Thomas Love Peacock and the Romantic Era

242 Pages·018.925 MB·English

by  Smith, Francis Eliot

THOMAS LOTS PE'A COCK AMO THS ROMANTIC ERA
by
Francis Eliot Smith
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the Department
of English in the Graduate
College of the State
University of Iowa
June 1950
ProQuest Number: 10902201
All rights reserved
INFORMATION TO ALL USERS
The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.
In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript
and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed,
a note will indicate the deletion.
uest
ProQuest 10902201
Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author.
All rights reserved.
This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code
Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC.
ProQuest LLC.
789 East Eisenhower Parkway
P.O. Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346
C 0 ^ ‘ 2~
To Hoy and Barbara
TABLE OF QGHfjgffT3
page
Chapter I Peacock and the Picturesque .. . 1
Chapter II Peacock and Romantic Legend . . . . 40
Chapter III Peacock and Homantio Enthusiasm . . @0
Chapter IV Peacock and Homantio Poetry . . . .133
Chapter V Feaoook and Homantio Politics . . 16?
Chapter VI Conclusion 334
Bibliography 334
lii
1
Ohepter |
maoos Am ■ tm
Thomas i0w$ Peacock would like, in have lived in
Arcadia, fhm he compared the H en in which he lived to
the golden age of hie ieiglndtlm# he found much to ridi­
cule in .conteMpovayy civilisation. Arcadian life wan un­
complicated* rural* virtuoue* imaginative* and beautiful..
Peacock1e reading helped to provide him with materials
for such a utopia,,, and a love of nature ae he %t in
England and Wales strengthened and gave substance to hie
vision.
As a child he was fond of woods and streams | for a
large part of hie young manhood he was a ^picturesque
tourist " with poetic intentions. His early poetry was
imitative* conventional, and stilted. He gained indepen­
dence when he turned to the novel $ and in ffCftdloag ...p&fc we
find him avowing that unimproved nature is more beautiful
than the effect produced by men working with the formulae
of landscape gardening. His last long poem* ffhofto^phh-fe*
and the novels all illustrate the fast that his affection
for nature was genuine and not contained solely within the
aesthetic rules of the picturesque and that he associated
natural beauty with toaanti# love* spiritual inspiration*
and social prosperity.
2
,, f m m m was hem into * civilisation %m% bad fee#®
trowing. increasingly aware of the physical feature® of the
tstat^ id # Ml-of. tbe fact that miimnm
moo, nig lilt b» JWM #f them, Set#?* .*&• first third. of tbs
|t p oomlotfit poetic interest 1® t he outdoors Mi boom.
Confined largely to ascriptions of estates by potto Mklooo
tO-please* £mmn*<& temMrst it no more than a distinctly
tom. estate enlivened by dryads and river gods* Milton saw
sna tehee of gmgiisi* countryside .in Ms^lsipre* but they **~
maimed umoompcsed into anything lib# soon®®.
Poets# who ware the 'fifat artisis to see the gnglisb
landseapa appyeeiatiirely^ eat it. is term* of Ol&ude
Lorraine*s and Salvator Hoc*® ideal iMtiame of Italian
1
landscape* ' The Close relation between painting and the
mode of vision of Itib eeaimry gagiisMm m m be teen by
the many references to Italian painters ami paintings that
appear in their travel letters and Journal®'. Growing en~
itaias® for the Alpine font# of the grand tour# and the
growing' practice of bringing hose landscape paintings#
sailed for some statement of aesthetic principles.
Practical rules i m imitation of Claude and Reea had
9
already been given by william Salmon in the iVtb century*
In the 18th century Shaftsbury# Hutcheson* and Hogarth had
begun the theory! but it was Burke who in 1?#® gave it a
3
pepwOUr, 0o»p®#twR8tir*( sad original et&te-
weat t© t«m * fwaodatien tax tuttx* eeatfefejpey. tbmwfcmrt
*1m»: aeeonft heljf «£ tn© ©sntury. Burke dig'SiBgaleiwd* M
3
■$m! Wk: &&%%*$*' and tHMMmfWU* U n*
9
to p*©<a*&®# «*»*»*
*nmm nm m&ntim m%$k
trot.©!©!* M ottt&lmo* otMWfoatity#
%m h* rnrnmimrn %pm
ym.if* pf&Fatt©nt mBtMMt infinity* wMmmim* and uml-
tmmW$r And to tb© boawttfdl ■ Im allofod ©mailnot©* osaootb*
mm* gradual vmvt&%tm*9, mti Xtillmmy of for* and odlof.
04tdgdff it wro not ©uffloienl to ©fpiat** tb©
plmmt* of mmy painting© ao& consequently somm wbtoh*
ilk© tfeo w©?k of $. »b*m©d©& in intftoaoio© of itgbt 1
Mh»m
©bad©, in MfOMtwltt#© of imtltia© and tMtfAit© of
mti
©©lots. y©§ #ht®h mm 0.0*1 tiki m a seal# vast and awesome
©nougb to bo oa&loft sublime, ^ Fot ©neb paimttmgo nod ©uoa
■ <*
v
oompooltiooo of mom*? - ©Mob or**? gentleman might vie©
o» bio garouMa unless they pMfootly Ufed&t©
mm ®m*m *■
ffito* a btoift of BoroforftohlM# **tt«ot 0 third -oategopr#
#00# piotMooqm©** not regarding ^ ** nnftii»i %b*t
oofooo 00 tooooiBotod bo poMttf&l of sublime* but ooly that
tfeff- oMHAd bo of oa tfttrtoooy to off or interesting oootfaeti
of toMMt# OfttU&o# light* and Ml or for tbo paint©*,
x migmmim ttttr*« titbard fayn© Knight of Mop©
tO&Mil to *§©f|M Oil OMtiM pOrOt to to© ©fe}«9t»'0f
0
fioioo themself©© © Following too load of AfoMbald Alison*
4
he allowed for the power of association in aesthetis zee*
pease} nevertheless, ho insisted upon the powers of oertain
eolors aad arrangeaenis, irrespective of the objects they
pertained to, to arouse la the trained toehold*? sensation*
of pletureeme beauty. Thus he forshadewed the eventual
emergence of Turner end constable and the French Impraeei&n-
lets by abstracting oolor from the ohjeot Itself. Alison
published is 1790; Pries sad Knight wrote answering essays
and poem* from 1794 to 1806. Peaceek must ha.ro toon ac­
quainted with their works whila they were s till authorities
not yet antiquated.
At the sane tine that non were acquiring landscape
paintings ia Italy and Holland, an interest in rains and
antiquities stimulated travel .and appreoiatloa of the re­
mote and wild seetione of England, wetland* and Sales.
Among the most famous "appraoiatore* met* of eoorse, be
named the Sere*end William 8ilpi«* who, in addition to
being s truly eoneeieatioue parao* of Boldre,. sue the high,
priest of the picturesque, writing eight works of SsSfflT
tlons. covering between 1788 and 1804: South false j the
lake District} the seottieh Highland®} the Hew for set (on
the edge of whleh Peaoook lived as a boy); the *festern
Parts of England}* the Isle of fightj the ooasts of Hamp­
shire, Sussex, and x*nt| the oountles of Cambridge,.
5
forfait*. and m tm & X parte of forth
epeeiflelty tome,#fwing ike ohjeOie of ple*>
Htmm* heeuty ehew® m km »iai*iardieod a mmopt -wtm
w^kmrnm hy the -11## tm®mk earn# m mm
treat -m if in hi# noTroi®. miptfo delimit#
whet the imagiii&tiem may &o in arranging a■ ekiifh from
nature*1 m' list# pietureeout - feature# mttmM fm the
$W0$mm& {.amino* mm** irregular oafeett) * the miMi#-*
ground (valley#* wood®* fiver#) * and ike hMfcgrmuid
(mouutain# and, lake#). ffc# impoyt&aee he allot# to water
i# rsfleoied hy Pa&eeefe; im feaoook never «y»P*th®ti#alXy
deeerlh## in kit novel# any water!©©# outdoor mmt*
giXplm #agg*it® a!## what ■ figure® wool# %# euliahl# for
OkOtOtdngj .■#*»glllea shepherd# or banditti ilk# the## of
Salvator# Bose. dmlmal# should #0 shaggy and blotahed.
free# are mm immmim in d«®ag% fh# orient of Gilpin*#
tours* hi# sMfrntftti#*,# and hi# preeeripilen# 1® a register
a# wall' a# a earn*# of the, growth of British enthusiasm
for the pietmresqu#* frij<m©aX guide kook# wore la&re&sing
in oaautity for the last quarter of the eentury* and by
1600 everyone who eould. afford to make a tour oould ale#
find'out without trouhle the proper ©kjeot#* mode#* and
erpreeeiou# for ploturesqut rapture*
6
v'. -mm $m m t of mmmm with *h® mt%m
piclmureaqaa tra&itiom fc&# nmm MHffliWtty
.All Ml M s g rs ^ ^ Ms lov# #f WalS# »m
%M f*m w§ Ms m u ttm l %tm tm m t'ti m? mmrntimn
mimtom in and Ms ability *» depict
vos&sd float* But liwii# tftl«v«t%» iw t ast 1nm»- *NK
m a .By survsyisig taost tnt«*o*tB m& pra<m##s*
m wm$ ioarm ta# early and permanent #ff«tb #£■ tfce' ptoturssfa#
upon at**. It was rospsntibl# for Ml# ability to appresiat#
th# to#MS* and it provids# arnsh of tbs material for Ms
posas* As an aoadamia soasopi at as a profession* as same
to arajsat i t . la im m at a wows emotional lair# of aatuirs#
The problem wMob always fa### tto* re&Str of #«*#**&» ihs
A
problem of finding m% bsMM tbS-a*m of wMO& obaraotsf-
P«a##ek*a mm fas# is wwoafttaarlly psspisi#- is m t both##*
#«mss&#is. all *&# mi&mm it soil #*t«t and by aught to
boat on %h% novel#*
Peaooolf wae neve* a landed prop?.tttot* B# did not
build parks* ssitl# villages* fasts* fish* or tai&kl oof
were hie m ooto member# of tbs *gsi*#a»#Sy* Mi® only
sutfSf^dos# aotlvities wars walking* rowing* and th# sail**
lif : of j&pef >##$#. «* **m immm% #»aso®aat« m%m% mlssod
M
W .*«w*8» t» the aeanest thing that feel#.'*
yjom the a*« osf three *9 **»» «f fU M t Peaewolt U v tttllk
his grcMKlfetties *b« his methes la Cherteey. less h« «&e