Essay Questions

What are inscape and instress?

Inscape and instress are two concepts that were conceived by Gerard Manley Hopkins and often surface in his poetry. Inscape is essentially the uniqueness of an entity. According to Hopkins every living thing had an essence of its own and this essence is called essence. Instress is essentially the experience or exploration of the inscape. Once the person has experienced Inscape, they are able to understand the importance of everything.

For example, in a poem like As Kingfishers Catch Fire, even stones and bells have a unique essence (inscape) which is seen in the beauty of their structure. The ringing of the stones gives it life and individuality. The poet has experienced the uniqueness of their essence (instress) and wishes to show it to the reader through the poem. Same is the case with Pied Beauty, where the uniqueness is seen in the patterns of all entities in the world.

How does Hopkins utilize the sonnet form in his poetry?

Hopkins uses the sonnet form in a very unique way. The sonnet form was historically associated with romance but he is one of the eminent poets who amalgamated religious rhythms into it. He is also the inventor of the Curtal sonnet, which surface in three of his poems. Instead of the traditional 14 lines, this sonnet is an 11 line variation of the Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet which compresses the oorginal structure of the sonnet. The most famous example of this is seen in Pied Beauty.

Write about the Victorian elements in the poetry of Hopkins.

While Hopkins's poetic structure and philosophy was, in many ways, far more progressive than that of other Victorian poets, his poetry was quite often very representative of the Victorian period. He wrote with the same religious rigor that is seen in the poetry of most of the Victorian poets, and his idea of spreading religion through poetry was very similar to that of many other poets. His poetry is an amalgamation of romantic and Victorian elements and he gives life to everything in nature, showing the stamp of God on it. This religious element is profoundly experienced by the reader in poems like As Kingfishers Catch Fire (the sestet in the poem sends a religious message) and Pied Beauty (the essence of God is seen in the uniqueness of all entities).

How is religion infused in the poetry of Hopkins?

The poetry of Hopkins is often a record of his religious maturation as a person. While many of the elements found in the poetry of Hopkins were romantic, he related the idea of the uniqueness of man to the idea of God in everything. His poetry often begins with a romantic, casual tone, describing the beauty around him, and then converges onto the idea of inscape and instress and the natural design of everything being a proof of the presence of God in everything. This idea can be seen in poems like As Kingfishers Catch Fire and Pied Beauty.