The Virtual Coffeehouse

Since I'm making the first post, I could be way off-base here. But I got the sense that, like Rossetti, Hopkins is promoting the idea that we can only experience life within our own perspectives, yet at the same time there is something divine about our individual experiences. I found this to be especially prevalent in this part of "As Kingfishers Catch Fire":

"Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves - goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came."

However, one major difference I noticed was that Hopkins' poems make explicit references to Christianity. He mentions God and Christ in "As Kingfishers Catch Fire," and he dedicates "The Windhover" "to Christ our Lord." With Rossetti's poems, there was just a general element of spirituality to them, without any direct references to a particular religion. In class Tuesday we talked about how this concept of enjoying the sensuous became more acceptable during the Victorian times, because people, like Rossetti, attributed it to general spirituality rather than a specific religion. Hopkins seems to take Rossetti's ideas a step further by saying that living for yourself and enjoying physical pleasures is okay in Christianity, and it's even what God intends for people.

I definately see these comparisons between Rosetti's and Hopkin's writing. Although they do both encompass both the physical and sensuous side vs the spiritual side, Hopkins certainly makes the religious aspect far more apparent than Rossetti, and Rossetti has a more physical tone to his poems such as in "The House of Life" in both the Nuptial Sleep and Silent Noon when it says [At length their long kiss severed, with sweet smart:...from the knit stem; yet still their mouths, burnt red].

As I will be talking about tomorrow, Hopkins uses his poems to praise God and the world he has created by showing the significance of objects that most people would view as imperfect or insignificant such as the hide of a cow or a speckled egg.

I agree with both of the above posts. It seems that Rossetti asks that his readers find a certain spirituality in the sensuality which he so beautifully portrays. Also, the physical aspect of Rossetti's poetry seems to revolve around the body, whereas the physical aspect of Hopkins' poetry appeals to nature, such as in "Windhover" and "As Kingfisher's Catch Fire." I agree with Lauren in that Hopkins seem to point out the existence of spiritual beauty in the seemingly imperfect. Indeed, his writing is more overtly religious, whereas Rossetti seems to express a more natural spirituality.

I also thought that Hopkins was much more obvious with his connections to God and Christianity. He clearly thinks about God in relation to all aspects of life. He sees him in everything and he thinks about him all the time. He gives credit to God for everything beautiful when he says "Glory be to God for dappled things," but he also asks God about his hardships, asking "Why do sinners' ways prosper? and why must / Disappointment all I endeavour end?"

I agree with the point made about religion within Hopkins poems. We discussed in class Rossetti’s placement of the soul within his poem The Sonnet. Rossetti believes that his poem can act as a “memorial” for a soul so that it may exist “eternally.” His chief metaphor is one of the sonnet as a material coin. To a religious Christian writer the idea of equating the soul with something material, tangible, and in some ways more corruptible would have been unthinkable. Here we see that Rossetti’s believes do revolve around a sense of spirituality rather than religion. Furthermore, the responsibility or preserving the soul is within the writer, God is not present in this sonnet. In Hopkin’s poem As Kingfishers Catch Fire, Hopkins connects “Christ” to man in “ten thousand places” placing God in his context of the human existence and soul.

I, like everyone else, felt that Rosetti and Hopkins both emphasize the idea of individual experiences and their importance to people. As everyone else has statewd, there is a direct reference to Christianity and God in Hopkins' works. He states the importance of individuality in each thing in nature but at the same time recognizes that all things are somehow mysteriously connected by God.

I agree with the previous posts and as usual dont have much wisdom to add. The biggest difference i noticed was also that Rossetti doesnt have a strong sense of religion beaming through the various works we have read. Whereas Hopkins clearly believes that religion is important and as abbie pointed out that things are connected through God

I agree with what most people have said, Christianity, God, Ect...One differnce that I noticed was it seems that Rossetti speaks in more scientifc terms, whereas Hopkins has a much more spiritual tone...I could be way off here but, it's a thought

Like others have stated, Rosetti's work is more focused on the sensuous, he is more concerned with the physical body than Hopkins is. In many of his works he uses descriptions of the body, one even entitled "Body's Beauty". Hopkins is more taken with spiritual aspects. He even dedicates "Windhover" "To Christ our Lord" (1518), with another poem being called "God's Grandeur".

I also agree with the majority, in that it would appear the Rossetti took a more spiritual and yet sensuous approach where Hopkins is more religious and specific about his spiritual imagery (God and Jesus) in the poems. Hopkins stated, as quoted in the passage on 1515, that he was in the habit of calling'inscape'" and that was "what I above I aim at in poetry." He explains that he is "caught" by his subject, which I could see as something similar in the poets, especially when looking at Hopkins "As Kingfishers Catch Fire" where he seems to "catch" himself finding "what I do is me." Rossetti catches in his poems as well, such as his catching a moment in "The Sonnet" and beauty in "Soul's Beauty." Their ability to catch their subjects and focus in on them is something I see them having in common, though I could be wrong.

As other people have already stated, I think the main difference between Rossetti and Hopkins is that Rossetti is general in his spirituality and Hopkins is specifically Christian. Rossetti draws on Greek mythology in his poem The Sonnet, when he writes the line, "In Charon's palm it pay the toll to Death" (1457). In the same piece, he makes a more general reference to spirituality by mentioning the existence of a Soul. Both of these examples suggest a spiritual continuation after death, but do not commit to one particular religion. On the other hand, Hopkins makes explicit reference to the Christianity. We can see an example of this in Pied Beauty in the opening line that reads, "Glory b to God for dappled things" (1518).

It seems as if everyone feels the same way as i do based on the posts i have already read. Hopkins makes so many relations in his work with god, religion, and christianity and then Rosetti writes slightly differently in terms of this issue. God seems to be the central focus and the reason for meaning in some of the poems. Rossetti displays the same acts as we discussed in class on tuesday when we discussed the Sonnet.

I agree with what everyone has been saying. I think that your art becomes a sort of second nature to you. It seems like Hopkins sees God in everything, and so it is no wonder that that is the subject he chooses to write on. Rossetti on the other hand seems more comfortable writing about and painting the physical because that is more present in his life that the spiritual.

In "Knigfishers Catch Fire" (p.1517), Hopkins makes a connection between what a person does and their level of spirituality. Hopkins describes God's ever-presence, his limbs, and his "lovely in eyes", that are seen "through the feature's of men's faces". The way I'm interpreting this is that a man's physical appearance has a connection to God.

Hopkins doesn't seem to draw a line between religion, spirituality and sensuality. He rather combines them into one experience that will enhance a persons life. Seeing the beauty in unordinary things like trout and cows is apart of appreciating the wonders that God has created and using them to enhance you perception of what it means to be spiritual. The way the poems seem to ramble enhances the mood of excitement and i take the excitement to be just for the sake of life. You can find god "in ten thousand places" (l. 13). This seems to be the joy Hopkins finds all around him.