"Time Long Past" Analysis

In Percy Shelley’s poem, "Time Long Past",  Shelley uses repetition and  informal diction to express the melancholy tone that is associated with the idea of the fleeting memories of the past.

Shelley’s poem is about the emotions evoked from the past. In this case, it is most likely about a past love that is now gone but was thought that they loved them forever. Shelley style of figurative writing in this poem is alliteration. This is used to further emphasis the meaning of the poem. “Forever fled (line3)” emphasizes the memories of the past that are still transparent in the present. There is a constant repetition of the same consonant sound that is usually seen in the  middle of the poem. This consonant sound draws attention to the specific line that is attributed to it. Repetition is one of the major literary devices that Shelley uses. Along with the repetition of consonant sounds, he emphasizes the phrase “Time long past (lines 2,6,8,12,14,18)”. Seeing as this is hinted from the title of the poem, repetition reveals that past memories is major theme that will be prevalent throughout the poem. Also, Shelley uses informal diction that are simple such as “beauty”, “delight”,  and “remembrance” to invoke a certain type of emotion from the reader. These words aid the overall flow of the poem because of their soft connotations.

Instead of being consumed in the past like Bainbridge's An Awfully Big Adventure, Shelley makes it a point that the past is the past and that it doesn't last forever. "A love so sweet it could not last (line 5)". The narrator reflects on his past, wishing that he can re-live those moments again. "Each day a shadow onward cast/ which made us wish it yet might last (lines 10-11)". This creates a melancholy tone which makes the reader feel sorry for the narrator and to connect with him because it is a human experience that everyone goes through.  "Each day a shadow onward cast/ which made us wish it yet might last (lines 10-11)". This is a contrast to Bainbridge's novel because those characters would love nothing more detached from the past like O'Hara. Shelley also explains that memories in the past may not always be pleasant but they should still be treasured because "time long past" and there is nothing that he can do.

One main theme that evident often in Bainbridge's novel  An Awfully Big Adventure  and Shelley’s poem was the idea of self-reflection from past memories or experiences. Bainbridge’s novel focuses on the importance of someone's past always seems to catch up to a character. O'Hara explains "'Life is full of conflagrations;'...'We can never be sure when we'll be consumed by the past."' (Bainbridge 200). This same quote is also uttered by Uncle Vernon because Lily and he are worried that the mistakes of Stella's mother would be repeated by Stella. Another example is O'Hara's long line of broken hearts. He is consumed by the past memories of Stella Morris and his present love of the younger Stella. His past catches up to him when he finds out that Stella is actually his daughter from the time he was together with Stella Morris when he finds a picture of them during his visit to Uncle Vernon. "He swung his head from side to side, trying to get rid of that image of the girl he had known as Stella Morris holding a baby in her arms". This shows that he tries to repress a part of his past that he can no longer ignore. Like Shelley’s poem, this novel explores the tone that is created from the complex self-reflections of memories that now remain haunting to those that are affected.