Tintern Abbey Pastoral

What does Tintern Abbey say about the pastoral?

Tintern Abbey, written by William Wordsworth presents us with the pastoral in the past, present and the future, and deals with the importance of it within our society. Given the Romantic era during which this poem was written, he idealises the pastoral, allowing for the opportunity to emphasize the corrupt nature of the city life, and the negative connotations it has on society. Tintern Abbey acts as a sort of recluse for Wordsworth, a place of innocence and love, at which he can escape the hustle and bustle of the city, as shown in his sensuous and gentle language, allowing for an overwhelming sense of tranquility throughout the poem.

The poem takes the form of a lyrical ballad, written in blank verse. Furthermore, he used an unrhymed iambic pentameter to great effect, to echo his thoughts and opinions on the pastoral, in comparison to that of the city. Wordsworth does this very discretely but to great effect. The structure of the iambic pentameter directly parallels with the idea of the pastoral being structured and regular, as it remains similarly beautiful forever, unless ruined by man. We see this in the opening lines of the poem, “Five years have past; five summers, with length Of five long winters! And again I hear These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs.” Here we see that despite Wordsworth being delayed 5 years to return to Tintern Abbey, it has stayed equally peaceful and beautiful. Furthermore, the iambic pentameter contrasts directly with the idea of the city being unstructured and irregular, as everyday is different given the crazy, busy nature of the city. In addition, the fact that the poem is unrhymed shows the simplicity and tranquility of the pastoral, as it free to do as nature intends, much alike the poem, as it isn’t restricted to a rhyme scheme.

The setting of Tintern Abbey allows Wordsworth to convey a very deep message, of which he emphasizes that the city is a place of corruption and greed, denying us as humans the ability to appreciate and develop as we should. We see this in the line, “Amid the many shapes Of joyless daylight; when the fretuful stir Unprofitable, and the fever of the world.” Here we see how ‘this’ world is described as ‘joyless’ and sounds diseased through the use of the word ‘fever.’ Here we see how the city is disruptive and has the power to remove and sense of happiness, but furthermore removes health from humans, leaving us with nothing but negative connotations from the city world and life. However, Tintern Abbey allows the reader to feel a level of enlightenment, and feel more developed, which we can see perfectly in, “Wherever nature led: more like a man.” In the beautiful scenery of the pastoral, we have a closeness to nature which allows us to understand ourselves, and further allows us to feel at one with the world itself. We can fully understand just how idyllic the pastoral is as Wordsworth says, “These beauteous forms Through a long absence, have not been to me As is a landscape to a blind man’s eye.” Here we can identify that this pastoral scene is almost imaginary, and is indeed a memory to Wordsworth. This allows the reader to identify the pastoral as a land of escape and tranquility, allowing us to escape briefly the harsh realities of the city and everyday life.

Finally, the sensuous use of language Wordsworth uses throughout the poem allows for him to fully express his over riding love and emotion when describing the pastoral, Tintern Abbey. Wordsworth brings his own mood into the description of nature, allowing it to be personified, as his feeling and emotions effect his interpretation. For example, he does this by describing the natural springs as having a “soft inland murmur.” By doing this Wordsworth gives nature the ability to be more than just a setting, and effect him physically, which it eventually does, as it is “Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart; And passing even into my purer mind.” On the other hand, all language used to describe the city is harsh and uneasy. Words such as ‘evil,’ and ‘rash’ are present when describing the city, which contrasts directly with much softer and easier words, such as ‘lofty’ and ‘secluded’ when describing the pastoral. These words are much less stressed and very light, again emphasizing the gentle and easy nature of the pastoral.