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A Comparison Analysis of Poetry and Philosophy: Nature and Human Life in the Poetry of James James Thomson and Thomas Gray

Author(s)

Li Ke1,2

Affiliation(s)

1ZheJiang YueXiu University, ShaoXing, China 2Ph.D. Candidate in Sungshin Women’s University, South Korea

Abstract

The poetry of James Thomson and Thomas Gray stands as a testament to both the grandeur of nature and the profound complexities of human existence, yet the two poets achieve this through strikingly different artistic sensibilities. This paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the poetry and philosophy of James Thomson and Thomas Gray, focusing on their depictions of nature and human life. Through their poetry, they explore the interplay between nature and humanity, exploring into philosophical inquiries about nature, life, and death. James Thomson, writing at the dawn of the Age of Sensibility, celebrates the magnificence of the natural world in expansive blank verse, presenting the cycle of the seasons as evidence of a harmonious and divinely ordered universe. Thomas Gray, by contrast, tempers his admiration for nature with a meditative melancholy, in Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, the quiet rural landscape becomes a mirror for the transience of life and the inevitability of death. While James Thomson’s The Seasons delights in vivid description and conveys a confident belief in providential design, Thomas Gray’s Elegy lingers on the limits of human ambition and the democratic equality of the grave. Despite these differences, both poets elevate nature from mere scenery to a source of philosophical reflection and moral insight, demonstrating how the natural world can guide humanity toward self-knowledge. Their achievements helped bridge the gap between Augustan rationalism and early Romantic introspection: James Thomson’s expansive natural imagery inspired later poets such as Wordsworth, while Thomas Gray’s contemplative lyricism anticipated Romantic meditations on mortality and memory. Together they reveal the richness of eighteenth-century British poetry and secure their place as pivotal figures in the evolution of English literature.

Keywords

James Thomson; Thomas Gray; The Seasons; Elegy

References

[1] Gray, Thomas. Elegy written in a country church-yard. John van Voorst, 1839. [2] James Thomson, James. The seasons. AS Barnes, 1856. [3] Frye, Northrop. "Towards defining an age of sensibility." elh 23.2 (1956): 144-152. [4] Farrell, Joseph. "The Augustan Period: 40 BC‐AD 14." A companion to latin literature (2005): 44-57. [5] James Thomson, James. The seasons. AS Barnes, 1856. [6] Gray, Thomas. An elegy written in a country churchyard. Longmans, Green, & Company, 1876. [7] Fairer, David. "James Thomson, The Seasons." A Companion to Literature from Milton to Blake (2017): 284-290. [8] Weinbrot, Howard D. "Gray's elegy: A poem of moral choice and resolution." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 18.3 (1978): 537-551.