Peer Review 2

Anna Castagnella: https://literaturewithanna.art.blog/category/19th-century-literature/critical-blogs-19th-century-literature/

Hi Anna,

I think this blog is very well written. Your choice of wording to describe the painting is particularly alluring. I love the way you explained yourself engaging with the painting as your “eyes were drawn to the salience of the lake, and then wondered up the mountains and into the sky”. For me, this was very pleasant to read and provoked a sense of true tranquility like you have explained the painting achieves. I believe this line demonstrates how you, yourself engaged with the nature presented in front of you which was a key theme in Romantic ideology. I also like the way you have discussed how the mountains appear superior to humans and how this superiority makes it hard for humans to truly understand nature. Perhaps in this part you could have also mentioned how the darker tones of the mountains contrast the beauty of the sky which ultimately evokes a sense of mystery about nature as this was a time where in which humans were just beginning to re-engage with nature. Furthermore, perhaps you could have related your poem to Percy Shelley’s Mont Blanc to strengthen your understanding of literary themes for this period, that is just a suggestion though! I think that you have beautifully captured this artwork!