Contextual Research

In the fiction adaptation unit we had to chose one out of 12 sonics that were provided. the one that appealed to me the most and the one I chose to work with for my adaptation was composed upon Westminster bridge September 3, 1802 by William Wordsworth. 

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802

By William Wordsworth

Earth has nothing to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who pass by 

A sight so touching in its majesty:

The city now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open onto the fields, and onto the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

Never did sun more beatifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;

Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!

The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep:

And all that mighty heart is lying still!

William Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England, on April 7th, 1770. John and Ann, William's parents, died when he was a child. Wordsworth grew up in a rustic society, spending much of his time outside, in what he would later remember as a pure communion with nature, in the Cumberland mountains alongside the River Derwent. In the early 1790s, William lived in France, which was then in the grip of a violent Revolution; Wordsworth's philosophical sympathies were with the revolutionaries, but his allegiances were with England, whose monarchy he was unwilling to abandon. 

Wordsworth considers Westminster Bridge to be the best in the world. This is a more beautiful place than any other out there. People who walk by without admiring the beauty of the city are soulless in his eyes. Lines 1–3 demonstrate this. Lines 3-8 describe how London dresses in the morning. Despite their man-made origins, the skips buildings and towers are what make up the gorgeous metropolitan skyline. As they lie exposed, the structure is yielding to nature. the earthy and spiritual landscapes that sandwich them, as though the buildings are sandwiched between the earthly reality and the beauty of the heavens. 9th and 10th lines The beauty of the high sun on natural valleys and hills, according to Wordsworth, is unmatched when compared to the London skyline. in lines 11-14 The river that flows beneath his feet is taking its time, and as he returns to the city, he talks about the houses, while the people who make London what it is are asleep and calm.

London was far from paradise, as Wordsworth portrays, with rampant poverty, pollution, overcrowding, and disease plaguing the city streets during the early stages of the industrial revolution. Wordsworth, being a romantic poet, romanticises the city, choosing to capture it at its best on a fine morning when its majesty dominated its imperfections.

Rather than focusing on the entire poem and interpreting it literally, I decided to concentrate on two lines from the sonnet and try to make something out of them because this is a fiction adaptation project, which means it can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The lines I chose to emphasise are 5 - the beauty of the morning silent bare and 13 - the very houses seem asleep. That's because when I read line 13, it reminded me of abandoned houses; there's no one inside, so they're resting and sleeping. Abandoned houses inspired me to create a horror piece or something related to horror while focusing on line 5 and creating a literal interpretation of the beautiful silent morning.

SparkNotes. 2021. Wordsworth’s Poetry: Context | SparkNotes. [online] Available at: <https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/wordsworth/context/> [Accessed 13 December 2021].

GCSE English Analysis. 2021. Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802, William Wordsworth Poem Summary, Context, Analysis - GCSE English Analysis. [online] Available at: <https://gcseenglishanalysis.com/composed-upon-westminster-bridge-september-3-1802-william-wordsworth-poem-summary-context-analysis/> [Accessed 14 December 2021].