Fiction Adaptation - Trespass - John Clare research

While coming up with my proposal i really wanted to discover more about John Clare. John was born in 1793 and was a very famous poet, he was born as the son of a farm labourer and did not have much money. Many individuals state that Clare is 'the greatest labouring class poet that England has ever produced' since he came from a very poor background. While reading up on his background it was very hard, he had a troubled childhood and was also sent to an asylum where he had written most of
his poems.

I chose the Trespass poem due to me really having a strong connection to it. I feel as John Clare felt a lot of loneliness and pain during the time that this poem was written. The sonnet has rhyming couplets and seems less angry even though it is in-fact very sad. Clare really felt despair and pain while this poem was written. Clare was born into a middle class family and felt as he wanted to express these feelings within his other poems.

I couldn't really find any information about 'Trespass' because there isn't much. I did find out that Clare had a 'lover' during his time at the asylum and i started to connect the dots to the trespass sonnet.

I dreaded walking where there was no path

And pressed with cautious tread the meadow swath

And always turned to look with wary eye

And always feared the owner coming by;

Yet everything about where I had gone

Appeared so beautiful I ventured on

And when I gained the road where all are free

I fancied every stranger frowned at me

And every kinder look appeared to say

"You've been on trespass in your walk today."

I've often thought, the day appeared so fine,

How beautiful if such a place were mine;

But, having naught, I never feel alone

And cannot use another's as my own.

The poem is written in the traditional 14 lines as a sonnet should, while i investigate this poem further i came up with a theory. Clare wrote this poem while going to meet up with his 'Lover' at his old home, he had a troubled past in the asylum and once escaped to walk 94 miles to meet his lover in his old town. He took a venture and had to trespass to get to where he was going, this could be wrong but i really feel as his pain was being alone and wanted to feel the warmth and love of that one person that gave it to him. I feel as my project really expresses the feeling of loneliness and the power we have to fight against the troubles we face, even though i focus more on the issues with anxiety Clare did struggle with these issues while he was at the asylum.

I feel confident that me theory is correct, Clare really gives us many clues within the sonnet such as 'But, having naught, i never feel alone and cannot use another's as my own' since he never saw his lover he always was left alone and abandoned feeling lost and unloved even by his own family.

While focusing on my production i envisioned the pain Clare was in and also the atmosphere, i did not want to mimic the entire sonnet but i wanted to create the same feeling Clare did.