I commented on Jared’s blog post last night as I was half
through with contemplating what I was going to post myself. I thought I had my
understanding of “To Wordsworth” completely down; however now, I’m
second-guessing myself. As I mentioned in my comment, I originally read “To
Wordsworth” as a 19th century Mean Girls post -- where Shelley is
the Regina George trying to taunt and mock Wordsworth while also demonstrating
his own skill. Throughout the poem he does this by treating the poem as a fake
and satirical eulogy where he acknowledges that, “deserting these, thou leavest
me to grieve” (13).
However, after reading Jared’s
thoughts on what he called a “love poem,” I can read the poem slightly
differently. While I still see it as somewhat of a faux eulogy, perhaps it is
not actually malicious. Perhaps Shelley is genuinely upset by Wordsworth’s
changing of views and potential decline as a great poet. I am now struggling
with the authenticity/ genuineness of Shelley’s comments. Is he mocking
Wordsworth? Is he merely trying to flaunt his own poetical prowess?
This is very smart, Addie. I think you are right--that the poem has a complex tone that is both sincere and satirical. It is a kind of mean love poem, filled with allusions to Wordsworth's poetry, and all compressed into a sonnet, as if to say that this is all it takes to move on. The poem also reveals that poetry is, or can be, a weirdly competitive affair.
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