John Clare And The Bounds Of Circumstance
by Johanne Clare /
1987 / English / PDF
11.4 MB Download
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.
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.
