The Solitary Reaper

by William Wordsworth

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Discussion Topic

Inspiration and Atmosphere in "The Solitary Reaper"

Summary:

"The Solitary Reaper" by Wordsworth is inspired by his 1803 trip to Scotland and Thomas Wilkinson's manuscript, which described a reaper's song in Scottish Gaelic. Wordsworth's Romantic imagination is evident as he portrays the maiden's song as mysterious and deeply moving, despite not understanding the words. This mystery enhances the poem's romance, as the beauty and emotion of the song leave a lasting impact on the poet, embodying the Romantic ideal of experiencing profound emotions through nature.

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What inspired the poet to write "The Solitary Reaper"?

Wordsworth was inspired by nature, poetry, and the Romantic imagination. This imagination is a combination of intuition and emotion in which the poet tries to understand the ordinary in a new or extraordinary way. In this poem, we have a maiden singing alone in a vale, with no apprehension that she's being observed. So, her singing is free and natural and the song merges with its surroundings, creating a connection with nature itself:

O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

She sings in Erse, or Scottish Gaelic, so the speaker cannot understand the words. This adds to the mystery and mystique of her song. It only increases the speaker's curiosity and fascination.

Biographically, the inspiration for writing this poem came from another source: Thomas Wilkinson's Tours to the British Mountains . Although the book was not published until 1824, Wordsworth saw it in manuscript form prior...

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to writing "The Solitary Reaper" in 1805. Wordsworth wrote a note for his poem in which he cited this reference and this particular passage from Wilkinson's manuscript:

Passed a female who was reaping alone: she sung in Erse as she bended over her sickle; the sweetest human voice I ever heard: her strains were tenderly melancholy, and felt delicious, long after they were heard no more.

This and the Wordsworths' trip to Scotland in 1803 were the inspirations for the poem.

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How does the poet create mystery and romance in 'The Solitary Reaper'?

I think that the sense of wondering about the song that the reaper sings helps to create an aura of mystery in the poem.  It is from this that the speaker, presumably Wordsworth, is able to construct the sense or aura of mystery that surrounds the woman.  Of what does she sing?  What is the meaning?  How is it reflective of her own condition?  At the same time, the song enables a sense of wonderment to transpire about her own state of being?  From where does she hail?  Is she happy?  Even, if she is single are all questions that Wordsworth, through the speaker's voice. are able to construct and generate. This helps to establish a sense of aura of mystery surrounding the poem.  It is one in which there is uncertainty about the woman, about the speaker, and about the conditions enveloping each. The only certainty is the experience, itself, and its transformative impact on the speaker, and thus, on us.  The experience is the only certainty and all else is subject to myster, wonderment, and a sense of amazement of being.  This is a very Romantic idea being put forth.

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