WANDERERS, DWELLERS, EXILES: READING WORDSWORTHIAN SPATIAL POETICS IN THE POETRY OF LORD BYRON AND JOHN KEATS Hannah Rose Britton A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2018 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/17862 This item is protected by original copyright Wanderers, Dwellers, Exiles: Reading Wordsworthian Spatial Poetics in the Poetry of Lord Byron and John Keats Hannah Rose Britton This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of St Andrews June 2018 i Abstract This thesis is concerned with Wordsworth’s spatial poetics, with the formation and articulation of spatial identities and poetic geographies in his verse, and with the informing influence of those spatial poetics on the poetry of John Keats and Lord Byron. This thesis contends that Keats’s and Byron’s reception of Wordsworth’s poetry was intimately entwined with their understanding of the poet’s place: his geographical location in the Lake District and his place amongst the poets to whom they were heir. My research suggests that attending to the moments in Byron’s and Keats’s verse in which Wordsworthian spatial poetics emerge, are contested, and are reformed or absorbed, enables a deeper understanding of the poetic relationships between the poets and draws out strands of influence that have hitherto been overlooked. This thesis uncovers new areas of complex textual engagement between the Romantic poets by refocusing the discussion on the second-generation poets’ allusions to Wordsworth. Although Wordsworthian echoes and borrowings have been well traced in biographical and editorial work on Byron and Keats, there have been no extended critical studies. While building on the work of formal inheritance, this thesis also suggests a modification of the critical approach to the poetics of the nineteenth century that is implicitly, and often explicitly, framed as a question of Wordsworth or Byron. By uncovering complex intertextualities, this thesis suggests that there is more to be said on the moments in which the Romantic poets coalesce. The discussion is structured around an exploratory engagement with Wordsworth’s poetics in Lyrical Ballads (1800), which then informs readings of Byron and Keats. Through a selective engagement with their intertextual dialogue ii with Wordsworth, the thesis complicates previous studies of Romantic allusion by considering the experience of bodies in space and how those bodies are rendered textually. iii Declarations Candidate's declaration I, Hannah Rose Britton, do hereby certify that this thesis, submitted for the degree of PhD, which is approximately 80,000 words in length, has been written by me, and that it is the record of work carried out by me, or principally by myself in collaboration with others as acknowledged, and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for any degree. I was admitted as a research student at the University of St Andrews in September 2013. I received funding from an organisation or institution and have acknowledged the funder(s) in the full text of my thesis. Date Signature of candidate Supervisor's declaration I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date Signature of supervisor Permission for publication In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews we understand that we are giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. We also understand, unless exempt by an award of an embargo as requested below, that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that this thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use and that the library has the right to migrate this thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. iv I, Hannah Rose Britton, confirm that my thesis does not contain any third-party material that requires copyright clearance. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the publication of this thesis: Printed copy No embargo on print copy. Electronic copy No embargo on electronic copy. Date Signature of candidate Date Signature of supervisor v Underpinning Research Data or Digital Outputs Candidate's declaration I, Hannah Rose Britton, hereby certify that no requirements to deposit original research data or digital outputs apply to this thesis and that, where appropriate, secondary data used have been referenced in the full text of my thesis. Date Signature of candidate vi vii Acknowledgements I owe a great debt of thanks to a great many people, without whom this research would not have been possible. Many of their voices have long echoed in the textual and geographic spaces of my work and each of them have, in different ways, given me space in which to find my own voice. My first thanks go to the Author of Creation, and to Jesus Christ, Word made flesh, who bestows on my words, and so too on my life, meaning and purpose. Then to Professor Jane Stabler, whose formidable genius has been my guide and my bulwark from the beginning of this project to its end. I owe so much to her care, her encouragement, and her incredible eye for detail. There will never be enough words to express my profound gratitude for her gift of supervision. My thanks go also to the Arts and Humanities Research Council, who made it financially possible for me to undertake doctoral research, and to the School of English at the University of St Andrews, which let me find a home in a place of unending inspiration. I am thankful for each of the scholarly communities that I have been a part of at the University of Exeter, Durham University, and here at St Andrews, and for those who first inspired me to write about poetry, and who showed me the way to go. I have been privileged to have received teaching and mentorship from many exceptional scholars, three of whom I owe a particular debt of thanks. Dr Christopher Stokes first encouraged me to pursue further study and his early support allowed my passion and my research to blossom. Professor Michael O’Neill saw the potential of this project when it was still just a dream; his incomparable viii work remains ever my guidepost. Dr Peter Mackay helped me to navigate difficult waters and his kindness came at the point when it was needed most. I am grateful to my incredible cohort. To Michael, the first among many who held my hand along the thesis road, and who gave unwavering support in the final stages of this project. To Becca, Éadaoín, Julianne, Lisa, Liz, Meha, Rachel, and Rose, without whom much less tea would have been drunk and considerably fewer words would have been written. To Jen and Clare, who celebrated every small victory with me and whose words of encouragement were unfailing. And to Christopher, who helped me to begin this work and to continue in it. To my family at St Andrews Baptist Church and at Davenport Road Methodist Church, Witney, who never stopped praying for me, and without whom I would not have made it through my second year, let alone to the end. To the members of both my home groups and, in particular, to Stefania and Jasper, Carmen and Clay, Adam, and Nicole, whose collective support made all the difference in the world. And to Tricia, who was, and is, an unstinting voice of encouragement and kindness. I am deeply thankful to my family. To my sister, my brother, and my brother-in- law, who never stopped believing in me, and who helped me to believe in myself. And to my mother, a phenomenal woman, whose love and support has been my refuge. Of all the precious gifts she has given me, a model of determination and hard work has been of immeasurable value. I could not have gotten anywhere without her, and my gratitude reaches to the depths of the sea. ix Lastly, my thanks go to my father, my biggest champion, and the one to whom my thesis is dedicated. This work was begun with his strength and finished in the memory of his faith. x xi Alone I tread this path;—for aught I know, Timing my steps to thine — William Wordsworth, ‘When to the attractions of the busy world’ xii xiii Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................... i Declarations ............................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ vii Contents ................................................................................................................xiii Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... xv INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I. SPATIAL PATTERNING IN LYRICAL BALLADS ....................... 29 CHAPTER II. ‘IN AND OUT OF PLACE’: