Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Group

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ishita
heavenly
Student
College - Junior

What are the romantic features that can be traced in Thomas Grays's Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard?

the specific romantic features in Thomas Gray's Elegy

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Posted by heavenly on Thursday May 21, 2009 at 7:31 AM and tagged with romantic features, style.

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  1. danylyshen Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    In Thomas Gray's "Elegy" there are numerous features common to the romantic period and romanticism.

    Firstly is the prevalence of nature and its emphasis as being a place where meditation and deeply spiritual epiphanies occur. We look at the poem's imagery and we notice deeply sublime notions such as "drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds" and the "breezy call of incense-breathing morn."

    We see the inevitability of death in the ninth stanza and much of the imagery changes to contemplate death and our mortality. As the poet stands in the sublimity of nature he is speculating on how there might very well be people similar to Milton and Cromwell reposing beneath his feet.

    Mostly, it is an intimate meditation on our mortality. This tendency for meditation is so very common in most Romantic literature, especially its poetry.

    For more leads, try the enotes link below.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/romanticism

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    Posted by danylyshen on Thursday May 21, 2009 at 10:47 AM