This term paper is concerned with the topic ‘Tense in lyric Poetry’. Initially, I would like to discuss the function and the occurrence of tense in lyric poetry as well as the way the reader experiences tense in poems. Therefore, I have chosen two well-known poems by William Blake and William Wordsworth. These poems will be studied not only with regard to tense, but also with respect to the meaning.
To achieve this goal, I will, first of all, give a theoretical contribution about the theme ‘Tense in lyric Poetry’ which includes small illustrations of English and German poetry. Secondly, I will discuss the theoretical statements with the help of the two poems selected.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Theory: Tense in lyric poetry
2.1 Present tense
2.2 Past tense
2.3 Future tense
3. Case studies
3.1 William Blake: ‘London’
3.2 William Wordsworth: ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’
3.3 An experiment: the switch of tenses
3.3.1 ‘London’ in past tense
3.3.2 ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ in present tense
4. Summary / Conclusion
5. Literature
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper examines the function and influence of grammatical tense on the reader's perception of lyric poetry. By analyzing specific works from William Blake and William Wordsworth, the study investigates how tense selection shapes the relationship between the lyrical "I," the text, and the reader's level of emotional involvement.
- The theoretical role of present, past, and future tense in the lyric genre.
- Comparative analysis of present-tense and past-tense poetic structures.
- Experimental manipulation of tenses to observe changes in interpretation.
- The correlation between grammatical tense and reader immediacy.
- Metaphorical and stylistic analysis of selected Romantic poetry.
Excerpt from the Book
William Blake: ‘London’
William Blake’s poem ‘London’ is a prototypical present-tense poem. Let me first of all give a short interpretation of the poem. ‘London’ is a part of a collection of poems entitled ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’ from 1794. It does belong to the literary period of early Romanticism. During this period, a lot of cultural, political, historical and social changes took place, like the Industrial Revolution, for instance. And a plenty of self-reflexive and self-expressive poems came up. A keyword of Romanticism was the ‘Creative Imagination’. That means that it was the author’s task to create the world in an artistic and imaginative way and to reflect the truth in a highly metaphorical way. But Romanticism was also the time of social and political idealism.
The first stanza tells how the lyrical ‘I’ walks through the streets of London and what s/he perceives and observes. The ‘I’ is a kind of witness and tells the reader what s/he can see. The ‘I’ adds explicit features to the environment and the people s/he witnesses and so there is ‘telling I’ and ‘experiencing I’ at the same time. What is remarkable is that there are a lot of negative descriptions. The ‘I’ shows the reader the negative sides of London and instead of the colourful and modern city, the author presents the city as ‘restricted’ and ‘chartered’ and the people who live there as ‘marked’ and as ‘property of the state’. Another interesting detail is that the speaker has a kind of insight. S/he seems to have the ability to look inside the heads of the people s/he walks by.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The author defines the concept of tense and establishes the objective to study its influence on the perception of lyric poetry.
2. Theory: Tense in lyric poetry: This chapter provides a theoretical framework regarding the use of present, past, and future tenses, suggesting that tense is a vital factor in generic characterization and reader engagement.
3. Case studies: Through the examination of poems by Blake and Wordsworth, and a deliberate experimental switch of their tenses, the author demonstrates how tense alters the immediacy and interpretation of a poem.
4. Summary / Conclusion: The study concludes that present tense generally fosters a more immediate and intense relationship between the reader and the lyrical "I," whereas past tense creates greater distance.
5. Literature: This section lists the academic sources utilized for the theoretical and analytical parts of the paper.
Keywords
Lyric Poetry, Tense, Grammar, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Romanticism, Lyrical I, Immediacy, Literary Theory, Text Interpretation, Verse Analysis, Metaphor, Stylistic Devices, Narrative Perspective, Reader Engagement
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper explores the functional role of grammatical tense in lyric poetry and how it affects the reader's experience of a text.
What are the central themes discussed?
The central themes include the relationship between the speaker and the reader, the concept of the "lyrical I," and how temporal distance influences the reception of poetic meaning.
What is the primary research question?
The research asks how the choice of tense influences the perception of a poem and whether changing these tenses alters the fundamental relationship between the author/speaker and the reader.
Which scientific method is applied?
The author uses a comparative literary analysis combined with an experimental approach, where the tenses of original poems are deliberately altered to observe shifts in interpretation.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section covers a theoretical discussion on tense in poetry, followed by case studies of specific poems and a detailed experiment involving the transposition of verb tenses.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include Lyric Poetry, Tense, Lyrical I, Immediacy, Romanticism, and Reader Engagement.
Why did the author choose Blake's 'London' for the analysis?
It is chosen as a prototypical present-tense poem that demonstrates how the "telling I" and "experiencing I" can create a powerful, immediate connection with the reader.
How does the author evaluate the "switch of tenses" experiment?
The author concludes that switching tenses creates a different impression; for instance, turning a present-tense poem into the past tense makes the scenery appear more distant and less emotionally resonant for the reader.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Stefanie Warnke (Autor:in), 2007, The Function of Tense in Lyric Poetry, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/121696
