http://literatureencore.com/2012/03/model-essay-on-thomas-hardys-church-romance/
The poem ‘’A Church Romance’’ is one of such Hardy poems that questions the social convention,
especially the religious belief of the conventional Victorian Age. The setting is a church where the
two lovers disregard the sanctity that such a setting should command to engage in flirtatious
dalliance.
From the title of the poem, it is obvious that Hardy wants to present a contradictory message of an
activity as frivolous as romance taking place against the background of the serious religious setting
of a church. Inconsonance with Hardy’s stance, as a poet with some elements of romanticism in his
writing, one could see an evidence of protest against the religious Puritanism of the Victorian age.
Though against a background of something as serious as a church, Hardy nevertheless is able to
convey romance using appropriate devices.
It is interesting to note that the poem opens with the female persona as she takes the initiative of
scanning the pew with all deliberateness, looking for a particular person. Her audacity is strange
considering the norm of women repression of the Victorian Age. The staid setting of the church is
stressed here, against the liveliness of the music playing. In the second stanza, the female-
persona takes the initiative once again by making another effort to achieve her aim of finding love.
It is not however a one-way affair, as the male –persona lover reciprocates with his music, which is
erroneously perceived as serving a religious purpose to the larger congregation. The concluding
stanza takes on a reminiscing tone as it gives the culmination of the church affair which eventually
ends in a lasting union, as it is in due time signed. However as it with all human affairs, the
relationship begins to suffer decay. However, because of the lasting memory of youthfulness which
the lady has in her consciousness, she seems to have discovered a way of keeping the ageing
love affair ever fresh.
By making the language quite dramatic, a strong sense of romance is conveyed. The
deliberateness of the lady-persona’s action as she turned and swept the west gallery is interesting.
Every description of movement and action is so exact that one could portray the lady as having
stored this cherished memory in her mind for ever. This actually tallies with one of Hardy’s enduring
theme of the power of memory and imagination. It is this same power of memory that the female-
personal would resort to in the last stanza, when Age had scared Romance.
To further enrich the language, the poem explores the use of enduring imagery of sinking sad tower
in stanza one, as against the romantic feeling of stanza two, where the love message of I claim
thee is passed. In a strict Victorian society where women are not expected to take the initiative in a
love affair, it is a bit different as she turned again despite her pride. To depict a symbiotic
relationship between the two lovers, the male-personal replies in an ingenious way through music.
There is a fusion of romanticism and religion here as the violinist uses the instrument of religion to
convey a passion, the biblical allusion of church hymns notwithstanding.
The poem also explores effective sound effects for its expression. The enjambment in the first
stanza conveys the sense of liveliness, eagerness and activity in the female –persona as she
attempts to initiate contact with her lover. This free flow of passion continues into the second
stanza. But in the last stanza, with ample use of caesuras and end-stops, the speed of passion is
checkmated as by now the lovers are ageing and so is their love. The use of alliteration also helps
to enhance the atmosphere as it is shown in sinking sad tower to portray the cold formality of a
church.
The religious allusions used in the poem help to create a serene atmosphere of not only strict
religious formality, but also a conventional Victorian society, with rules. However, it is within these
restrictions that the lovers are able to gain expression. The lady breaks the norm outright, while the
male lover uses the instruments of religion to enhance his passion. In the last stanza, the title of
hymns such as New Sabbath and Mount Ephraim casts an eternal feature on their relationship,
something beyond this terrestrial world. ‘
The strength of the poem, ‘’A Church Romance’’ lies in its ability to find a meeting point between
two divergent; church and romance. However, by the end of the poem, it becomes obvious that
love which is eternal and spiritual would re-invent itself in ‘New Sabbath’ while love would also
climb high in celestial glory on to ‘Mount Ephraim’.
