Academic: Emotion and Imagination in British Romanticism
Haley Floyd
Bruce Busby
LIT - 309
June 20, 2019
Emotion and Imagination in British Romanticism
A reflection upon the ideas of beauty and emotion, “She Walks in Beauty” was a poem written by Lord Byron in 1813. This poem takes analyzes the beauty of a woman whom acts as the object of the narrator’s desires, addressing the woman in a way that allow his emotions to form his opinions of her and forward the general ideas of British Romanticism. On another side of the coin, Jane Austen also takes a look at the idea of emotion and the individual in her novel Pride and Prejudice, written in 1813. This story take different route, challenging common ideas associated with emotion and the female identity than many ideas during the romantic era. Byron’s poem heavily follows contemporary ideas of the objectification of women enacted during Byron’s own time period, yet also offers some insight into the idea of women having a mind, even if the idea itself is not explored in depth. Jane Austen, on the other hand, grants her characters individuality regardless of their genders and reflects on their emotions and the effects that come from them, working to challenge the high estimate of emotions enjoyed as the Romantic Era progressed in the early 1800s. In turn, she also gives a sense of individuality to many of the women present in the book, showcasing traits not often associated with women and presenting readers both Romantic and contemporary with ideas rarely associated with the Era. In “She Walks in Beauty” Byron heavily focuses upon the importance of emotion and imagination in Society and Romantic literature, offering it as a way to examine society in an idealistic way through his various observations, descriptions and effective silencing of a single woman while damaging the idea of the individual to better address the notion of beauty. In contrast, Jane Austen presents the ideas of emotion and imagination as important traits in society and literature, yet allows a much more realistic approach to the ideas as she presents them in a way that can be seen as both progressive and damaging by offering a wide ranges of experiences faced by the large number of unique characters with ranging appearances and personalities and addressing the idea of the importance of the individual presented within Pride and Prejudice.
“She Walks in Beauty” is a poem that depends heavily upon emotion and the imagination. The reason for this is because the point of view is shared by only a single man, and there is no other input to be had, not even from the subject of observation. The sudden infatuation the narrator has with the woman of the poem enables him to create these perfect observations of her, using vivid imagery to examine her thoroughly such as “And all that’s best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes;” as he uses comparisons of the dark and light pulling at one another, finding balance in and around this one woman (Byron). Byron makes it very clear how heavily the narrator’s vision is affecting his emotions, and how this beauty before him is something of a sublime nature. He allows himself to become enthralled, and all logic is forgone because of it as the narrator allows his imagination to run wild as his emotions, crafting this perfect image of the woman before him. This results not only in an examination of the woman, but also an assault on conventional beauty standards themselves. It is made clear though the comparison of the woman to the night that there is this balance to her that borders on unusual for the day and age. It is not a beauty of bright and colorful nature, but almost of a gothic and enthralling existence. This woman has achieved, in the narrator’s eyes, an almost unachievable beauty acquired though a span of opposites and unusual traits. Beyond this, the reader is subjected to sublime elements of how the women’s existence spreads beyond even herself, acting as a catalyst for the observation of beauty around her born of the effects such feelings and emotions produced by the existence of said subline on the imagination. Howard Needler states in ‘She Walks in Beauty' and the theory of the sublime
“In 'She Walks in Beauty', Byron consistently approaches and represents the object of beauty with an indirection that locates that object's aesthetic power in the ambience it creates and the effects to which that ambience gives rise. This suggests that although the poem's nominal subject is the uncommon beauty of one particular lady, its real subject is something quite different: the sublime effect of the contrasts arising from the initial perception of that beauty.” (Needler)
This argues to the importance of such beauty in impacting readers and the setting of the poem as a whole, identifying the woman as only an object and pathway to discovering a deeper seeded beauty than that of a physical plane. This poem places great importance upon emotion and imagery in the early 19th century’s society, and presents the idea that such things are often more important than rational thought.
The way Byron approaches the woman of the narrator’s affections in this poem treats her being as more an object of the background than the focus of a human being. He puts a great deal of emphasis on her existence, but very little on who she herself is as a person, referring often only to her appearance in order to better illustrate the concept of beauty. In giving his own vivid accounts in such a manner, the narrator neglects to offer up an idea of everything this woman might think or do or even feel. In treating this woman as an object of the scene in order to appeal to further emotions brought upon by the sublime notion of beauty, there is a severe lack of individuality left with which to address the woman in the piece as a person. Such focuses are important for the admiration of beauty and the effects it can have upon the mind as well as the emotional draw it contains, yet in choosing to subject a sentient and living being to becoming part of the background, a great deal is left unnoticed and dehumanized in a way. Being written in such a limited view severely limits an overall examination of the notion of beauty, as making the imaginative ideas of one man focused solely upon a singular woman does not provide room for unique and expansive emotional examinations of what beauty might be considered as a whole due to prejudiced views. The extreme focus upon appearance also adds to the conflict in addressing the idea of beauty, as there is little focus on anything aside from the physical aspects of such notions. It forces the reader to question is there beauty beyond such a scope of appearance and imagery found in the mind and emotions rather than the actions and physical traits of a being? As individual an account as the poem may act, it is the allowance of intense emotion and imagination of the reader along with the neglecting of such emotions and feelings of the object of the poem that allows the objectification of the catalyst for the observation effectively leading to a lack of individuality to be found in such beauty due to bias in a limited view without the exploration of further concepts.
When it comes to emotion and the images it creates in Pride and Prejudice, there is no action without consequence. Addressing the issues of the same name, Pride and Prejudice deals heavily with emotional involvement and the ideas and thoughts that stem from this emotion. For example, within Pride the reader see’s Mr. Darcy, a proud and hateful man in the eyes of many due to his initial introduction and desires to protect what is close to him by ousting those he feels beneath him in a fit of prejudice. In response, Elizabeth displays of herself her own sense of Pride, not allowing herself to take true offence to Darcy’s and rather declaring him unworthy of her or her time, delivering from this her own prejudice in her statement “I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine” (Austen). However, such emotions become damaging in a realistic manner towards the end, and the characters are quick to address this issue, an example being Elizabeth offering apology and mortification for the misjudgment of Mr. Darcy’s character, stating ““Oh! do not repeat what I then said. These recollections will not do at all. I assure you that I have long been most heartily ashamed of ” (Austen). In thinking back on these situations by which Elizabeth is repulsed, Gordon Hirsch states
Elizabeth's "pride" has driven her to be defensively "prejudiced." Although she once took satisfaction from her pride, it is now seen to be a response to threats to her self-esteem, a defense against feelings of inferiority, vulnerability and shame. Elizabeth understands her prejudice to be a product of her vulnerable pride, and beneath that pride--ready to return with a vengeance--is the feeling of shame.
In offering such ideas, Austen gives a lesson on the reality of emotion and that which can spawn from it, showing that, while sometimes a good thing, it can be equally as damaging in the right situations. She acknowledges that emotion was an important impactor on society, yet should not be replaced by the implementation of logic and rational thought at all accounts. Even further, Elaine Bander makes a point to claim:
In so far as he provokes stronger emotions in her, those feelings are resentment that his actions have made Wickham ineligible as a suitor, curiosity over his baffling behavior, irritation that he should be so much less entertaining than his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, and anger that his interference has injured her beloved sister… While Darcy experiences such awareness of Elizabeth, she does not reciprocate until late in the novel… Elizabeth's eventual change of heart results from neither sex, money, nor power, but rather from a long process of revision and self-examination. (Bander)
Austen displays a powerful growth in Elizabeth’s character through the examination of her emotions and the damage and good they have done her, and allows for a more impactful display in doing so. This is even further progressed upon with the examination of Lizzy as a whole, and her display as an individual.
Having and expressing such emotions outside the spectrum of propriety offers up a unique look at individuality that acted as a realistic reflection of true human emotions and something that worked to escape from the confines of the idea of propriety among the female identity. Austen provides a wide scope of characterizations when it comes to both the men and the women in this story, and shows how emotion and logic can influence such characters as well as their standing in society both real and fictional, regardless of what roles society might assign to them. As an example, when one looks at Elizabeth, she acts appropriately for the time, following basic social standards and questioning her sister’s antics as they cause trouble. However, she herself is not above trouble, and does not allow her mind to be controlled, her father having relinquished a great deal of control to his daughters resulting a great level of independence in Lizzy herself, especially when it comes to making her choices. She does not fear allowing her emotions to help her make decisions and her independence allows her to express such feelings without fear of retribution from others. This is a similar sentiment shared by Lady Catherine, a woman of obvious power who allows her own thoughts and emotions to pave her way despite what society might have had as an idea for women in such a day, even if her approach was a bit more belligerent than Lizzy’s. Even Mr. Bingly tends to fall out of what is expected of a man during this Romantic age, allowing his own emotions to cause him to submit to many of the women around him, his kindness forbidding him from questioning his friend Darcy, his sisters and even at times Mrs. Bennet. These characters all act in a way that idealizes the emotional control people valued in the 19th century while identifying their individuality, be it that of an independent woman or a relenting man. This is especially important when it comes to Austen’s criticism of the 19th century’s views on gender identity, displaying through her display of what are considered nowadays to be romantic traits such as emotion and individuality that identity as a whole cannot simply fall into the category of a singular gender, and that these traits are as expansive as the people who wield them.
Allowing emotion to control ones vision plays a heavy role in these two stories, yet not necessarily in the same ways. In “She Walks in Beauty”, Byron places a heavy focus upon appearance in this poem, and a great deal of the story it spins is centered on said appearance. The very first line addresses the fact that “She walks in beauty, like the night / Of cloudless climes and starry skies;” and continues on to address the outward appearance of this woman as something of a splendor. In doing so, he goes on to create something of a perfect example of an ideal woman without a trace of animosity or negativity, and leaves the woman as such through the use of obsessive emotion and desire, relying heavily upon a powerful infatuation to explain of love of admiring this woman. In comparison, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice takes a fair bit more critical approach to the ideas presented by appearance. Many characters took to misinterpreting the actions of one another purely based upon outward appearances and initial interactions with one another, and this is most ardently true in the case of a mass number of the characters in this story versus Mr. Darcy, as in the beginning ““the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingly, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening” (Austen). A great many people allowed first appearances pass their way to find him handsome, yet not long after began to agree that “he is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing” (Austen) upon second glace. However, in such a case, not even a second glance is enough as time and time again Darcy’s actions, as well as those of many others, continue to be misinterpreted throughout the story purely for the sake of the ideas brought about due to the emotions felt by the masses during these first two interactions. Both of these stories emphasize a powerful combination of dependency on both imagination and emotion stemming from appearance versus reality during the Romantic era, as both allow these traits to act as blinders within the stories. Byron depends heavily upon emotion in order to get the idea of how beautiful this woman is across and in turn expressing how powerful his infatuation remains with her as he creates this perfect idea of her. With Pride and Prejudice however, emotion and the imaginations stemming from them acts as something of a roadblock for many of the characters. Appearance and the emotions and ideas brought up by such appearances become an issue as characters like Lizzy are blinded by the emotionally driven ideas that create the prejudice of work and misinterpret the intentions of characters such as Darcy due to the initially egregious first impressions the latter provided. While not related on the surface due to the differing ideas that reflect upon perception and appearance, the idea of looking past the surface appearance of something, be it a person or the work of fiction or poetry that represents them, reveals a great deal more about the emotions and images associated with how people perceive such appearances and allow them to influence initial beliefs. Both of these stories show how important the idea of emotion and the ideas created by emotion were during the romantic era, as they often formed their opinions and helped to drive not only stories but society forward, in both good and bad ways.
In “She Walks in Beauty” Byron heavily focuses upon the importance of emotion and imagination in Society and Romantic literature, offering it as a way to examine society in an idealistic way through his various observations, descriptions and effective silencing of a single woman while damaging the idea of the individual to better address the notion of beauty. In contrast, Jane Austen presents the ideas of emotion and imagination as important traits in society and literature, yet allows a much more realistic approach to the ideas as she presents them in a way that can be seen as both progressive and damaging by offering a wide ranges of experiences faced by the large number of unique characters with ranging appearances and personalities and addressing the idea of the importance of the individual presented within Pride and Prejudice. Both of these stories show the impact of emotion and imagination and the important role it plays in life through very different displays and very different results. Lord Byron argues to the importance of emotion and imagination through the display of ethereal beauty and dehumanization. Jane Austen argues to the damage emotion and the imagination can cause, yet acknowledges it as part of the human nature, avoiding idealizing it and providing unique personalities In doing so. Both of these authors offer different ideas when it comes to the effects emotion has upon humanity, displaying both the good and the harm that can come from idealizing emotions and allowing the heart to lead over the mind. As such these works work to offer unique and varying perspectives of emotion in British Romanticism, forcing readers to question just how far people should allow their emotions to take them.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Age of Romanticism. Edited by Joseph B Leonard, 3rd ed., vol. 4, Broadview Press, 2018.
Byron, Lord George Gordon. Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Age of Romanticism. Edited by Joseph B Leonard, 3rd ed., vol. 4, Broadview Press, 2018.
Needler, Howard. "'She Walks in Beauty' and the theory of the sublime." Byron Journal, vol. 38, no. 1, 2010, p. 19+. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A243453549/LitRC?u=nhc_main&sid=LitRC&xid=9094261d. Accessed 2 June 2019.
Hirsch, Gordon. "Shame, Pride, and Prejudice: Jane Austen's Psychological Sophistication." Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, edited by Russel Whitaker, vol. 150, Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/apps/doc/H1420063921/LitRC?u=nhc_main&sid=LitRC&xid=8a48d62c. Accessed 2 June 2019. Originally published in Mosaic, vol. 25, Winter 1992, pp. 63-78.
Bander, Elaine. "Neither sex, money, nor power: why Elizabeth finally says 'yes!'." Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal, vol. 34, 2012, p. 25+. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/apps/doc/A334378774/LitRC?u=nhc_main&sid=LitRC&xid=4233ab97. Accessed 14 June 2019.
