"Michael" is a pastoral poem, written by William Wordsworth and first published in the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads, a series of poems that were said to have begun the English Romantic movement in literature.[1] The poem is one of Wordsworth's best-known poems and the subject of much critical literature.[1] It tells the story of an ageing shepherd, Michael, his wife Isabel, and his only child Luke.[1]
Above is shown the 1798 edition of Lyrical Ballads. "Michael" was added in Wordsworth's 1800 edition.
Analyses have claimed "Michael" to have been a political statement regarding the modernization of England, due to the advent of the enclosure system—erasing the idyllic pastoral way of life that Michael formerly enjoyed.[2] Nevertheless, scholar Deanne Westbrook interpreted the worked to be as a New Testament-esque parable and even a metaparable.[3]
As noted by scholar Judith Page, traditional pastorals generally stretched back to Ancient Greece, with pastorals contemporary to Wordsworth following ancient Greek models—often giving their protagonist Ancient Grecian names.[4] Furthermore, life depicted in other pastorals was oftentimes idyllic and focused on the beauty of the landscape and the joy of simplicity.[4] According to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, the genre is traditionally "short, typically less than 150 lines long, and plot and character development are minimal: pastoral’s major innovation is to make the performance of an internal poetic event."[5]
Despite the dissipation of Michael's life as the poem advances, Page notes how Wordsworth maintained the balance and evenness of his lines.[2] She especially stresses the restraint that Wordsworth exhibits with "primarily monosyllabic and bisyllabic diction."[6]
"Michael" is primarily written in blank verse,[7] which is unrhymed iambic pentameter, despite the beginning stanza of "Michael" consisting of irregular iambic pentameter. Page notes that some previous Wordsworth pastorals were rhymed.[8] Therefore, "Michael" is different from most pastorals, because it diverts from traditional rhyme schemes that were common in the genre. "Michael" is also 484 lines, and is told from a first-person omniscient perspective. Below is a representation of meter from lines 59-61, with x indicating an unstressed syllable and / indicating a stressed syllable.
x / x / x / x / x /
Amid the heart of many thousand mists,
x / x / x / x / x /
That came to him, and left him, on the heights.
x / x / x / x / x /
So lived he till his eightieth year was past.
Summary
Michael lost half his land when he used it as a surety for a nephew who had met with financial misfortune.[9] When Luke reaches the age of 18, Michael sends Luke to stay in London with a merchant that he might learn a trade and acquire sufficient wealth to regain the land that Michael has lost. It breaks Michael's heart to send Luke away and he makes Luke lay the first stone of a sheepfold as a covenant between them that Luke will return.[10] However, Luke is corrupted in the city and is forced to flee the country and Michael must live out his life without his son. He returns sometimes to the sheepfold but no longer has the heart to complete it.
Characters
Michael: the protagonist of the poem, he is strong and hardworking—with a strong love of his land. He is the husband of Isabel and father of Luke, his beloved son. He is eighty years old at the start of the poem.
Isabel: the wife of Michael, she is a prodigious woman. She spends her time spinning wool and flax, and is the mother of Luke. She is sixty years old at the start of the poem.
Luke: the son and only child of Michael and Isabel, he is Michael's most treasured family member. Luke is set to continue the family's pastoral tradition, but his time away corrupts him. He is eighteen years old at the start of the poem.
Background
Wordsworth's decision to write "Michael" was influenced by the social turmoil he believed was being exhibited in England at the time. According to Pepper, Wordsworth was attempting to turn the attention of readers towards the increasing urbanization of England and its impact on pastoral life.[11] The industrialization of England came with the English policy of enclosures, which led to the suffering of rural workers.[2][11] Enclosures meant the agrarian workers lost access to pastoral land that they'd had access to for hundreds of years, thereby depriving many of their livelihoods. Michael, his wife Isabel, and his son Luke are thereby seen as victims of this movement, according to scholar Richard Lessa.[9]
Simultaneously, scholars like Westbrook have alternate interpretations of Wordsworth's poem, especially relating to its biblical allusions, which manifest in names, figures, phrases, and images.[12] Westbrook's view of the poem is not one of social cognizance, rather, it's one that characterizes it as a veiled parable. Westbrook calls to mind Michael's biblical similarities to the story of Abraham and Isaac and the Parable of the Prodigal Son, however, insists that "Michael" is a metaparable in its own right. Westbrook says that Wordsworth's purpose was to "both to veil and reveal the spirit of things."[13]
In May 2021, President Michael D. Higgins of Ireland wrote about "Michael" in a birthday letter to American folk singer Bob Dylan: "[The poem] deals with the consequences of the enclosures in England in the 18th Century, and their making of a working-class of men, women, and children for the factory system at the cost of intimate rural life."[15] Higgins compared the contributions of Dylan towards the working class to Wordsworth's, in how both reflected their exploitation and hard work.[15]
^ abcPage, Judith (Autumn 1989). "A History / Homely and Rude": Genre and Style in Wordsworth's "Michael". SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900. 29 (4): 633. doi:10.2307/450603. JSTOR 450603.
^Westbrook, Deanne (1997). "Wordsworth's Prodigal Son: "Michael" as Parable and as Metaparable". The Wordsworth Circle. 28 (2): 109–119. doi:10.1086/TWC24044636. ISSN 0043-8006. JSTOR 24044636. S2CID 165351379.
^ abPage, Judith W. (1989). ""A History / Homely and Rude": Genre and Style in Wordsworth's "Michael"". SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900. 29 (4): 622. doi:10.2307/450603. ISSN 0039-3657. JSTOR 450603.
^Greene, Roland (2017). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton University Press. pp. Pastoral. ISBN9780190681173. {{cite book}}: Check |url= value (help)
^Page, Judith W. (1989). ""A History / Homely and Rude": Genre and Style in Wordsworth's "Michael"". SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900. 29 (4): 632. doi:10.2307/450603. ISSN 0039-3657. JSTOR 450603.
^Page, Judith W. (1989). ""A History / Homely and Rude": Genre and Style in Wordsworth's "Michael"". SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900. 29 (4): 621–636. doi:10.2307/450603. ISSN 0039-3657. JSTOR 450603.
^Page, Judith W. (1989). ""A History / Homely and Rude": Genre and Style in Wordsworth's "Michael"". SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900. 29 (4): 625. doi:10.2307/450603. ISSN 0039-3657. JSTOR 450603.
^ abLessa, Richard (1983). "Wordsworth's Michael and the Pastoral Tradition". University of Toronto Quarterly. 53 (2): 181–194. doi:10.3138/utq.53.2.181. S2CID 162321001. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
^Pepper, W. Thomas (1989). "The Ideology of Wordsworth's "Michael: A Pastoral Poem"". Criticism. 31 (4): 373. ISSN 0011-1589. JSTOR 23112300.
^ abPepper, W. Thomas (1989). "The Ideology of Wordsworth's "Michael: A Pastoral Poem"". Criticism. 31 (4): 367–382. ISSN 0011-1589. JSTOR 23112300.
^Westbrook, Deanne (March 1997). "Wordsworth's Prodigal Son: "Michael" as Parable and as Metaparable". The Wordsworth Circle. 28 (2): 109–119. doi:10.1086/twc24044636. ISSN 0043-8006. S2CID 165351379.
^Westbrook, Deanne (1997). "Wordsworth's Prodigal Son: "Michael" as Parable and as Metaparable". The Wordsworth Circle. 28 (2): 118. doi:10.1086/TWC24044636. ISSN 0043-8006. JSTOR 24044636. S2CID 165351379.
^"British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
^ abBray, Jennifer. "'As one 80-year-old to another': Michael D Higgins wishes Bob Dylan Happy Birthday". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Michael
May 05, 2023
michael, poem, michael, pastoral, poem, written, william, wordsworth, first, published, 1800, edition, lyrical, ballads, series, poems, that, were, said, have, begun, english, romantic, movement, literature, poem, wordsworth, best, known, poems, subject, much,. Michael is a pastoral poem written by William Wordsworth and first published in the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads a series of poems that were said to have begun the English Romantic movement in literature 1 The poem is one of Wordsworth s best known poems and the subject of much critical literature 1 It tells the story of an ageing shepherd Michael his wife Isabel and his only child Luke 1 Above is shown the 1798 edition of Lyrical Ballads Michael was added in Wordsworth s 1800 edition Analyses have claimed Michael to have been a political statement regarding the modernization of England due to the advent of the enclosure system erasing the idyllic pastoral way of life that Michael formerly enjoyed 2 Nevertheless scholar Deanne Westbrook interpreted the worked to be as a New Testament esque parable and even a metaparable 3 Contents 1 Structure and style 2 Summary 3 Characters 4 Background 5 In popular culture 6 References 7 External linksStructure and style EditAs noted by scholar Judith Page traditional pastorals generally stretched back to Ancient Greece with pastorals contemporary to Wordsworth following ancient Greek models often giving their protagonist Ancient Grecian names 4 Furthermore life depicted in other pastorals was oftentimes idyllic and focused on the beauty of the landscape and the joy of simplicity 4 According to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics the genre is traditionally short typically less than 150 lines long and plot and character development are minimal pastoral s major innovation is to make the performance of an internal poetic event 5 Despite the dissipation of Michael s life as the poem advances Page notes how Wordsworth maintained the balance and evenness of his lines 2 She especially stresses the restraint that Wordsworth exhibits with primarily monosyllabic and bisyllabic diction 6 Michael is primarily written in blank verse 7 which is unrhymed iambic pentameter despite the beginning stanza of Michael consisting of irregular iambic pentameter Page notes that some previous Wordsworth pastorals were rhymed 8 Therefore Michael is different from most pastorals because it diverts from traditional rhyme schemes that were common in the genre Michael is also 484 lines and is told from a first person omniscient perspective Below is a representation of meter from lines 59 61 with x indicating an unstressed syllable and indicating a stressed syllable x x x x x Amid the heart of many thousand mists x x x x x That came to him and left him on the heights x x x x x So lived he till his eightieth year was past Summary EditMichael lost half his land when he used it as a surety for a nephew who had met with financial misfortune 9 When Luke reaches the age of 18 Michael sends Luke to stay in London with a merchant that he might learn a trade and acquire sufficient wealth to regain the land that Michael has lost It breaks Michael s heart to send Luke away and he makes Luke lay the first stone of a sheepfold as a covenant between them that Luke will return 10 However Luke is corrupted in the city and is forced to flee the country and Michael must live out his life without his son He returns sometimes to the sheepfold but no longer has the heart to complete it Characters EditMichael the protagonist of the poem he is strong and hardworking with a strong love of his land He is the husband of Isabel and father of Luke his beloved son He is eighty years old at the start of the poem Isabel the wife of Michael she is a prodigious woman She spends her time spinning wool and flax and is the mother of Luke She is sixty years old at the start of the poem Luke the son and only child of Michael and Isabel he is Michael s most treasured family member Luke is set to continue the family s pastoral tradition but his time away corrupts him He is eighteen years old at the start of the poem Background EditWordsworth s decision to write Michael was influenced by the social turmoil he believed was being exhibited in England at the time According to Pepper Wordsworth was attempting to turn the attention of readers towards the increasing urbanization of England and its impact on pastoral life 11 The industrialization of England came with the English policy of enclosures which led to the suffering of rural workers 2 11 Enclosures meant the agrarian workers lost access to pastoral land that they d had access to for hundreds of years thereby depriving many of their livelihoods Michael his wife Isabel and his son Luke are thereby seen as victims of this movement according to scholar Richard Lessa 9 Simultaneously scholars like Westbrook have alternate interpretations of Wordsworth s poem especially relating to its biblical allusions which manifest in names figures phrases and images 12 Westbrook s view of the poem is not one of social cognizance rather it s one that characterizes it as a veiled parable Westbrook calls to mind Michael s biblical similarities to the story of Abraham and Isaac and the Parable of the Prodigal Son however insists that Michael is a metaparable in its own right Westbrook says that Wordsworth s purpose was to both to veil and reveal the spirit of things 13 In popular culture EditThe epigraph of George Eliot s Silas Marner is taken from the poem 14 In May 2021 President Michael D Higgins of Ireland wrote about Michael in a birthday letter to American folk singer Bob Dylan The poem deals with the consequences of the enclosures in England in the 18th Century and their making of a working class of men women and children for the factory system at the cost of intimate rural life 15 Higgins compared the contributions of Dylan towards the working class to Wordsworth s in how both reflected their exploitation and hard work 15 References Edit a b c Terry Gifford 2019 Pastoral Routledge ISBN 978 1 317 29947 9 OCLC 1124611141 a b c Page Judith Autumn 1989 A History Homely and Rude Genre and Style in Wordsworth s Michael SEL Studies in English Literature 1500 1900 29 4 633 doi 10 2307 450603 JSTOR 450603 Westbrook Deanne 1997 Wordsworth s Prodigal Son Michael as Parable and as Metaparable The Wordsworth Circle 28 2 109 119 doi 10 1086 TWC24044636 ISSN 0043 8006 JSTOR 24044636 S2CID 165351379 a b Page Judith W 1989 A History Homely and Rude Genre and Style in Wordsworth s Michael SEL Studies in English Literature 1500 1900 29 4 622 doi 10 2307 450603 ISSN 0039 3657 JSTOR 450603 Greene Roland 2017 The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics Princeton University Press pp Pastoral ISBN 9780190681173 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a Check url value help Page Judith W 1989 A History Homely and Rude Genre and Style in Wordsworth s Michael SEL Studies in English Literature 1500 1900 29 4 632 doi 10 2307 450603 ISSN 0039 3657 JSTOR 450603 Page Judith W 1989 A History Homely and Rude Genre and Style in Wordsworth s Michael SEL Studies in English Literature 1500 1900 29 4 621 636 doi 10 2307 450603 ISSN 0039 3657 JSTOR 450603 Page Judith W 1989 A History Homely and Rude Genre and Style in Wordsworth s Michael SEL Studies in English Literature 1500 1900 29 4 625 doi 10 2307 450603 ISSN 0039 3657 JSTOR 450603 a b Lessa Richard 1983 Wordsworth s Michael and the Pastoral Tradition University of Toronto Quarterly 53 2 181 194 doi 10 3138 utq 53 2 181 S2CID 162321001 Retrieved 12 October 2021 Pepper W Thomas 1989 The Ideology of Wordsworth s Michael A Pastoral Poem Criticism 31 4 373 ISSN 0011 1589 JSTOR 23112300 a b Pepper W Thomas 1989 The Ideology of Wordsworth s Michael A Pastoral Poem Criticism 31 4 367 382 ISSN 0011 1589 JSTOR 23112300 Westbrook Deanne March 1997 Wordsworth s Prodigal Son Michael as Parable and as Metaparable The Wordsworth Circle 28 2 109 119 doi 10 1086 twc24044636 ISSN 0043 8006 S2CID 165351379 Westbrook Deanne 1997 Wordsworth s Prodigal Son Michael as Parable and as Metaparable The Wordsworth Circle 28 2 118 doi 10 1086 TWC24044636 ISSN 0043 8006 JSTOR 24044636 S2CID 165351379 British Library www bl uk Retrieved 6 December 2021 a b Bray Jennifer As one 80 year old to another Michael D Higgins wishes Bob Dylan Happy Birthday The Irish Times Retrieved 30 November 2021 External links Edit Wikisource has original text related to this article Michael Text of Michael at RPO University of Toronto Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Michael poem amp oldid 1139286392, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
