John Clare: Poetry Essay Questions

Discuss John Clare’s treatment of religion.

John Clare himself was raised Christian, and probably maintained his religion into adulthood. His poetry, however, depicts a more idiosyncratic and unorthodox relationship to Christianity. He rarely alludes to God as an individual, preferring instead to depict him as an abstract concept like love or eternity that can be felt but not understood. For Clare, the feeling of encountering God can be found in the natural world.

Why has the contemporary environmental crisis sparked new interest in John Clare’s poetry? Do you think this attention is warranted? Why or why not?

Like many of the Romantic poets, John Clare frequently wrote about nature in his work. He differed, however, in the close attention he paid to the real workings of the natural world, as well as its beauty and capacity to inspire awe. This difference warrants new attention now, because it means his poetry can model a more reciprocal and attentive relationship with the natural world.