Oxford Application Essay

"Poets(, not otherwise than philosophers, painters, sculptors and musicians,) are , in one sense, the creators, and, in another, the creations of, their age": P.B.S 1820.Compare and contrast the ways in which Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Blake and Mary Shelley present and explore the role of the poet and his imagination in their works.

In "A Defence of Poetry" Shelley attempts to reclaim a role in society for the poet as they are able to take the basic reason of scientists and enrich it with their imagination. He does this by separating the two thought processes "to poiein" and "to logizien" and creating an intellectual hierarchy between them . To logizien is the mathematical comprehension of the world it "enurates qualities already known" whereas "To poiein" is the "perception of the value of those quantities, both separately and as a whole". In this way he claims "poetry is mimetic", meaning that it absorbs the basic logical truths around it and portrays it in a different manner. He stresses this idea further in the statement "Poetry is a mirror that makes beautiful what is distorted" again implying a certain reliance on the basic "To logizien" but subordinating that to the poet's "To poeien" . By doing this he attempted to find a place for the poet in society, bequeathing him an ability that transcended simple scientific rational investigation. This criticism of pure logic can also be seen in Blake's "Newton" ,shown below, who is shown constricting himself downwards on geometry rather than occupying the huge expanse of space around him. Frankenstein's role as a poor poet also serves to emphasize this point; he is unable to fully appreciate "to poeien" as he cannot see the horrific consequences of his decision to create the Monster . In this way all three writers felt threatened by The Enlightenment in its preoccupation with reason over the imagination which led to the replacement of God, pre-occupation with mortality and lamentation of industrialisation. Through their reactions to the varying influences upon them they are both creators and creations of their age as whilst they are inspired and motivated by the world around them, they also seek to change it. Mary Shelley stands separate from Shelley and Blake who call for political and religious revolution, regarding the role of the artist she also conflicts with Percy Shelley on the concept of isolation. So in this way whilst by Percy Shelley's definition they are all creators and creations, the way in which they interact and warp the world around them varies. Percy Shelley's new intellectual hierarchy can be seen as a direct retaliation to the Enlightenment which was lauded as "The Age of Reason", this preoccupation with empiricism and rationality threatened Blake, Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley in different ways. The position of religion was being undermined by the explanations of the wonders of nature that were taking place. For example, Galvini's false animation of frogs legs perturbed and shocked Mary Shelley and throughout "Frankenstein" the reader is presented by a grim reality of the effects of man replacing God . In the author's introduction she states that "supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the creator of the world" and this prophecy is fulfilled in the novel as Frankenstein's imitation of God in creating the monster lead to the destruction of his life, shown in William's and Elizabeth's murder . Finally the peripeteia of Frankenstein and the monster in the following scene when the Monster exclaims "You are my creator but I am your master - obey!" shows the power shift between Frankenstein to the Monster .This power is demonstrated in the imperative at the end of the sentence. This failure to control the creation, and fault of man for the ultimate downfall is all the manifestation of the "supremely frightful" events Mary Shelley felt would occur due to the Enlightenment. Therefore the Enlightenment's preoccupation with reason threatened Mary Shelley due its undermining of God. Shelley's reaction is similar as he is concerned with replacement of God however only in the absence of an afterlife and this is shown in his preoccupation with mortality. For example "Mutability" which captures the ultimate paradox that it is the only consistent rule that everything must change. This is shown in the ABAB rhyme scheme which like the paradox at the heart of the poem constantly changes yet as a whole remains the same. The role of the poets' is also shown in this poem as the "forgotten lyres" they are shown to be purely at the mercy of mutability relying on the wind of change to produce "various response('s)" . The assonance of in "frail frame no second motion brings one mood or modulation like the last" again captures the overriding paradox as, while the repetition of fs and ms builds up, it contrasts directly with the meaning of the words which states that again everything must be different . The ultimate trickery of the poem is in the last line "Nought may endure but Mutability" the capitalisation of "Mutability" shows that he is referring to his own poem thus showing that the poet is able to immortalize things in poetry .Therefore Shelley was affected by the Enlightenment in its removal of an afterlife forcing him to investigate the theme of mortality and immortalization in his poetry Like the Shelleys Blake felt threatened by the new preoccupation with reason however he felt it was more of a threat to the imagination. In order to fully grasp the effect this had on Blake it is necessary to examine his engravings as well just his writing as Vaughan states "For with him painting was not simply the illustration of poetry, or even its rival. It was a counterpart, a genuine other half" . Indeed, one might see the relationship as that of two voices singing a duet". In the "Introduction" to "Songs of Innocence" Blake is portrayed as a piper who is commanded by a small child to go through the process of artistic creation. Vaughan is justified in his assertion as this is also shown in the "Innocence frontispiece", shown below, which clearly shows the piper gazing upwards almost mesmerized by this small child. This poem also shows elements of the fear of total reason as the child's commands can be interpreted as a loss of freedom into a mechanical system of writing emphasized by "stained the water clear" which carries connotations of pollution and the mechanical repetition of " and I made" which occurs three times emulating the machines in the "satanic mills" . However, Blake printed his own books and process he used owed much to the advances in science that he so resented. This "infernal method" involved engraving the writing backwards on metal plates than using acid to emphasize this, finally he would print the paper and colour each copy individually .So in this way Blake whilst Blake railed against some ramifications of the "Enlightenment" he was also dependant on it. In reacting to "The Enlightenment" the Shelleys focussed on the future ramifications in the fear of an afterlife and future life without poets where as Blake is much more directly affected by the current industrialisation. All three artists sought to inspire change in their age through either a dramatic reversal of values, a call to revolution in the case of Blake and Shelley or for Mary Shelley a reminder of the importance of women. Shelley and Blake are equally vigorous in their criticism of contemporary society, which had been plagued by the harsh repressive measures imposed out of a fear of the French Revolution. A manifestation of this was the Peterloo massacre . The "Masque of Anarchy" satirizes the key institutions of the day and leading figures such as the chancellor Lord Eldon who is compared to "Fraud" and wears an "ermined gown" while his "big tears" knock children's brains out. Shelley then broadens his criticism out stating and "many more destructions all disguised . like bishops, lawyers, peers and spies" therefore criticizing the church, parliament and judiciary system as well as individuals. This satirical portrayal of key statesmen as the parade of sins in England marks a key aspect of the Poet's role to create and mould the society of the day. Einde O'Callaghan states in "The Socialist Review" that the "Picture is one of repression and tyranny so horrible and so intransigent that change seems impossible." Although this reading is exaggerating the aim of the piece, as the key part of "The Masque of Anarchy" is the fact that this terrible situation can be altered by the "white maid", it still cannot be denied that Shelley was reacting to society in his scathing satire of exposing what he considered the truth of the key persona's of the day. Shelley was even more radical in "Ode to the West Wind" which calls for the west wind to drive away the "pestilence stricken multitudes" referring to the corruption which features in "Masque of Anarchy" . The structure that successfully fuses the sonnet form with the ode through the 14 lines of each section and the rhyming couplet "bowed. proud" .This can be interpreted as resembling the two social systems that Shelley is trying to pioneer the change between and so Shelley reacted to the society around him by making a call for revolution through his scathing satire of key institutions and figures of the day. Blake also heavily criticises Society in "London" which epitomises his feelings on restrictions and laws. Even the free river Thames is "chartered" and so constricted; this is also emulated by the rhyme scheme ABAB which is rigid again representing the laws imposed on society . Blake also uses synecdoche when he refers to the concept of royalty through the palace walls and religion through the "blackening church" . Therefore he is able to broaden his criticism out and make it more powerful as by taking one case study he is able to criticise the whole organization. Blake also attacks the "mind forg'd manacles" by which he means the false concoctions of damnation established by the church and the repressive restrictions they impose on society .This is developed further in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" where the false illusion of hell is mocked. The illusion is created by a warped perspective propagated by the Church in order to impose its restrictions. However the hyperbolic language ridicules this hallucination for example "between the black and white spiders a column of fire burst", "we saw a cataract of blood mixed with fire and not many stones throw away from us appeared. the scaly fold of a monstrous serpent", the whole image Blake concocts is fantastical and undermined by bathos when the vision suddenly fades when the angel leaves, again showing the subjectivity of this illusion. It leaves only "a pleasant bank by a river in moonlight" again proving that the vision of hell is all in the mind . This interpretation is supported by Marsh who states "Here, the terrors of hell and the beast Leviathan are compared to the tales of Bogeymen used to terrify children" again stressing the fictional nature of these terrors . Blake sought to inspire change by exposing the falsity of the Church's prophecy of damnation, especially regarding sexual freedom over abstinence as BENS CRITIC SAYS "In place of chastity, shame and marriage, Blake advocates a natural development of sexual feelings, uninhibited by any rules of bans" .This is supported by Plate 14 in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" that states "The whole creation will be consumed and appear infinite and holy where as it now appears finite and corrupt. This will come to pass by an improvement of sensual enjoyment" . The superficial simplicity of "The Songs of Innocence and of Experience" is also key to Blake's role as a teacher for future generations. The simplistic rhyme schemes for example the ABAB alternating pattern in "The Clod and Pebble" . Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor for itself hath any care, But for another gives its ease, And builds a heaven in hell`s despair." This gives the songs a ludic feel which is important as Blake specifically wished to influence the young future generation of his society. Both Blake and Shelley endeavour to achieve change in their age through the satirization of key institutions. However, Blake focuses more on creating an agenda for the next generation whilst Shelley propagates more serious calls for revolution as shown in "Ode to the West Wind". Mary Shelley's reaction to society centered on the preservation of the role of women. Throughout "Frankenstein" the presence of women is removed either through death in Elizabeth's case and Frankenstein's mother or distanced through letters like Walton's sister and initially Elizabeth. This seems to suggest that the destruction that occurs in the book is due to a lack of feminine influence. One must consider the role of "Paradise Lost" in "Frankenstein" in order to criticise Gilbert and Gubar's analysis of its position. It serves firstly to provide another narrative layer to increase the Russian doll effect already established in this sequence: Walton, Frankenstein, Monster, Saphie's story, Frankenstein, Walton. However more importantly it is key to development of the Monster's character and moral system due to his sympathy towards the character of "Satan". In contrast In "The Madwoman in the Attic" Gilbert and Gubar assert the role of "Paradise Lost" is restricted to having its portrayal of women criticised by "Frankenstein" as indicated in the extract below. "For her developing sense of herself as a literary creature and/or creator seems to have been inseparable from her emerging self-definition as daughter, mistress, wife, and mother. Thus she cast her birth myth - her myth of origins - in precisely those cosmogenic terms to which her parents, her husband, and indeed her whole literary culture continually alluded: the terms of Paradise Lost" . Such a radical claim seems unlikely due its restrictive classification of "Paradise Lost" that overlooks its other functions within the text. Anne Mellor puts forward a more plausible argument that traces out the dangerous consequences of attempting to either possess or dismiss the "female" . Mellor uses the De Lacey family as an ideal familial structure. She sees it as a "vision of a social group based on justice, equality, and mutual affection": where the women are given the value they deserve . This is a justified comment as the De Lacy family is the only one in which there is not resentment towards women. Frankenstein's judgment of his adopted sister makes this valid, his statement "everyone loved Elizabeth" can be interpreted as being spiteful especially so as Frankenstein stresses his previous importance as an only child "For a long time I was their only care. My mother had much desire to have a daughter, but I continued their single offspring". This resentment is confirmed in Frankenstein's explanation of his mother's death. She died trying to save the life of "her favourite" and whilst "Elizabeth was saved, but the consequences were fatal to her preserver" as she caught scarlet fever. This explanation is laced with judgment and shows that the only balanced family environment is the De Lacy's which is destroyed by the Monster from whom the feminine influence is totally removed. In consequence Mary Shelley was a creator of her age as she called for a re-evaluation of gender roles by showing the disastrous effects a lack of feminine influence can have on a family.

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