A Study On The Theme Of Reflective Nostalgia In Rural Rides

William Cobbett,an outstanding essayist of late British Romanticism,records vividly what he had seen and heard in his journeys by horse in southeast England from 1821 to1826 in his masterpiece,Rural Rides.This travel writing profoundly influences the writing style of English travelogues.However,critics mostly focus on his social contribution as a political commentator,but overlook the connotation of Cobbett’s nostalgic rides and the literary value of this nostalgic writing.Therefore,this thesis,based on the theory of reflective nostalgia of Svetlana Boym,interprets the connotation of nostalgic images in Rural Rides and explores the purpose and significance of Cobbett’s nostalgic rides.Specifically,this thesis probes into the causes and significance of Cobbett’s nostalgic rides by analyzing the connotation of both the “new” and “old” elements.First of all,this thesis analyzes the “old” elements of traditional England from the images “oak”,“church”and “market town” to explore Cobbett’s understanding of Englishness.Among them,the image of “oak”,a kind of typical native vegetation in traditional England and an important symbol of English people’s pursuit of a quiet and peaceful life,is deeply rooted in Cobbett’s childhood memory and the memory of English national culture.“Church” has been the centre of English people’s religious life for more than one thousand years.Through frequently portraying “church”,Cobbett aims to dispel people’s lack of faith,and reshape British national spiritual belief with England as the core of Britain.The “market town” represents the thriving commercial civilization of traditional English society.Cobbett writes about the once prosperous and vibrant market town with deep affection,to express his sorrow for the gradual collapse of the traditional market and his desire to build a healthy and orderly commercial life.Meanwhile,this thesis also analyzes the “new”elements that appeared at the time such as “farmer”,“turnpike road” and “city”,to explore the approach and significance of Cobbett’s active construction of “new” England.Cobbett realizes that the traditional yeoman is rapidly going bankrupt due to the development of the Enclosure Movement and the Industrial Revolution.The only way to improve the situation is to adapt to the new era.The “turnpike road” is the link between rural England and the urban city.For Cobbett,it is inevitable to return to the harsh realities of urban life from the good old days of rural England.Meanwhile,it is also a must to transform the troubled city life into a healthy,orderly and harmonious modern city life as well.Accordingly,Cobbett rides through England with a nostalgic and reflective feeling,realizing the mental process from alienation to return to the city.To sum up,this thesis,through interpreting the “new” and “old” elements in Rural Rides in the light of Boym’s reflective nostalgia,explores the ultimate purpose of Cobbett’s nostalgic trip,namely,the construction of a “new” England both following with the trend of the times and embodying traditional features of Englishness.Cobbett expects to indicate a promising future for the forging nation.Therefore,this thesis expects to enrich the study of the cultural values contained in Rural Rides,offer readers a new interpretation strategy for the study of Rural Rides and Cobbett’s other works,and provide an effective case study for the application of Boym’s reflective nostalgia in the field of literature.