Literary scholar Dr. Elena Rostova investigated the influence of industrialization on pastoral poetry in early nineteenth-century Britain. She hypothesized that poets living in rapidly urbanizing northern cities, such as Manchester, frequently incorporated mechanical or industrial metaphors into their depictions of nature to express anxiety about environmental change. In contrast, she argued, poets living in the agrarian south of England continued to use traditional, unmechanized pastoral imagery.
Which choice, if true, would most directly support Rostova's hypothesis?
- AManchester-based poets published significantly more collections of poetry during this era than did poets living in rural southern villages, reflecting the rapid growth of printing presses in northern cities.
- BPoets living in Manchester characterized forests as 'untamed sanctuaries of silence,' whereas poets in the rural south described fields as 'efficient looms weaving green cloth.'
- Poems written by Manchester-based writers during this period frequently described rivers as 'churning like steam pistons,' while contemporary poems from southern Devonshire characterized rivers as 'gentle, silver threads.'Answer
- DPoets in the agrarian south of England often wrote letters expressing admiration for the technological progress occurring in Manchester, suggesting they were not opposed to industrialization.
Answer
The correct answer is the option describing Manchester-based writers using industrial metaphors for rivers while southern Devonshire writers used traditional imagery.
The correct answer provides direct textual evidence supporting the hypothesis by showing that poets from urban Manchester used a mechanical metaphor ('churning like steam pistons') to depict a natural feature (rivers), whereas poets from agrarian Devonshire used traditional, unmechanized imagery ('gentle, silver threads').
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Command of Evidence: Textual