Romanticism and the Relation to Conquest

Helen Maria William's poem Peru, written in six cantos, tells the tale of Spanish conquest in a Utopian-like Peru during the 16th century. Williams, writing at the end of the 18th century, was a known opposer of war, an avid supporter of abolition, and aligned herself as a sensible female (Duquette). She wrote Peru in 1784, which is a testament to the dangers that European war and conquest bring about to native peoples, cultures, and environments. 

However, William's writing style is unique. Not only is she writing about a controversial topic, she is doing so within the style of the Romantic canon. We saw within Barbauld's poem Eighteen Hundred and Eleven the discussion of the trials and tribulations that come with war, such as the ousting of culture. However, Barbauld does so in an epic and cryptic form, asking her reads to consider not physical imperialism of foreign lands, but rather intellectual imperialism. Similarly, Williams also advocates against war, but does so in keeping with Romanticism.


She begins Canto I by describing, at great length, the beauty that makes up Peru, appealing to every sense with imagery. She makes the setting seem like a Utopia, filled with colors, animals, a lack of disease, and warmth. Ataliba and Alzira are described as star-crossed lovers, who are "Pure and gen'rous," "gentle," and "peaceful" (lines 63-73). Here, Williams keeps in line with the love and appreciation for nature that surrounded the Romantic period. She also uses these descriptions as a device to evoke emotion for the Peruvian natives as innocent victims to the threat of imperialism. Before the love story even goes awry, William's "Advertisement" that prefaces her poem tells that she is making these descriptions up, but that the action should be taken as the story of a slaughter of innocent people. However, Williams must know that by describing at great length the description of the land and the people that she intends to incite sympathy for the Peruvians. After all, that was the aim of Romantic authors.

Engraving by Theodor de Bry of the Spanish conquest, 16th century 

However, Williams is unique in her manipulation of the subject matter. Williams chooses to set her story over 200 years earlier than when she is writing, when the Spanish were at the height of their imperialistic ventures. This was interesting of Williams to do, since both the English and the French were the imperialistic threats during her time of writing. Though it is almost identical to Barbauld's idea of imperialistic conquest in Eighteen Hundred and Eleven, Williams' Romantic writing style truly does fall in line with Romanticism. She appeals to her audience's emotions by having two lovers torn apart, the village lose their ruler as well as their spiritual guide, and the attack on defenseless people without weaponry. Her use of language goes from bright and beautiful in Canto I, to tempestuous throughout Cantos II and III. The strong contrast between the Spanish and the Peruvians is evident in Canto III, stating "The meek Peruvians gaz'd in pale dismay, / Nor barr'd the dark oppressor's sanguine way" (lines 3-4). William's strong appeal to the Romantic sensibility is what drives her argument that opposes conquest and war for European gain, and condemns the destruction and devastation of other cultures.


This link is just a really great source I found for understanding better Williams as a writer, which got me thinking about my blog topic initially.


Discussion Questions:


1. Why did Williams choose to write in the Romantic style? Do you think that this bolsters or weakens her argument? How does this relate to the fact that she chose the Spanish conquests of the 16th century as her topic to relate to Britain in the 18th century?


2. Williams uses very strong descriptive language, which leave little to the reader to determine about the characters. What do you think is her reasoning behind this? Does it help or hurt her argument by being so direct?