Re‐Envisioning the Sublime: L.E.L.'sValley of Linmouth

Abstract

AbstractThis essay won the 2007Literature CompassGraduate Essay Prize, Romanticism Section.The English romantic poetess Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–38), better known as L.E.L., publishedValley of Linmouthin Fisher'sDrawing Room Scrap‐Bookin 1836. This article examines this single poem and reconsiders the interaction between the message of form and the logic of content. Predicated on the belief that Landon's re‐envisioning of the myths of the sublime and of the solitary genius may be most fully appreciated only through greater attention to language, form, and style, this analysis examines her work in relation to Immanuel Kant'sAnalytic of the Sublime, showing how she attempted to escape the Burkean gendered dichotomy of the beautifulversusthe sublime. Additionally, it highlights the dialogue Landon established with some texts of other English romantic poets. Understanding of Landon's form is critical to avoiding relegation of her work to ‘formlessness’, thus endorsing the traditional prejudice against women's poetry.Valley of Linmouth's combination of clear structure and subtle ambiguities demands a closer reading; comparison of the poem to other texts, and consideration of the same within the entire context of production of Landon's works, underscores both the bold individuality and peculiarity of the poet's discourse.