Facts about Gerard Manley Hopkins Of English Poet
Gerard Manley Hopkins | British Poet & Jesuit Priest, About Gerard Manley Hopkins, Hopkins’s Poetry: Study Guide, Gerard Manley Hopkins, a Victorian poet of He stands out in the literary world for his distinctive contributions to poetic form and expression, as well as his extraordinary inventiveness and spiritual understanding. Hopkins was born in Stratford, Essex, England, on July 28, 1844. Throughout his life, Hopkins pursued his passion for poetry and Jesuit order, underwent a deep spiritual transformation, and explored many ideas.
Early Life and Education:
Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of the Victorian era’s most inventive and significant poets, was born in Stratford, Essex, England, on July 28, 1844. He came from a pious Anglican household and was the oldest of nine children. Hopkins showed a strong interest in language, religion, and the natural world at a young age. His mother, Catherine Smith Hopkins, fostered in him a love of music and literature, while his father, Manley Hopkins, worked as an insurance adjuster.
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Hopkins was a standout student at London’s Highgate School, where he also discovered his love for poetry. John Keats in particular and other Romantic writers were early influences on him. His early success as a poet, gained in 1863 when he was awarded the school’s poetry prize, encouraged him to pursue writing.
In 1863, Hopkins entered Balliol College, Oxford, on a scholarship. At Oxford, he immersed himself in the study of Classics and, inspired by the Oxford Movement, converted to Catholicism in 1866. His conversion had a profound impact on his worldview and would later shape the religious themes in his poetry.
Legacy:
- Innovative Prosody: Hopkins’s introduction of sprung rhythm and his departure from traditional metrical forms influenced subsequent generations of poets. His innovative approach to prosody opened new avenues for poetic expression.
- Religious Vision: Hopkins’s poetry reflects his profound religious vision and his exploration of the divine in the natural world. His unique fusion of religious themes with vivid sensory imagery continues to resonate with readers interested in the intersection of spirituality and literature.
- Environmental Sensibility: Hopkins’s keen observation of the natural world and his celebration of its beauty laid the groundwork for an environmental sensibility in literature. His ecological consciousness and sensitivity to the interconnectedness of all things anticipated later ecological and nature poets.
- Language Experimentation: Hopkins’s linguistic experimentation, including the creation of compound words and his focus on inscape and instress, contributed to the development of a more expressive and flexible poetic language.
- Influence on Modern Poetry: Hopkins’s impact on modern poetry is evident in the work of poets such as W. H. Auden, Dylan Thomas, T. S. Eliot, and later writers associated with the literary movement known as the New Criticism.
- Critical Recognition: Hopkins’s work has gained increasing critical recognition, and he is now regarded as a key figure in Victorian poetry. Scholars and readers appreciate the depth of his insights, the intensity of his language, and his unique contribution to the evolution of poetic form.
- “The Wreck of the Deutschland” (1875): This is one of Hopkins’s most significant and ambitious poems. It reflects his emotional response to the shipwreck of the Deutschland and his exploration of themes such as suffering, God’s providence, and the redemptive power of Christ. The poem introduces his concept of sprung rhythm and showcases his unique linguistic innovations.
- “God’s Grandeur” (1877): In this sonnet, Hopkins explores the idea of God’s presence in the natural world. The poem captures the grandeur of the divine in the midst of human industrialization, emphasizing the resilience and vitality of nature.
- “Pied Beauty” (1877): Celebrating the diversity and variety in nature, “Pied Beauty” is a sonnet that expresses Hopkins’s fascination with the multitude of colors, sounds, and forms found in the created world. The poem reflects his concept of inscape, the unique inner qualities of each individual being.
- “The Windhover” (1884–1888): This sonnet, often considered one of Hopkins’s masterpieces, captures the majestic flight of a falcon, or windhover, and becomes a metaphor for Christ’s ascension. The poem showcases Hopkins’s ability to fuse the physical and spiritual realms in a single, vivid image.
- “Spring and Fall” (1880): This poem, addressed to a young girl named Margaret, explores the theme of human mortality. It reflects on the changing seasons as a metaphor for the inevitability of aging and death. The speaker observes Margaret’s sorrow at the falling leaves and contemplates the universal human experience of loss.
- “The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo” (1880): This complex and enigmatic poem explores themes of desire, temptation, and spiritual longing. It is divided into two distinct parts: the “Leaden Echo” represents the earthly and fallen aspect of human experience, while the “Golden Echo” envisions the divine and redemptive potential.
- “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” (1877): This sonnet captures the essence of individual beings living out their unique identities. The poem explores the idea of inscape and instress, emphasizing the dynamic and vibrant nature of each creature as it fulfills its inherent purpose.
- “Carrion Comfort” (1885): A deeply introspective and confessional poem, “Carrion Comfort” grapples with the speaker’s inner struggles and spiritual desolation. The title suggests the paradoxical nature of finding comfort in the midst of what may be perceived as spiritual decay.
- “Duns Scotus’s Oxford” (1883): Hopkins wrote this poem as a tribute to the medieval Scottish philosopher and theologian John Duns Scotus. The poem explores the intellectual and spiritual richness of Oxford and pays homage to the pursuit of knowledge.
Death:
Gerard Manley Hopkins, the renowned Victorian poet, died on June 8, 1889, at the relatively young age of 44. The cause of his death was typhoid fever. Hopkins had been experiencing health issues for several years, including severe stomach pains, and his condition had gradually worsened.
TIMELINE
- 1844: July 28: Gerard Manley Hopkins is born in Stratford, Essex, England, to Manley and Catherine Hopkins, the eldest of nine children.
- 1854: The Hopkins family moves to Hampstead.
- 1863: Wins the poetry prize at Highgate School.
- 1866: Converts to Catholicism, influenced by the Oxford Movement.
- 1867: Graduates from Oxford.
- 1868: Enters the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and begins his novitiate at Manresa House in Roehampton.
- 1870-1874: Studies classics at St Mary’s Hall, Stonyhurst. Burns his early poems as he views them as incompatible with his religious calling.
- 1875: Learns of the shipwreck of the Deutschland.
- Writes “The Wreck of the Deutschland,” marking his return to poetry.
- 1877: Ordained as a Jesuit priest, Develops the concept of “sprung rhythm.”
- 1879: Appointed professor of Greek and Latin at University College Dublin.
- 1880: Writes “Spring and Fall,” “The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo,” and “The Sea and the Skylark.”
- 1884: Experiences health issues and is diagnosed with typhoid fever.
- 1885: Publishes only poem during his lifetime, “The Wreck of the Deutschland.”
- 1889: June 8: Dies of typhoid fever in Dublin at the age of 44.
- 1918: Posthumous publication of “Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins,” edited by Robert Bridges.
- 1930: Bridges publishes a comprehensive collection, “Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins.”
- 1940: Publication of “The Wreck of the Deutschland and Other Poems.”
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