Gerard Manley Hopkins: an atypical Victorian?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Gerard Manley Hopkins: an atypical Victorian?

Gerard Manley Hopkins has not generally been considered to be a poet, or indeed a man, of his age, both because of his undoubtedly innovative poetic technique and his ideas about art and religion, which tended to run contrary to the contemporary tide of opinion. Whilst his notions of 'inscape' and 'instress' and the style of his work certainly set him apart from other nineteenth century poets, Hopkins as a man was affected by many of the same concerns and personal crises as his contemporaries - he simply dealt with them in a different way, both in his poetry and in life.

The spirit of the Victorian age was itself a shifting thing, almost indefinable in its diversity; perhaps this quality can be said to be one of its only reliable distinguishing characteristics. The rapid progression of science and technology and the changes in society wrought by subsequent industrialisation led to a breakdown of social, religious and intellectual unity as long held certainties of faith, class and value were questioned. Much contemporary poetry addressed contentious issues such as these, whether deliberately or simply through their influence on the author, and poetry maintained