The Aesthetic and Decadence Movements

A QUOTE“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful

things are corrupt without being charming. This is

a fault. Those who find beautiful meaning in

beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there

is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful

things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing

as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well

written, or badly written. That is all.”

-Oscar Wilde-

Nathanael DeMoranvilleHonors English 10 Project

Table of Contents

Preface: There’s Always Two Sides to a Story 2

Overview: Literature in the Latter Half of the Victorian Era 3

Novel: The Portrait of Dorian Gray 7

Short Story: The Soul of Man under Socialism 11

Play: The Important of Being Earnest 14

Poem: Crossing the Bar 16

Works Cited: 21

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There’s Always Two Sides to a Story

I often wonder about people warring within themselves, fighting to stay true to their

better self rather than fall prey to their darker side. Expanding upon this, I often wonder if as

Nick Fury, a fiction character in the MARVEL Universe heading the Strategic Hazard

Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division, once said, “One man can accomplish anything

once he realizes he’s a part of something bigger.” can save people from that other side. With

these thoughts circling around in my head, I like to examine people to see which side prevails

or if they manage to allow those two parts of themselves to coexist. With this is in mind, I

found it rather entertaining to see this embodied within British literature.

I felt drawn to the Aesthetic and Decadence movements because they existed at the

same but also made up the latter half of something bigger than themselves, the Victorian

Period. During the Aesthetic Movement, art and literature were created to uphold principles

regarding the appreciation of the beauty in art. Contrasting to this was the Decadence

Movement where art and literature were created just because they could be. Even further,

while Aestheticism was a traditionally purer movement, the Decadence Movement was

darker having been influenced by the gothic genre. I found it really captivating to see the

result of these two conflicting periods since they were forced to coexist, but also since they

have become entwined within the canon of British literature.

At S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury and later Phil Coulson stood above the rest. Likewise

during this time period, Oscar Wilde was equivalence of them during for his literature. He

wrote plays, essays, and a novel during this time, writing about the injustices of his society. It

was interesting to look at the canvas created through this time period and see what Wilde had

to say. And so, to whoever is reading this, I hope you have a wild time exploring this canvas.

-Nate-

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Literature in the Latter Half of the Victorian Era

The Victorian Era in Britain produced two overlapping yet conflicting literary

movements, the Aesthetic and Decadent Movements. The Victorian Age was a time of

flourish and prosperity that led to Pax Britannica. It was a peaceful time throughout Britain

and a time of overall improvement and reform. This prosperity would end up creating two

literary movements. However, this prosperity went two fold. On one hand, the Decadent

Movement, it was as though there was an excess of such wealth that art and literature was

produce simply because it could be. Art for art’s sake was a popular phrase that sums it up

well enough. On the other hand, the Aestheticism Movement created art to uphold principles

on the appreciation of beauty. All in all the historical context for the Victorian Era led to the

rise of two conflicting periods rooted from prosperity, the Aesthetic and Decadent

Movements.

The historical context not only provided a backdrop for these two movements but also

a cause and reason for them. The Victorian Era was a time of improvement throughout

Britain. The population rose from 13.9 million people to 32.5 from 1831 to 1901, more than

doubling itself. The growth of the population was due mainly in part to the fertility and

mortality rates rising. With the population growing, it would inevitably be prone to

Malthusian Trap, which is when the population expands much faster than the resources which

leads to a catastrophe like famine or war to reduce the population to a reasonable number in

comparison to the amount of food. England in large part was able to avoid this phenomena as

it was about to undergo the Demographic transition along with the Agricultural Revolution

that essentially led to the Industrial Revolution. Another factor that allowed the rates to rise

but also helped evade the Malthusian Trap was the standard of living. Four major factors led

the improvement of living. Sewage works were developed and enhanced which helped

diseases be caught less. The quality of drinking water and nutrition were both improved to aid

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the people’s help. And finally, the mortality and fertility rates were affected as more people

had the money to purchase medicinal technology. For example this led to cures for diseases

and techniques to prevent childbirth. Overall, this Pax Britannica, as the time period began to

be called, influenced the two up and coming literary movements.

The Aesthetic Movement emphasized beauty. It supported the emphasis of aesthetic

value more so than social political themes for literature. Essentially the importance was art

for beauty. The prosperity of Pax Britannica coaxed this movement into being as it allowed

for the population to have an excess of money to support this movement and uphold these

aesthetic values. The writers of the day were heavily influenced by Walter Pater, a professor

from Oxford, and his essays published during the years 1867 and 1868. He idealized beauty

above all else as did the other writers that followed. The artists and writers believed the arts

should offer refined sensuous pleasure, rather than express moral messages. Thus art only

needed to be beautiful. In the actual writing symbols were a key factor as some of the primary

writers like Oscar Wilde and Algernon Charles Swinburne were heavily impacted by the

French Symbolists as was the Aesthetic Movement. Another portion of the Aesthetic

Movement was the theatre. As the middle class flourished the theatre was booming. It was in

popular demand throughout the country. The plays were typically comedies and focused on

coincidences along with mistaken identities and mistiming. Again, Oscar Wilde was a

prominent figure. Throughout his lifetime he published many plays like Lady Windermere’s

Fan and The Canterville Ghost. He was simply an inspiration to all. All around, the Aesthetic

Movement focused on the importance of beauty in art.

On the contrary, the Decadent Movement was quite different from the Aesthetic

Movement for a number of reasons. Its very name, decadence, refers to luxurious self-

indulgence. In its essence, this movement defied scientific thinking but most pressingly any

art that neglected to teach moral values or had no useful purpose. This led to a popular phrase

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of the time adopted by the decadents, art for art’s sake. Primarily, the decadent authors were

influenced by the Gothic poet and writer Edgar Allen Poe. Another influence was the

Symbolism movement in France. Although Oscar Wilde was an Aesthetic Writer, he was a

prominent figure during the Decadent movement. He was a leading figure, writing art for

art’s sake.

The historical context played a large role in the Aesthetic and Decadent movements. It

improved the standard of living along with improving the middle class. Thus the value of

beauty in art began to coincide with the luxurious self-indulgence valued in art. The Aesthetic

and Decadent Movements existed at the same time yet conflicted with each other’s views. All

in all the Aesthetic and Decadent movements were due and affected in large part to the

occurring events and history.

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The Manifestation of Two Literary Movements

An essay on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 and grew to become a writer during the

Aesthetic and Decadence Movements. Although he became more of a playwright, his only

novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, managed to effectively capture this time period through

the use of its characters and symbols. The time period included the Aesthetic Movement,

where art was created art to uphold principles on the appreciation of beauty, and the

Decadence Movement where art was created simply because it could be. Aestheticism was

more pure than the Decadence, which had its root in the Gothic Era. In the novel, the

protagonist, Dorian Gray, is influenced by two main characters, Basil Hallward and Lord

Henry Wotton. Each character, including Dorian Gray, represents different parts of the

period. Lord Henry symbolizes the Decadence Movement while Basil Hallward represents

the Aesthetic Movement, and Dorian Gray stands for the art itself, constantly being molded

by the two movements.

The book takes place in city and countryside of London, England in the nineteenth

century, during the height of the Aesthetic and Decadence Movements. The novels deals with

the wealthy West End and the poorer East End. The novel starts with Basil and Lord Henry

discussing the painting. With the influence of Henry, Dorian gradually adopts a more

hedonistic approach to life and despises the painting because he fears it will one day remind

him of his lost youth and beauty. He later meets and falls in love with Sibyl Vane, but she

commits suicide once he breaks off the engagement. Dorian sinks deeper and deeper into a

life of sin and corruption which makes him feel as though his fears of the painting have come

true. Eighteen years pass, and Basil checks up Dorian, and Dorian decides to show him the

painting. In Dorian’s eyes it is hideous, and when Basil begs him to repent, Dorian kills him

in a fit of rage. Sibyl’s brother, James Vane, encounters Dorian in an attempt to avenge

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Sibyl’s life. James dies in a hunting accident later, but his presence causes Dorian to try to

confess his wrongdoings. However, he cannot confess to himself but rather decides to destroy

the manifestation of his sin, his portrait, with the knife he used to kill Basil. When his

servants enter after hearing a commotion, they find an unharmed painting of a beautiful

young man and the body of their master, an old man with a knife plunged in his heart.

Lord Henry embodies the Decadence Movement essentially just by upholding the

same values and virtues of that movement. To say the least, Lord Henry adopts a hedonistic

look at life which is then illustrated in his actions and characteristics. In the beginning of the

novel his views on the selfish pursuit of pleasure give him a much different perspective on

the portrait of Dorian Gray done by Basil Hallward.

“You must certainly send it next year to the Grosvenor. The Academy is too large and

too vulgar…the Grosvenor is really the only place.” (Wilde, 7)

Even though Basil Hallward dislikes the portrait, Lord Henry imposes his mindset on him,

insisting for him to further exploit his talents. As the novel progresses this continues except

Gray is the victim of Lord Henry’s subtle manipulations. Lord Henry’s ignorance prevails

and begins to darken Gray, leaving Lord Henry being the epitome of the Decadence

Movement with a perpetual manifestation within Gray.

Basil Hallward begins the novel having created a portrait of Dorian Gray and his

views on art soon become apparent. He upholds more regal values than Lord Henry which

arise while discussing the painting. His views could also be considered more pure than Lord

Henry’s considering he upholds more aesthetic values, lacking the more selfish and ignorant

ideas that the decadence movement possesses and are exhibited in Lord Henry. On the

contrary, Hallward is aware of these things, especially the true beauty in art.

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“‘Harry,’ said Basil Hallward, looking him straight in the face, ‘every portrait that is

painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident,

the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the

coloured canvas, reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid

that I have shown in it the secret of my soul.’” (Wilde, 9-10)

It is illustrated that Basil has a better understanding of the true beauty held in art, not an

ignorant perspective like Lord Henry. The reason he hates his painting is because it doesn’t

hold up to his standards of beauty, making it as ugly as it is beautiful.

Dorian Gray amongst most men is considered young, and that makes him

impressionable. Interestingly enough, indifferently to his age, Gray is wealthy and cultured.

This he shares with the people living in the latter half of the 1800s. With the onslaught of the

Industrial Revolution, there was a rise in consumerism and pocket money. Society was

changing, and people began to frequent theaters, unintentionally educating themselves. Along

these lines, the art and literature also held a firm position in Gray. Even his name, Gray,

alludes to their prominence within him as the Decadence Movement and the Aesthetic

Movement clash within. The darker, more ignorant side of this time period, the decadence,

and the lighter, purer side, the aestheticism, leave a light versus darkness, white versus black

motif in the novel and Gray. As white clashes with black the result is a Gray, not definitively

one more so than the other. This motif eventually culminates as the book does.

“When they entered, they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their

master as they had last seen him, in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying

on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered,

wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they

recognized who it was.” (Wilde, 217)

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In the end, Lord Henry and Basil each leave their mark on Gray. As the novel concludes,

Gray has already murdered Basil, but oddly enough this leaves him dead after attempting to

destroy Basil’s sole remaining presence, his portrait of Gray. Although Lord Henry remains

alive, he had played a much more sinister role. He was the driving force and factor that lead

Gray to such duplicity. The ending of the novel showed a critical aspect of literature, because

although the people died in this time period both in the book and reality, the art shall forever

live on.

Oscar Wilde managed to craft a book in response to his time period. He effectively

utilized motifs, mainly through his characters. While the Decadence Movement was

symbolized by Lord Henry, Basil Hallward represented the Aesthetic Movement. Each of

those characters conflicted but left behind a masterpiece, Dorian Gray and the art of the time.

And that’s the beauty of this time period, this canvas, how two conflicting movements met

and fought their way into history.

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Societal Pressures toward Socialism

An essay on Oscar Wilde’s “The Soul of Man under Socialism”

During many time periods people have questioned their society and urged for it to

change. The Victorian Era was one of those time periods. The Victorian Period presented a

number of issues that urged social and political reform. The Industrial Revolution widened

the gap between the upper and lower classes which left people with different views on how to

close this gap. One popular movement was socialism. Oscar Wilde explored this idea through

his essay, The Soul of Man under Socialism. In this essay he focused heavily on the idea of

individualism through socialism. These ideas on socialism and individualism, helped by

language, mood, diction, and tone, portrayed his perspective and reflected common positions

held during the Victorian Period towards society and the government.

The Soul of Man under Socialism was published in 1891 by Oscar Wilde. Around this

time, but mainly preceding it, events came into play that would soon beckon a reaction from

the people individually if not society also. First and foremost amongst these issues which

didn’t really affect socialism, but rather society itself was the publication of Darwin’s Theory

of Evolution which claimed man was brought about by evolution rather than a god. This was

a huge blow to philosophy and religion which created a shift in society. His publication

beckoned reform in the same sense that the Industrial Revolution did. In Europe the Industrial

Revolution happened after and even in the midst of Darwin’s publication on the origin of

species. The Industrial Revolution was a huge advance in technology and machines. As a

whole it improved society, but it also created poor living and working conditions for the

lower class while strengthening the gap between the upper and lower classes. It created

pressure towards reform on a much wider and grander scale than Darwin because it impacted

the very society that it was a part of.

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With these issues surrounding society, socialism was a growing response. Oscar

Wilde explored this in his essay, The Soul of Man under Socialism. Rather than focus solely

on how socialism would strengthen his society, Wilde took a more artistic viewpoint and

urged for individualism.

“It will benefit in this way. Under the new conditions Individualism will be far

freer, far finer, and far more intensified than it is now. I am not talking of the great

imaginatively-realised Individualism of such poets as I have mentioned, but of the

great actual Individualism latent and potential in mankind generally. For the

recognition of private property has really harmed Individualism, and obscured it, by

confusing a man with what he possesses. It has led Individualism entirely astray. It

has made gain not growth its aim. So that man thought that the important thing was to

have, and did not know that the important thing is to be. The true perfection of man

lies, not in what man has, but in what man is.” (Wilde)

Essentially Wilde sees individualism as the solution to society and also as the ideal thing in

general for mankind. He goes on to urge for individualism under the institution of socialism

so as strengthen the institution. An important part of this individualism was using machinery

as a slave to do unwanted work. By having machines do the dirty jobs, people would be able

to explore themselves and realize their true purposes rather than society’s purpose for them.

In finding their purpose, the journey would be joyful rather than painful, also. Essentially as

the individual thrives society will become a better society. The government would fade away

until it just gives out basic commodities and needs. Crime would disappear because there

would be no need for it if there’s no poverty and starvation, just equality. In Wilde’s

socialistic future, there would be no want, insecurity, disease, ugliness, and waste of human

spirit in silly enmities and rivalries. Wilde assumed and overlooked many things, like the

capability of machines, but ultimately believed that individualism under a socialistic

institution would lead society as close as possible towards, if not leading it to be, a utopia.

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Wilde utilizes language, diction, tone, and mood to strengthen his view on

individualism under socialism. His essay’s target audience, the lower and upper classes,

would each receive different parts of his message. Since the lower class probably wouldn’t

understand the language and diction in the essay, Wilde creates a calm mood and tone so that

if it had been read aloud to them, his message and ideas would still seem appealing. On the

other hand the upper class would have a different experience. Since they would understand

his rather formal language and diction, it would allow him to better articulate his message and

ideas. Also by being more formal it allows him to be on par and maybe even identify with the

upper class rather than being mocked before he even gets to his message. Also just in general,

his language and diction allows him to better articulate and express his view on socialism and

individualism.

Wilde’s essay, The Soul of Man under Socialism¸ expresses two main ideas, and

represents the effort towards social and political reform during the Victorian Period. Its views

on socialism and how it would thrive while through individualism. He thought, like others

during his time, that socialism was the answer to society’s problems, and even further that

individualism with socialism was the answer. As he expressed these ideas, he utilized

language, tone, diction, and mood to further explore and strengthen his ideas. His time period

was particularly receptive to his message as the Industrial Revolution had demanded social

reform, however society didn’t see socialism as the answer. Wilde’s essay, The Soul of Man

under Socialism, depicted common views on socialism and individualism held during the

Victorian Period.

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A Vital Importance

An essay on Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”

The Importance of Being Earnest, a satire written Oscar Wilde, provides an

interesting perspective of the Victorian Era and has a tone of comedy to further enhance the

play. It was first performed at the St. James Theater on February 14th, 1895 and essentially

mocks the upper class and wealthy of this time period through two families and two men

clamoring to be named Earnest. Jack Worthing, ward of Cecily Cardew, proposes to

Gwendolyn Fairdax, the cousin of Algernon Moncrieff, as does Algernon to Cecily. However

problems arise when it is unveiled that Jack and Algernon are actually named Jack and

Algernon and not Earnest, hence the title. But with such a silly predicament, Wilde sets a

tone comicalness throughout the satire, poking fun at the upper class since both women will

only marry a man named Earnest simply because they like the name.

This play centers around two men and their families with the issue that the men are

not in fact named Earnest. Jack Worthing begins the play as the guardian of Cecily and an

admirer of Gwendolyn. Jack has created a fictitious brother named Earnest, an alias that he

uses when he travels to London. Incidentally that’s where he meets Gwendolyn and

Algernon. As the play progresses Algernon becomes more suspicious until he confronts Jack.

Then he learns Jack’s true identity, the truth behind his fictitious brother, Earnest, and he

learns more of Cecily. With this, he begins to love Cecily, and although Jack had plans to kill

off his brother, Algernon has other plans. Later in the play Jack comes home ready to tell

Cecily of Earnest’s death, but instead finds Algernon pretending to be Earnest. Algernon and

Cecily are soon engaged as are Jack and Gwendolyn. However this is where the dilemmas

arise because both men are considered Earnest to their fiancés.

This is where the comedy exhibited through the satire really comes into play. Wilde

mocks the rich by illustrating ludicrous problems of the wealthy. The so called problems in

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this play only exist because of the name Earnest. Although both women love their fiancé, it

relies heavily on their name being Earnest because it “inspires absolute confidence”. The

absurdity of this just further emphasizes the satire and pokes fun at the problems of the rich.

With a sense of comedy, Wilde essentially makes fun of the upper class, targeting his

audience, the middle and lower class. He portrays the problems of the rich in a way that

minimizes them in a way as to make fun of them. The problem of the play is that two men

aren’t named Earnest, a rather silly dilemma when compared to problems members of the

middle class would face, like not being able to provide for their families. Also in the end this

problem is erased in a rather simple manner, when it is revealed that Jack is actually Earnest,

the aunt of Lady Bracknell, and Lady Bracknell consents to both of the marriages, further

enriching the satire.

The play itself was delightful. The plot and characters developed quickly, and the

satire on the upper class is still relevant today. Of course since this play was written a little

over a hundred years ago, the style and comedy of it are a bit outdate. However, pushing

those issues aside, what it says about the upper class and young people are what makes it

relevant and important. The satire on how said groups can act rather irrationally and even

silly can be taken into consideration so as to learn from it and not make the same mistakes

that the characters did.

All in all Oscar Wilde has perfected The Importance of Being Earnest, into a

memorable classic. The characters provide a riveting story that focuses on the importance of

being Earnest. Both Jack and Algernon strive to be named Earnest to please their women.

This struggle to be Earnest by both of them sets a humorous tone that enhances the satire. In

the end, Jack finally understand, “the vital Importance of Being Earnest.”

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One Lord Meeting Another

An explication on Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar”

Lord Alfred Tennyson was born on August 6th, 1809. He was born to Reverend

George Tennyson and Elizabeth Fytche which placed him in a middle class family that had a

noble and royal heritage. As a child he attended a number of private schools before adulthood

where he went on to enter Trinity College in Cambridge. At the age of 17, a collection of

poems by him and two of his brothers was published locally. While in Cambridge he had his

first publication of a collection entitled Poems by Two Brothers. His other early works

consisted of “Claribel”, Mariana”, along with “Timbuktu” which went on to win the

Chancellor’s Gold Medal in 1829. His writing was

influenced by John Keats and other Romantic poets as

seen in his use of imagery, which was often homoerotic,

and description. Although his poems vary in length and

subject, he often utilizes a rhyme scheme. Along with

this, his writing displayed a common element in Victorian works, which was the dilemma of

balancing religious faith and scientific knowledge. This was especially true for Tennyson

near the end of his life. On a voyage from England to his home the Isle of Wight, he had a

near death experience when he got really sick on the voyage. It is rumored that that is when

he wrote this, his sickness inspiring to put it into words. Although he didn’t die in the voyage,

he did pass away three years later on October 6th, 1892.

“Crossing the Bar”

Sunset and evening star,And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,When I put out to sea,

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But such a tide as moving seems asleep,Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deepTurns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and PlaceThe flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to faceWhen I have crost the bar.

Crossing the Bar, by Lord Alfred Tennyson, is divided into four quatrains. The poem

contains three major themes: old age, death, and home. As the man nears old age, he nears his

death but also begins to see it as a new beginning because as he approaches death he will be

in his true home in the afterlife that he believes in. In the poem he uses the ocean as an

extended metaphor for what lies after death. This metaphor is built upon with the meter and

structure. The meter varies between 4, 6, and 10 (iambic pentameter) beats per line, and the

structure has long lines lead into smaller ones then repeat. Both of these devices attribute and

mimic the flow of the ocean and its tides, strengthening the metaphor. The other extended

metaphor presented in the poem is the sandbar. A sandbar is a ridge of sand built up by

currents along a shore, typically forming in the mouths of rivers and harbors. In the context of

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the poem it represents the bridge between life and death. As the title suggests, by crossing the

bar, the man will be dying. However, he believes life goes on after death, and his true home

lies in that life rather than his current one. This idea of life after death is supported by his use

of an ABAB rhyme scheme. With the rhyme scheme, each line is continued afterwards with

another that rhymes with it. In both instances, the poem and the man’s death, a bar is

separating them. A bar separates each line like the bar that separates the man from his death,

but beyond his death, it is separating him from his home. These ideas and devices are all

expanded upon further in each quatrain.

Although the title of the poem, “Crossing the Bar”, suggests that the speaker is dying,

the poem focuses on the man’s anticipation of his death. Likewise the first stanza kicks off

with the “sunset and the evening star”. The sunset refers to the end of the day and his life

along with his waning and rather old age. The evening star refers to the planet Venus,

because many ancient civilizations called it the Evening and/or Morning Star due to its

highest visibility and brightness just after sunset and right before sunrise. It’s as though

Venus gets a new beginning after its death, reappearing after sunset with the sunrise. Its

rebirth correlates to the speaker’s rebirth in the afterlife. The next line relates back to either

choice because his “one clear call” is home and with either of the things aforementioned he

will be going home. With the sunset, the sun sets and goes home but returns the next day.

With Venus, it returns after it fades away after the sunset with a bright spectacle

accompanying the sunrise. So, either way, his call is home, and both of the aforementioned

things would be symbolic for the man’s home through the new beginning being presented.

The last two lines of the stanza expand upon what he hopes to happen after his death. The

man is indeed about to die but when “puts out to sea”, or rather when he dies, he doesn’t want

people to moan and mourn his passing. By referencing the sea in regards to death, he

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demonstrates that whatever lays beyond life and death is too vast for man to understand and

ultimately just unknown to humanity.

In the next stanza he continues to build upon the sea as a demonstration for what lays

after death. In order to go home, the man must cross the bar and venture into the ocean. He

wants the ocean to be “full of sound and foam” so as to fully submerge the bar and allow for

him to easily cross over. Essentially the man wants a peaceful death, and the word asleep

enforces this notion. The word asleep makes the ocean seem alive, and furthermore when

sleep is associated with death, it is regarded as the best, most peaceful way to die. Once he

crosses the tide, he and the tide will turn again home, into the ocean. The last line of this

stanza is the only time home is ever actually mentioned in the poem, which is fitting since the

entire stanza focuses on the ocean which is symbolic for afterlife, and the afterlife is where

his home lies.

The third stanza mirrored the first. The first line kicks off with “twilight and evening

bell”. They show that time has passed, thus relating to the man’s old age, but they also relate

back to the first line of the poem. Just like Venus, twilight appears right after sunset and also

right before dawn. Both have become symbolic for the man’s rebirth, his new beginning after

death. The evening bell are those from the boats in the harbor, and/or the trumpets as the man

is called into heaven. Just like the sunset and Venus, these two represent the man’s home.

The second line of the stanza shows how the man is going home, like that of the second line

in the first stanza. He going to the dark, the dark ocean and the darkness of death. The last

two lines of the stanza practically replicate those of the first stanza. The man reinforces that

when he embarks, or rather when he dies, he doesn’t want people to mourn or be sad about

his passing. This stanza created a parallel to the first one so as to enforce its ideas and

illustrate how time in the man’s life has passed.

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The fourth stanza starts off with the mention of “Time and Place”, which is essentially

life itself. The flood, which will allow him to easily cross over the bar, will bear him far from

and into the afterlife. Once he has crossed the bar, he hopes to see his “Pilot face to face”.

The capitalized p in Pilot suggests that the pilot is actually the Christian God. The last line

starts off with the word when, which was an anaphora throughout the poem, to show that the

man hasn’t actually died yet. The anaphora makes that poem more so about the man’s

anticipation of his death due to old age rather than his actual passing away.

Throughout the poem, its Biblical meaning is brought into question. The title,

“Crossing the Bar”, can refer to the cross where Jesus died which is ironic since the man is

anticipating his own death. Likewise, a cross is a holy gesture that Catholics perform over

their chest during prayer or church. Also the title and the poem deal with the transition from

life to death. In the poem this is represented by crossing the bar where the sandbar is an

extended metaphor for the bridge between life and death. Once the man crosses the bar, he

ventures into the ocean, which is another extended metaphor but represents what lays after

death. The man in the poem believes in God, who is mentioned in the poem as his Pilot, but

the idea of God and the two extended metaphors call into question the debate of faith and

nonbelief that was present during the Victorian Era.

The poem “Crossing the Bar” deals with three distinct themes, old age, death, and

home. These are supported by the rhyme scheme, meter, and structure of the poem, along

with the poem itself. The poem has two extended metaphors, the sandbar and the ocean, but it

also has a tone of finality to it, which is why it is thought that Lord Tennyson wrote it as part

of an elegy. Likewise, its tone and message regarding death, the end of life on Earth, is the

reason why this poem is traditionally the last work in any of his collections.

19

Works Cited Page

o Wikipedia. "Oscar Wilde Aesthetic Cigars." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. May 2014.

<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oscar_Wilde_Aesthetic_Cigars.jpg>.

o Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Modern Library, 1992. Print.

o Wilde, Oscar. The Soul of Man under Socialism. London: A.L. Humphreys, 1912. Print.

o Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. New York: Dover Publications, 1990.

Print.

o Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson. Crossing the Bar. Birmingham, Eng.: Birmingham School

of Printing, Central School of Arts and Crafts, 1932. Print.

o Lunt. "Lunt's World." : Lord Alfred Tennyson: Quote for December 31, 2009. Lunt, n.d.

Web. May 2014. <http://luntworld.blogspot.com/2009/12/lord-alfred-tennyson-quote-for-

december.html>.

o Jackson, Robert. "Crossing the Bar." Crossing the Bar. Robert Jackson, n.d. Web. May

2014. <http://www.interlinear.info/crossingthebar.htm>.