The thesis paper centers on discourses of power in poetical works by Robert Southey. In his time R. Southey was often regarded as a reputable and influential author, well-known not only in England, but all over the world. For many years R. Southey was also referred to as a head of the Lake School. At present Robert Southey is often believed to be one of the lesser poets of his age, an outspoken adversary of Lord Byron, a hypocrite, and a turncoat. Robert Southey is not much read and studied. Owing to that reason the aim of the thesis paper is to shed a different light on R. Southey’s poetry, reconsidering the role of R. Southey in the literary process of his time.
R. Southey was a devoted historian as well as a poet. Two revolutions, a series of wars, economic ups and downs, constant threats to the existing state system, resulted in Southey`s reevaluation of moral values, forms of government and the role of the monarch in particular. He wanted to understand what factors led to the destruction of old institutions in Europe and gradual departure from previously cherished ideals. Thus Southey`s poetry reveals a very long period of reassessment of the English and world history.
Southey`s musing over historical facts and sources of power can be compared to that of Sir Walter Scott. The difference between Southey and Scott lies in the fact that the former created his imagery world highly relying on real facts, dates, and big names, while the latter used his imaginative powers to create such characters and events that were often not historically true, but suited the author best in order to show the truth of life. The problem of sovereignty is central to R. Southey`s works. The poet aimed at drawing public attention to the fact, that even after the French Revolution the history was still erected around the problem of sovereignty, and the dire need “to cut off the King's head” never lost its acute topicality. R. Southey was the first among the English romantics to notice that history produced both a justification of power and a reinforcement of that power, deriving in the ancient kingdoms of the first centuries AD. History in its way ensured the continuity of sovereign power, preserving colourful pieces of pageantry, and enhancing the royal glitz. History, therefore, played a major role in maintaining the sovereign power, and this phenomenon was of great interest to R. Southey, who regarded his poetry as the preliminary stage of writing historical prose.
Robert Southey often used Shakespearean allusions in his works, and wrote about the monarchs as often as W. Shakespeare had done before him. R. Southey created numerous images of kings and queens from Judah, Babylon, Persia, Leon, England, France, Spain, Sweden, Prussia, Russia, etc., revealing royal aspirations, vices, miseries, heroic deeds. By doing so Southey tried to answer the most topical questions of his time. One of them was the necessity to preserve the British monarchy despite the fact that both the American Revolution and the Revolution in France brought about different systems of government.
R. Southey`s lyrical hero is nothing of a blasphemer as it was suggested by many western scholars. On the contrary, he is a committed Christian, firm in his beliefs. He is also a true champion of the poor and the oppressed, and always ready to fight against all possible social injustices. R. Southey`s lyrical hero is very protective of women, irrespectively of their age, social status and origin.
Special emphasis was made on the fact that religious motives in Southey`s literary works have been traditionally underestimated. Because of that, numerous Biblical stories, characters from the Holy Scriptures, facts from lives of saints as they appear in Southey`s verse were given close attention.
Like many other romantics Southey became interested in everything beautiful, sublime, in things that could not be regarded as purely logical. Being inspired by nature, R. Southey sought a mystical connection with it. He responded emotionally to the beauty of nature, and, at the same time, nature was regarded by R. Southey as a living sanctuary of his own emotions, fears and problems.
