"Awful Doubt, or Faith so Mild": Skepticism and Environmental Morality in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Mont Blanc"

Presentation Type

Oral and/or Visual Presentation

Presenter Major(s)

English

Mentor Information

Brian Deyo

Department

English

Location

Kirkhof Center 2263

Start Date

11-4-2012 9:00 AM

Keywords

Changing Ideas/Changing Worlds, Environment, Ethics, Philosophy/ Literature

Abstract

In his preface to "A History of a Six-Weeks' Tour," Shelley describes the area of Mont Blanc as "a sentiment of ecstatic wonder, not unallied to madness." Though captivated by the power of the mountain, he regards it differently than his contemporaries. While William Wordsworth describes Nature in a divine light, Shelley is an advocate for skepticism, for the inherent power of the natural world. Unsure whether the universe was created by a deity, Shelley is reticent to concede that it belongs to humanity, as the Bible may suggest. In my paper, I argue that Shelley crafts "Mont Blanc" in response to the dominionist attitude toward Nature often associated with Genesis, and that "Mont Blanc" is in conversation with Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey," a poem that suffuses Nature with divine significance. I also examine the possible result of Shelley's skepticism used as an antidote to modern dominionist mindset, and how a skeptical view may raise one's awareness of mankind's relation to Nature.

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Apr 11th, 9:00 AM

"Awful Doubt, or Faith so Mild": Skepticism and Environmental Morality in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Mont Blanc"

Kirkhof Center 2263

In his preface to "A History of a Six-Weeks' Tour," Shelley describes the area of Mont Blanc as "a sentiment of ecstatic wonder, not unallied to madness." Though captivated by the power of the mountain, he regards it differently than his contemporaries. While William Wordsworth describes Nature in a divine light, Shelley is an advocate for skepticism, for the inherent power of the natural world. Unsure whether the universe was created by a deity, Shelley is reticent to concede that it belongs to humanity, as the Bible may suggest. In my paper, I argue that Shelley crafts "Mont Blanc" in response to the dominionist attitude toward Nature often associated with Genesis, and that "Mont Blanc" is in conversation with Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey," a poem that suffuses Nature with divine significance. I also examine the possible result of Shelley's skepticism used as an antidote to modern dominionist mindset, and how a skeptical view may raise one's awareness of mankind's relation to Nature.