The Sea View, written by Charlotte Smith, is a beautifully crafted poem that captures the majesty and power of the sea. The poem begins with a description of the sea as it appears from the shore, with its "tumultuous waves" and "turbulent billows" crashing against the shoreline. The speaker reflects on the vastness of the sea, marveling at its endless expanse and the way it seems to stretch out forever.
As the poem progresses, the speaker begins to delve deeper into the emotional significance of the sea. They describe the sea as a "majestic scene," with a "voice of thunder" that speaks to the soul and stirs up feelings of awe and reverence. The sea is depicted as a force of nature that is both beautiful and terrifying, with the power to both calm and agitate the senses.
One of the most striking aspects of The Sea View is the way in which the speaker uses language to convey the mood and atmosphere of the scene. The use of words like "tumultuous," "turbulent," and "thunder" creates a sense of drama and intensity, while the repetition of phrases like "oh! how grand," "majestic scene," and "voice of thunder" serves to heighten the sense of awe and wonder that the speaker feels in the presence of the sea.
Overall, The Sea View is a stunning and evocative poem that beautifully captures the majesty and power of the sea. Through the use of rich and descriptive language, Charlotte Smith is able to transport the reader to the shoreline and allow them to experience the majesty of the sea for themselves.
Sonnet Lxxxiii. The Sea View Poem by Charlotte Smith
She joined him there, until, thanks largely to her, he was able to return to Elegiac Sonnets and Other Essays, which she had published in 1784, had been well received, but because novels promised greater financial rewards, she wrote, after some free translations of French novels, Emmeline; or, The Orphan of the Castle 1788 and Ethelinde; or, The Recluse of the Lake 1789. The upland shepherd, as reclined he lies On the soft turf that clothes the mountain brow, Marks the bright sea-line mingling with the skies ; Or from his course celestial sinking low The summer sun in purple radiance glow Blaze on the western waters ; the wide scene Magnificent and tranquil seems to spread Even over the rustic's breast a joy serene, When, like dark plague-spots by the demons shed, Charged deep with death, upon the waves far seen Move the war-freighted ships ; and fierce and red Flash their destructive fires--The mangled dead And dying victims then pollute the flood. Descriptive words such as soft, bright, celestial, tranquil and serene to illustrate the perfection of the natural state of the sea. She initiated a revival of the English sonnet, helped establish the conventions of Gothic fiction, and wrote political novels of sensibility. War has always been a blight upon the history of Mankind, causing and guaranteeing misery and hardship around every corner of our bloody existence.
Sonnet LXXXIII. The Sea View Poem Analysis
Desmond appeared in 1792 and was followed by her best work, The Old Manor-House 1793. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations. A successful writer, she published ten novels, three books of poetry, four children's books, and other assorted works over the course of her career. An oft-anthologized and taught—yet critically neglected—text, this sonnet plunges, in heretofore undiscovered ways, into crucial Romantic-era debates on aesthetics, gender, and the French Revolution and its aftermath, whose cross-Channel warfare the poem fiercely decries as it establishes Smith herself as the central figure of the Romantic sonnet revival. Human beings, Smith suggests, are blundering oafs, shattering every fragile ecosystem and environment with which they come into contact.
Charlotte Smith
She is of the opinion that by destroying and harming nature, no progress or development is possible. Toward the end of her life, she turned to writing instructive books for children, the best being Conversations Introducing Poetry for the Use of Children 1804. The poet fears the path which mankind has taken for the development and the process. The eloquence with which she illustrates the virgin environment through his eyes using precise language and imagery is both perceptive and poetic, with descriptions that both invigorate our imaginations and make us yearn for the quietude and tranquility that the shepherd experiences while reclining on the soft turf. .
