Wordsworth’s Defence of “common-places” in the Essays upon Epitaphs

Abstract

In his Essays upon Epitaphs, William Wordsworth invites the reader to reflect on the ways in which the past sustains the present. Despite its ordinary status, the epitaph is treated as a complex object that gives a material shape to immaterial realities or concerns. It gives the possibility of revisiting the past not only on a personal, affective level, but also in terms of the literary and philosophical traditions that Wordsworth inherits. The epitaph thus becomes the site of an aesthetic experience designed to transform its visitor. But epitaphs also belong to public spaces, and Wordsworth seizes on their visibility to reflect on the forces that inform society. The common ground they establish transcends the divisions of class and generation. As such, epitaphs raise questions about what it means to dwell collectively. By transmitting shared values and a shared memory, epitaphs represent a deep-seated desire for an integrating, transhistorical community.

Keywords

• William Wordsworth
• epitaph
• language
• graveyard literature
• nation-building