Gerard Manley Hopkins and Old English Poetic Compounds

Authors

Ryan Christensen, Brigham Young University
Dr. Don Chapman, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Gerard Manley Hopkins, Old English, poetic compounds

College

Humanities

Department

English

Abstract

It has become almost commonplace to assume a strong connection between the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins, a Victorian poet, and the Old English tradition. Hopkins himself noted similarities, as have critics from the year his poems were first published. One aspect of Hopkins’ style that has often been assumed to be similar to Old English is his use of compound words. Because compound words are such a noticeable feature both of Hopkins’ work and of the Old English poems, many have implied that Hopkins’ compounds are somehow derivative of their Old English counterparts.

Recommended Citation

Christensen, Ryan and Chapman, Dr. Don (2014) "Gerard Manley Hopkins and Old English Poetic Compounds," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 614.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/614