The Windhover

“Poem of the Week: ‘The Windhover’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins” by Carol Rumens (2010)

In this article reflecting on Hopkins’s poem, Rumens provides an analysis centered on the poem’s devotion to Christ. While Rumens doesn’t provide a firm interpretation, she offers various thoughts on different aspects of the poem and how they relate to Christ and the crucifixion. Rumens also argues that Hopkins’s conception of grace merges the spiritual and the natural.

“Gerard Manley Hopkins” by the Poetry Foundation

This lengthy article dives deep into Hopkins's life and art. The article focuses on how Hopkins’s life influenced and infused his art. There is a lengthy discussion of the dynamic between Gerard’s father and siblings, and the article makes the case that much of Hopkins’s art was influenced by healthy artistic competition with his family. The article also provides some analyses of various Hopkins poems, including “The Windhover.”

“The Victorian Era” by the Editors of the Poetry Foundation

This introduction to the Victorian era of poetry discusses the era’s historical context as well as its values and relationships with other poetic movements. The article discusses how Victorian poets merged poetry with other art forms, how Victorian poets both leaned on and rejected the Romantics, and how Victorian poetry ushered in the Modernist movement. The article also provides reading suggestions of other Victorian poets.

“Gerard Manley Hopkins: 'The Windhover'” by Ange Mlinko (2009)

In this reflective analysis, Mlinko discusses the poem’s narrative and symbolic power, weaving together biographical information and literary analysis. Mlinko argues that the poem is equally about Hopkins’s devotion to God and about his thoughts on artistic expression. Mlinko makes the case that Hopkins’s poetic experimentation and unique style have secured his place as one of the greatest poets of his day and make him a much more interesting and effective poet than others who stuck with a conventional style.