Romantic Poetry and Transcendentalism Anonymous

Allegorical literature is employed by many great philosophers to explain the basic tenets of their philosophies. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato used the famous cave allegory to explain how the human mind interprets the ideal material world. The teachings of Jesus Christ in the Bible are metaphorical representations of God's will. Likewise, philosophical representations are found in romantic poetry. In "Tintern Abbey", William Wordsworth depicts his relationship to nature as rather transcendentalist, whereas Percy Bysshe Shelley's outlook on reality in "Mont Blanc" is existential. The two poets show these philosophical preferences by creating nature imagery and describing their reactions to it.

After creating a picture of Tintern Abbey in the reader's mind, Wordsworth describes how the scenery evokes sublime feelings of his oneness with nature. First, he describes how the emotions he experiences at the Abbey make him feel enlightened, as though he has entered into a state of meditation: "that blessed mood, / In which the burthen of the mystery, / In which the heavy and the weary weight / Of all this unintelligible world / Is lightened" (38-42). Through his description of "this unintelligible world" (41), Wordsworth implies...