Charlotte Turner Smith

Messages of Charlotte Turner Smith Charlotte Turner Smith was a poet and novelist during the time of English Romanticism. She began the revival of the English sonnet and wrote political novels of deep feeling. Smith was a successful writer, publishing ten novels, three books of poetry, four children's books, and other assorted works, over the course of her career. She excelled in poetry and always felt like writing poems was her calling (Hasperg). Poetry was considered the most glorious form of literature at the time. Charlotte Smith's poetry was admired by many romantic poets. After 1798, Smith's fame faded and by 1803 she was poor and ill. In 1806, Charlotte Smith died. Eventually forgotten by the middle of the nineteenth century, her …show more content…
Not only was romanticism presented in this poem but the theme of nature was also included. In this sonnet, Smith connects the themes by presenting how humanity is disadvantaged in comparison to nature. She begins the poem by describing nature and its beauty. She discusses spring, the flowers budding and blooming in lively colors. The concept of renewing nature is appreciated by Smith. She begins to grieve for humanity due to the fact that they will never receive this same opportunity. This feeling can be seen in the lines from the f sonnet, “Ah, poor humanity! so frail, so fair, Are the fond visitors of thy early day, Till tyrant passion, and corrosive care, Bid all …show more content…
In the time of the Romantic Period, the theme of nature throughout literature was very common. It was seen as a beautiful aspect of life throughout many poems and different works, but in the poem of “Written in the Church-Yard at Middleton in Sussex” by Charlotte Smith, nature is seen as an opposite of beautiful and calming. Throughout the poem, nature is being described in a sense that it is dangerous rather than safe and lovely. The first sign of fear that is shown in the sonnet is the fear of the sea. Unlike many others who find and see the beauty in the ocean and what it has to offer, the speaker completely disagrees with the fact. They are frightened by the sea and all of the power it contains. This can be seen in the following lines of the poem, “The sea no more is swelling surge confines, But o'er the shrinking land sublimely rides. The wild blast, rising from the Western cave, Drives the huge billows from their heaving bed;” (Norton 55). The speaker is afraid because the sea is something that humanity does not hold control over. It is a strong and frightening force of the Earth. In the sonnet it is also made apparent that the speaker is done and has lost all patience with their life. They are terrified of the sea but want to give their soul and body to it due to their weariness of living. This can be seen in