The Augustan Verse and Sensibility Movements
The eighteenth century, under the rule of Caesar Augustus of the Roman Empire, saw the composition of the Augustan verse that is found in English literature. The poetry of the Augustan period reflects the political and social activity of the time. The poems were satirical as well, and a central theme of the poems was the philosophical question of whether the society came first. The poetry about sensibility stimulated receptivity or perception to things like feelings. During sensibility movements, sensitive people were depicted in poems and books. When confronted with strong feelings or moving events, the characters would cry, dizzy, feel weak, or react. The characters in the poems would react or perceive different situations emotionally and intellectually stirring in the environment or area of residence. The poem On the Death of Mr. Robert Levet, a Practiser in Physic is an example of Augustan and sensibility genres.
The Poem "On the Death of Mr. Robert Levet, a Practiser in Physic"
Samuel Johnson's poem On the Death of Mr. Robert Levet, a Practiser in Physic
The poem narrates the death of Levet the physician in 1782. It was a time when Johnson was ill, poor and underwent personal disappointment. The poem narrates of the social condition in Johnson’s residence. It is an extension of Levet’s life, human condition and humanity in general. The poem openly discusses the social agenda, and the stanzas pointed to poor leadership of the time. The poem does not mention the King but addresses the government directs towards the end. The poem elicited emotions among the urban dwellers. The residents agreed that their land was sinking under the leadership of the king. London would fall just like the Roman Empire declined. The nostalgic glorification appealed to all people to shun corruption and misrule.
The Poem "Disserted Village"
The Disserted Village poem by Oliver Goldsmith has 430 lines and 25 verses. The first-person narrative help the poet give each line heroic couplets. The poem comprises of Augustan poetry. The work describes Auburn as a populous and later deserted state. The outstanding balance of the author’s persona conforms to the conventions of contemporary neoclassical poems. The Deserted Village criticized the excessive wealth, depopulation in the rural areas, common land encloses and the creation of landscaped gardens (Mitchell 123). The political analyst does not recognize Goldsmith as a political activist but as a radical socially-concerned activist.
The poem contains elements of neoclassicism and romanticism that stick to a stylish language. The poetry evokes sympathy in readers’ deep emotions and moving life experiences. The poem opened eyes of the people to enlighten them in acknowledging the beauty of their lives and nature. The Auburn village is full of activities due to international trade. Commerce is the arch-villain where a small group of people is benefiting from international trade. In the poem (line 425), it states that “That Trade’s proud empire hastes to swift decay,” The rich use their power to displace poor people from the rural areas to allow the creation of country estates. Goldsmith deliberately employed ‘precise obscurity’ in work to explain the reasons behind the demise of the village (Mitchell 124). The approach may distract the author’s authority to criticize the social inequality; the readers have the freedom to project their concerns of the poem.
Augustan v. Sensibility
The interpretations of the poem give rise to several polarities. The glorification of old cities such as Rome is equal to the uncritical adulation of the modern authoritarian regime. The anti-Augustan would argue that the sensibility age is too pessimist instead of being optimistic. The human needs attitude and nationalism to achieve realities of life. The world does not need definitions and straitjackets to access the modern sensibilities.
Work Cited
Johnson, Samuel. Samuel Johnson: The Complete English Poems. Cambridge [England: Chadwyck-Healey (a Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company, 2000. Internet resource
Goldsmith, Oliver. "The Deserted Village." Roach's Beauties of the Poets. 17 (1793). Print.
Mitchell, S. "Oliver Goldsmith's the Deserted Village: Past, Present, and Future." English. 55.212 (2006): 123-139. Print
