (ll.5-8)?


George Gordon, Lord Byron's "She walks in beauty" (June 1814; 1815), PDF

  1. is the tone of this poem serious or sarcastic?
  2. is the narrator's adoration romantic or discomfiting?
  3. how does Byron's portrayal of his cousin in this poem contribute to the culture's ongoing debate over the proper place of women in British society?


Mary Shelley's The Last Man, chps 1-5

  1. why does the narrator choose to relate this tragic story to the audience?
  2. in what ways does the first page of chapter one engage the poems by P. B. Shelley that we have read thus far?
  3. what leads to the early deaths of Lionel’s parents?
  4. consider the differing temperaments of Lionel and his sister Perdita. Do their natural proclivities accord with traditional, western gender stereotypes?
  5. does Lionel’s living off the land develop or enervate (weaken) his humanity?
  6. what do you think of Shelley's futuristic vision of the year 2073? Does it seem at all plausible?
  7. what does chp. 1 contribute to the old nature vs. nurture debate? Which has a greater formative influence on personality development, according to Mary Shelley's narrative, inherited traits or one's environment? Do Mary Shelley’s ideas here accord with what William Godwin claims about necessity?
  8. to what is Lionel referring when he uses the word “passions” at the bottom of p.18?
  9. do Perdita’s and Lionel’s powers of the imagination provide an antidote--or anchor--for their difficult lives?
  10. does what we learn of Adrian's own upbringing and development reinforce or counter your response to #7?
  11. what power does a character’s physiognomy wield in this story?
  12. according to Lionel, do either love or study provide a steady, reliable salve for the wounds of life?
  13. does the male narrator, Lionel, strike you as prototypically masculine, effeminate, or as a man confident enough in his masculinity to be in touch with his feminine side?
  14. what of Adrian’s masculinity, or Raymond’s?
  15. is the "sensibility" displayed by Adrian and, increasingly, by Lionel a typically gendered trait?
  16. while not quite Shakespearean, the narrator's diction is rather elevated. Lionel Verny uses lots of big words, complicated syntactical constructions, classical allusions, epic similes, and elaborate metaphors as he narrates his life story. Does Mary Shelley's decision to give Lionel such an educated voice attract or repel the modern reader (you)?
  17. does Lionel’s erudite (highly educated) syntax and vocabulary seem appropriate, given what we know about his upbringing?
  18. what causes Adrian's unexpected mental instability?
  19. does Lionel’s affection for Adrian ever strike you as more intense than friendship, as, perhaps, homoerotic? What accounts for Lionel’s profound attraction towards Adrian?
  20. what lessons does Mary Shelley indirectly reveal about the workings of the human mind? Is she consistent in her implied claims, or does she contradict herself?
  21. do flights of imagination provide Mary Shelley’s characters a reliable tool with which to combat the pains and frustrations of life? Do strong powers of imagination and fancy improve the lives of these characters?
  22. does Mary Shelley join her father, William Godwin, in placing a high value on humankind’s power of intellect? Does she too believe that our powers of reason will inevitably improve humanity’s situation?
  23. does Mary Shelley rely on the facile, popular physiognomic formulae of her day, or does she question the reliability of reading another person’s character in his/her facial features?
  24. does Mary Shelley join fellow Romantic-era writer Jane Austen in interrogating the cult of sensibility (see Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility), or do Mary Shelley’s novel suggest that extraordinary emotional sensitivity (ie. sensibility) is always a positive and useful character trait?
  25. does Mary Shelley’s tale seem to be validating or questioning the doctrine of necessity espoused by her father, William Godwin?


Yellow-hued painting of Caligula's palace with tall trees nearby
Caligula's Palace and Bridge (1831)
J. M. W. Turner


Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu