Analysing nostalgia and melancholia in Brontë's 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill'
I can explain how Brontë uses language and structure to express ideas of nostalgia and melancholia in ‘Mild the Mist Upon the Hill’.
Analysing nostalgia and melancholia in Brontë's 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill'
I can explain how Brontë uses language and structure to express ideas of nostalgia and melancholia in ‘Mild the Mist Upon the Hill’.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- We might interpret Brontë’s poem as evoking either nostalgia or melancholia.
- The use of euphonic sounds and a regular rhyme associate a sense of peace with the speaker’s memories.
- Arguably, Brontë is adhering to Romantic nostalgia in presenting a longing for the past.
- The use of pathetic fallacy and alternating rhythm could create a sense of melancholia.
- Arguably, the melancholia is associated with nature rather than the speaker.
Keywords
Nostalgia - a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past
Melancholic - expressing feelings of sadness
Euphony - a harmonious succession of words having a pleasing sound
Romanticism - an artistic movement from the late 18th and early 19th century, focused on emotions and nature
Idealised - to think of or represent someone or something as perfect
Common misconception
That the Romantics only wrote about nature.
Often Romantic writers also wrote about a nostalgia for the past.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing nostalgia and melancholia in Brontë's 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing nostalgia and melancholia in Brontë's 'Mild the Mist Upon the Hill', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
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Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the 'Belonging' unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the Edexcel Belonging anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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