William Wordsworth stands out as one of the most important Romantic poets of his time. While many critics emphasize his themes of nature or the supernatural in his Lucy poems and “The Prelude,” I find his use of rhetoric and his juxtaposition of the sublime and commonplace particularly intriguing.
“We need to know something about conceptual patterns and about the effect of these patterns in discourse” (D’Angelo).
He skillfully blends what rhetoricians call the ‘commonplace’ with the sublime, as defined by Longinus. In essence, Wordsworth’s work often combines the sublime and the commonplace.
This article will attempt to identify elements of classical rhetoric in hopes to provide unification of the many discussions over the Lucy poems included in the anthology and “The Prelude”.
The Sublime and Commonplace in Wordsworth’s Works continued
This is not at all suggesting that the others are wrong or taking the wrong approach by any means, I simply aim to provide a classic lens for a perspective on where Wordsworth stands as far as the use of rhetorical devices for writers.
In “A Conceptional Theory of Rhetoric”, D’Angelo points out that at the time that Aristotle wrote his treatise,
“rhetoric and poetics were not yet considered separate disciplines, so, inventing in the poetic arts are really analytical topics.”
I will explore Wordsworth’s work through the lens of Aristotle and assess whether Wordsworth meets the standards set by Longinus. These few poems serve as my starting point; comparing the elements of the sublime and the commonplace within them can establish a foundation for further investigation, but for now, they provide ample material for discussion.
The Commonplace
To understand Wordsworth’s use of the sublime, it’s important to grasp the concept of ‘commonplace.’ The term comes from the Greek word ‘topos’, which means “of a place” or “commonplace.” In this analysis, we will follow Aristotle’s view, which sees commonplace as abstract and analytical, meant to explore any topic (D’Angelo). A commonplace reflects shared viewpoints within an audience, shaped by their interests or values (Aristotle 1.2.21).
This flexible idea of knowledge aligns perfectly with Wordsworth’s portrayal of the Supernatural as a commonplace. Since commonplace knowledge isn’t strictly factual, these poems present the supernatural as existing beyond the convergence of concepts and ideals.
A good poet uses metaphors and familiar ideas to reach many readers. For example, in Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” a pirate appears at a wedding. This creative choice resonates with audiences since everyone knows about weddings. While Coleridge’s poem is set at a wedding, Wordsworth takes readers to a different, supernatural place.
The existence of the supernatural theme is supported and studied in the works of Anne Ferry, John Primeau, and Carlo Bajetta. Primeau contends that Wordsworth did not have to exercise his “imagination by introducing supernatural elements into his poetic works, but that he could describe commonplace” (90). How Wordsworth transports the reader to the supernatural is what is now of interest.
The Sublime and Commonplace in Wordsworth’s Works continued
His descriptions and use of ideas possess a highly rhetorical quality; they do not adhere to scientific or philosophical standards (even though he illuminates these ideas in other poems); they remain confined to language. Wordsworth explicitly highlights this limitation of human language in “The Prelude, Book Seventh” when he writes, “Imagination—here the power so-called through sad incompetence of human speech” (363). To clarify his point, he provides examples of language limitations in the following stanza, starting at line 623:
Were fellow Travellers in this gloomy Strait,
And with them did we journey several hours
At a slow pace. The immeasurable height
Of woods decaying, never to be decayed,
The stationary blasts of waterfalls,
And in the narrow rent at every turn…
Tumult and peace, the darkness and the light
Gloomy and straight do not inherently possess their own ideas, yet their common associations with negative or positive connotations create competition in the reader’s mind. The opposites of the stationary blasts emerge, prompting the reader to seek a balance between the two. This moment marks when language conjures the supernatural commonplace. By pummeling the reader with such abrupt differences, the text compels the reader to navigate a balance between the two extremes.
This balance area, I argue, is similar or can be viewed as the commonplace itself. Since there are no words that can truly describe the immense in a waterfall ‘blast’, it falls in correlates with the realm of the supernatural. This supernatural realm is pointed out in Rzepka’s article:
“Lucy is actually more alive now that she is dead because she is now a part of nature and not just a human thing” (56).
The reader embarks on a journey through negation in poetry, stripping away language and concepts. These aren’t “visions revealed by nature,” but familiar themes that resonate with us all (Ferry 70). Each reader may envision a different place, yet William Wordsworth’s words guide them there.
The Sublime
Writers will continue to debate whether the Lucy poems do or don’t belong together or the importance of “The Prelude”. I believe that Wordsworth majesty over the sublime can unite some of these criticisms as being of the classical element of rhetoric. The rhetorician, Longinus, published a work titled “On the Sublime” in which he argues that the sublime,
“wherever it occurs, consists in a certain loftiness and excellence of language and that it is by this, and this only, that the greatest poets and prose-writers have gained eminence, and won themselves a lasting place in the Temple of Fame” (Book 1).
Now let’s see if this is the reason for Wordsworth leaving such a great impression on English poetry. Longinus argues against the notion that there is delusion in attempting to reduce the sublime to technical and provides a set of five criteria that a work must accomplish in order to be sublime.
The five pursuits of novelty in thought are as follows:
(1) grandeur of thought;
(2) a vigorous and spirited treatment of the passions;
(3) a certain artifice in the employment of figures both thought and speech;
(4) dignified expression (choice of words and the use of metaphors);
The structure boasts majesty and elevation. We will define, examine, and test each characteristic of the sublime with Wordsworth’s poetry, starting with the first.
The grandeur of thought is the most important of the five because it is natural rather than acquired (Longinus Book 8). An example of this grandeur of thought can be studied in the following passage from “The Prelude, Book Seventh”:
Caught by the spectacle, my mind turned round
As with the might of waters; an apt type
This Label seemed, of the utmost, we can know
Both of ourselves and of the universe;
And on the Shape of that unmoving Man
His steadfast face, and sightless eyes, I gazed
As if admonished from another world.
The Sublime and Commonplace in Wordsworth’s Works continued
This loftiness in language, to be able to dabble in the unknown by comparing the unknown in ‘ourselves and of the universe’ is an attempt to define the metaphysical with what we know as fact. Wordsworth describes this man as being from ‘another world’. This passage reinforces the idea of the universe is in every man and the “image of greatness of soul” (Longinus Book 9).
Wordsworth captures this greatness of soul in “A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal” when he writes:
A slumber did my spirit seal;
I had no human fears:
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.
Again, we observe the human soul surviving earthly years and human fears, rising to greatness. Wordsworth explicitly demonstrates being lofty without bombast in his works, such as the Lucy Poems and “The Prelude.” He moves the human spirit beyond our known world and into the supernatural, which overlaps with the theme of transportation to a commonplace. However, it is important to remember that Wordsworth takes the reader to the commonplace; he doesn’t simply start there or use it.
as a ‘hook’ to draw the reader in. The commonplace helps magnify the grandeur of thought evoked by this poet.
The second requirement to fulfill in order to be sublime is to submit a vigorous and spirited treatment of the passions. This time we will begin with one of the Lucy poems, “Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known”. Clearly, as stated in the title, passion is addressed, but Wordsworth mixes his emotions here.
Strange fits of passion have I known:
And I will dare to tell,
But in the Lover’s ear alone,
What once to me befell.
When She I loved looked every day
Fresh as a rose in June
The last lines juxtapose these feelings of love and beauty with:
What fond and wayward thoughts
Will slide Into a Lover’s head! “O mercy!” to myself I cried,
“If Lucy should be dead!”
Such a strong contrast to draw the notion of death from beauty with a personal dialogue, in the end, displays the tormented treatment of the passions. The poet could have just delivered the last lines as he did the rest of the poem, but he chose to deliver with quotes from the speaker, giving the passion a more personal effect. Without the personal attachment at the end, the poem would have just been a treatment of the passions without vigor.
A sublime poet achieves the third quality through their figures of thought and speech. In “Lucy Gray”, the natural distinction could have been:
“No comrade Lucy knew; she dwelt in nature, although sweet in nature, she was still human”. Instead, Wordsworth amplifies his grand
The adjuration figure, marked by an apostrophe, jolts the reader’s relation to the thoughts: “No comrade Lucy knew; She dwelt on a wide moor, – The sweetest thing that ever grew Beside a human door!” This tool emphasizes her humanity in nature. The poem compels readers to envision a little girl by a human door, which contrasts sharply with the subsequent expression of her humanity: “You yet may spy the fawn at play, The hare upon the green; But the sweet face of Lucy Gray Will never more be seen.” The poem underscores the theme of nature through figures of speech similar to those in “The Prelude.”
Fourth on the list is the use of dignified language, be it in the choice of words or metaphors. Searching for these qualities in Wordsworth’s poetry is rewarding because of its continuous decoration of these tools. To examine one passage, we will begin with “The Prelude, Book 8”:
And thus, I introduced my heart early to an unconscious love and reverence for human nature; hence, the human form became an index of delight for me.
Of grace, honor, power, and worthiness. Meanwhile this Creature, spiritual almost As those of Books, but more exalted far; Far from an imaginative form
This passage uses metaphor to describe human nature as an ‘index of delight’, which elevates the subject in the reader’s mind. The human form is called a ‘creature’ and described as ‘spiritual almost’, creating both metaphor and contrast. In “A Slumber did my Spirit Seal,” the poet writes about stillness: “No motion has she now, no force; She neither hears nor sees; Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course, with rock, and stones, and trees.”
Although it doesn’t use metaphor, the choice of words highlights the contrast between the living and the dead. Wordsworth compares her stillness to the Earth’s movement, showing that even simple words can carry significant meaning in a short poem.
The last element needed to be sublime is the majesty of structure. By understanding how Wordsworth’s passages do not simply depend on arrangement or ideas; the language is subtle and cohesive.
This work must function as a whole; the different members of the body, each connected, unite through their mutual combination to form a complete and perfect organism, as Longinus states in Book 39.
Book 7 of “The Prelude” begins:
As the black storm upon the mountain top Sets off the sunbeam in the Valley, so That huge fermenting Mass of human-kind Serves as a solemn background or relief
To single forms and objects, whence they draw, For feeling and contemplative regard,
More than inherent liveliness and power.
The language flows smoothly, with each word receiving distinct stress as time delays (Book 40). The author describes nature with modesty, portraying the globe and its environment and population in a slow rhythm. However, the singularity of nature as a whole restricts the power of all events.
Reviewing the work of William Wordsworth in the lineage of writing for horror, this article aimed to understand the sublime and the use of commonplace in Wordsworth’s poetry. We learned that using the commonplace can transport readers to the realm of the sublime, or the supernatural.
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Author of dark fiction Mythology, “The Sigua” and short visceral fiction, “Flora.”
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