John Clare and the bounds of circumstance / Johanne Clare.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clare, Johanne, 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Clare, John, 1793-1864--Criticism and interpretation.

Clare, John.

Clare, John, 1793-1864--Political and social views.

English literature--19th century.

English literature.

Physical Description:

xiii, 217 p. ; 24 cm.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Kingston [Ont.] : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1987.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The author suggests that the full significance of Clare's contribution to English literature is found not in his social criticism, but in his refusal to dissociate himself from his past or to become assimilated into the mainstream of English culture at the expense of his class-identity. She argues that a clear set of aesthetic principles informs his finest work and provides the first thematic and structural classification of his poetry. Focussing on the major vocational poems and selected passages from the prose, she shows how Clare formulated the creative ideas and rhetorical techniques that allowed him to give unified expression to both his social and literary concerns. Clare's deep involvement with nature and rural England was not only the basis for his poetry, but also enabled him to articulate beliefs which opposed the inhumane values of his time.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

The Nature of Society: The Thousands and the Few

“Vile Invasions”: The Enclosure Elegies

The Struggle for Acceptance

“The Village Minstrel”

Language and Learning

Literary Principles

The Society of Nature: The Bird Poems

Conclusion

A Note on Texts

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliography and index.

ISBN:

1-282-85096-2

9786612850967

0-7735-6139-0

OCLC:

929121183