37 pages • 1 hour read
James Russell LowellThe Vision of Sir Launfal
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1848A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Poem Section Summaries & Analyses
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Literary Devices
Further Reading & Resources
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BetaLiterary Devices
Form and Meter
“The Vision of Sir Launfal” contains four sections with two different forms. The Preludes to Part First and Second are written in longer stanzas without numbers, while the Parts First and Second are in numbered stanzas of varying lengths. These forms reflect the content of the sections: the Preludes are descriptive, whereas Parts First and Second are mainly narrative. The meter of the whole poem however is mostly regular: in iambic tetrameter, with a mostly consistent rhyme scheme ABAB. This regular and easy rhythm contributes to the sense of overall harmony of the poem and allows for easy reading and melodious recital. This is one of the main reasons for the poem’s popularity with all ages, including children, and the inclusion of Lowell in the Fireside, or Household, group of poets. The group was thus named because their works were frequently read aloud to the family around the fireplace.
Pathetic Fallacy
This literary device, wherein nature and human emotion are in sympathy and human sentiments are attributed to elements of the natural world, is frequently found in the works of the Romantic poets. In “The Vision of Sir Launfal,” there are many instances of pathetic fallacy in the descriptions of nature. In the Prelude to the Part First, the “clod” is said to “feel a stir of might” (Line 39), which means a powerful push towards action. The soil becomes active, exhibiting human movements: “And, groping blindly above it for light / Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers” (Lines 41-42). “The breeze comes whispering” (Line 68) also gives a human attribute to an element of nature. The poem as a whole is set in countryside scenes in which elements are all in sympathy with humans; they thus offer distraction from the trials and tribulations of human existence and solace to the soul.
Personification
Personification is a technique of figurative language that endows non-human subjects with human characteristics. This is used early in the poem, such as with Heaven when “her warm ear lays” (Line 36). Heaven is presented as a loving, gentle mother figure. The robin “plastering his house hard by” (Line 73) is another example of personification, as plastering is a building technique only used by humans. The chanticleer, or rooster, “tells all in his lusty crowing” (Line 79), giving the impression that the rooster is divulging information about the new day, rather like a medieval town crier. In Prelude to the Part Second, the wintry brook is fully personified as a “he” who behaves like a busy builder:
The little brook heard it and built a roof
'Neath which he could house him, winter-proof;
All night by the white stars' frosty gleams
He groined his arches and matched his beams (Lines 181-184).
These images contribute to the overall sense of the human in harmony with nature, where every element speaks the same language and understands all its fellows.
