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Article: From wilderness to landscape: Charles Harpur's dialogue with Wordsworth and antipodean nature.(Critical Essay)
- Article from:
- Victorian Poetry
- Article date:
- March 22, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 West Virginia University Press, University of West Virginia. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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READ "WORDSWORTH FOR HIS SIMPLE POWER, / NOT FOR HIS NAMBY-PAMBY-ness." (1) This caution was offered by the largely self-educated poet Charles Harpur (1813-1868). (2) The son of convict parents and a vocal opponent of all "Monarchy Men and Empire-worshippers," (3) he called for increased access to the land and to positions of influence for the native-born white population, as well as for an independent national literature. Aspiring to be the first authentic singer of the Australian colonies, he searched for empowering models, working his way through the greats of English prosody from Chaucer to Shelley. (4) Milton appealed strongly to Harpur, who was an avowed republican ...