Question

Thomas Gray has sometimes been classified as a pre-Romantic writer. Romantic writers valued emotional experience over logical arguments, nature and common people over organized society, and imagination over reason. What evidence from "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" supports Gray's classification as a pre-Romantic? Your response should be at least one paragraph long.

Answer 1

Based on the sections I would say that Anglo-Saxon poetry seems deal with directly handling the human condition as opposed to Renaissance poems which explore the creative and experimental side of human nature through more abstract ideas like nostalgia, imagination and emotion.

To take this further you could also say that the Anglo-Saxon period would be the study of mans qualities within what is to be considered the social norm of the time. Renaissance poetry in a slightly different way examines man potential against the social norm in an effort to transcend it.

Answer 2

The poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard shows many characteristics of the Romantic movement, which supports the idea that Thomas Gray was often classified as a pre-Romantic poet.

The poem focuses greatly on vivid descriptions of nature and the countryside. This is not only to create vivid images, but also to create a link between nature and the thoughts that go through the speaker's head. The emphasis on nature is a characteristic of the Romantic period.

Moreover, the speaker addresses concerns of the individual, not of society at large. The narrator is worried about the possibility of remaining obscure, being forgotten after death, and not having a meaningful life. Although these themes are common to all people, they are individual concerns.

Finally, the poem's emphasis is on personal reflection and emotion. The speaker's feelings and emotional reflections drive the poem, as opposed to his arguments or rational thoughts.