This essay examines the relationship between literature and orality in the poem "Goody Blake and Harry Gill", which is a part of William Wordsworth´s and Samuel Taylor Coleridge´s collection "Lyrical Ballads". As stated by Wordsworth himself in the preface of the collection, this poem is "narrated as a Ballad" and thus combines prominent features of written and oral culture. In addition to orality, the concept of remediation is discussed.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Remediation and Orality in Wordsworth's Work
3. The Power of Voice and Community
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This essay explores the intersection of orality and literature, specifically focusing on William Wordsworth's poem "Goody Blake and Harry Gill." It examines how the poem functions as a work of remediation, transforming oral storytelling into a printed ballad, and investigates the political and social power of voice in establishing a sense of community between the text and the reader.
- The relationship between orality and print culture in 18th-century literature
- The concept of remediation as the transformation of oral material into literary forms
- The role of "audiovisual hallucination" in reading and reader imagination
- The political dimensions of speech acts and power dynamics between characters
- The ballad as a medium for community-based moral reflection
Excerpt from the Book
The concept of remediation within the poem
References to the concept of remediation within the poem are manifold and can be interpreted in at least two ways. On the one hand, they can be seen as references to the described background of remediation detached from the content of the poem itself. On the other hand, these instances also offer a media allegory within the poem. An example is “The neighbours tell, and tell you truly” (Wordsworth, “Goody Blake” line 11). This line may refer to the poem's history of remediation while also “offer[ing] a represented transmission” (McLane 230; emphasis in original) itself. With the poem's background in mind, the line can be read as a reference to the real-life gossip which eventually led to the publication of a newspaper article. At the same time, this line creates an instance of remediation at the content-level of the tale: The neighbors – characters within the poem – have told the story to the speaker who is now retelling it.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the theoretical framework of orality and remediation, establishing the poem "Goody Blake and Harry Gill" as a primary subject for analysis.
2. Remediation and Orality in Wordsworth's Work: This section investigates how Wordsworth remediated previously existing stories into his poetry, focusing on the media transitions and the reader's imaginative engagement.
3. The Power of Voice and Community: This chapter analyzes the speech acts within the poem and how the text creates a community-based moral reflection by involving the reader in the act of oral transmission.
4. Conclusion: The final section synthesizes the findings, confirming that the form and content of the poem effectively emphasize the enduring relevance of orality within literature.
Keywords
Orality, Remediation, William Wordsworth, Goody Blake and Harry Gill, Audiovisual hallucination, Media transition, Poetic voice, Lyrical Ballads, Print culture, Oral transmission, Literature, Ballad, Imagined voicing, Community, Literary analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this analysis?
The paper examines how William Wordsworth's poem "Goody Blake and Harry Gill" bridges the gap between oral tradition and print culture through the concept of remediation.
What are the central themes discussed in the text?
The central themes include the entanglement of orality and print, the power of the human voice, the importance of reader imagination, and the political implications of storytelling.
What is the main research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate how the poem functions as a self-reflexive work that uses orality to resist the alienation often associated with the rise of print culture.
Which methodology is employed here?
The author uses literary analysis, drawing upon theoretical concepts such as "remediation" and "audiovisual hallucination" to interpret the text of the poem and its paratextual preface.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body focuses on the history of the poem's narrative, the analysis of specific speech acts performed by the characters, and the way the poem addresses its readers to form a collective.
Which keywords define this scholarly work?
Key terms include orality, remediation, poetic voice, Lyrical Ballads, media transition, and audiovisual hallucination.
How does the poem illustrate the "media allegory" concept?
The poem uses its own narrative structure—where neighbors tell stories to a speaker who then retells them—to mirror the actual real-world history of how the story was remediated into print.
What role does the reader play in the poem's oral community?
The reader is invited to become an active participant in the communication circuit, being addressed as a compassionate listener and a "farmer" to recreate a sense of community identity.
How is the term "audiovisual hallucination" used in this study?
It refers to the phenomenon where reading text evokes an imaginative sensory experience, blurring the line between printed words and the physical act of speaking.
How does Goody Blake's speech act impact the poem's power dynamic?
By raising her voice in prayer against the wealthy Harry Gill, Goody Blake successfully shifts the power structure of the poem, forcing the listener to acknowledge the perspective of the poor.
- Quote paper
- Silvia Schilling (Author), 2018, Orality and Remediation in Wordsworth's "Goody Blake and Harry Gill", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/520591
