Strange fits of passion have I known

Essay Questions

1. How does Wordsworth use the descending moon as a structural and symbolic device in "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known"? Explore how the moon's movement shapes both the narrative arc and the speaker's emotional journey, considering how its final disappearance behind Lucy's roof serves as the poem's pivotal moment. (AQA AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: transformation)

1. To what extent does the tension between rational self-awareness and irrational feeling define the speaker's voice in "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known"? Analyse how Wordsworth uses the speaker's self-deprecating admission of an embarrassing, unfounded fear to create psychological depth, and consider whether the speaker's self-awareness diminishes or intensifies the emotional impact of the poem's ending. (AQA AO1/AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis)

1. How does Wordsworth use the natural and domestic landscape — the open fields, the orchard, the cottage roof — to mirror the speaker's shifting psychological state in "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known"? In your response, consider how the narrowing of the physical setting as the speaker approaches Lucy's cottage contributes to a growing sense of unease. (AQA AO2; IB guiding concept: space and place)

1. "In 'Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known,' Wordsworth presents love and death as inseparable." To what extent do you agree? Examine how the symbols of the rose in June, the moon, and Lucy's cottage each carry undertones of transience and mortality alongside warmth and desire, and discuss what this reveals about the poem's treatment of love. (AQA AO1/AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: time, space, and memory)

1. *How does Wordsworth's treatment of nature in "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known" reflect the broader poetic philosophy outlined in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads? Consider how the poem's simple language, rural setting, and focus on an everyday emotional experience embody his vision for a new kind of poetry, and evaluate how successfully these principles are realised in this lyric. (AQA AO3; IB guiding concept: intertextuality)*

1. Compare how Wordsworth presents fear and psychological disturbance in "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known" with another poem in which a speaker is overwhelmed by an irrational or sudden emotional response. In your comparison, consider how each poet uses formal and structural choices to recreate the experience of a mind seized by unexpected dread. (AQA AO1/AO2/AO3; AP Lit Q2 poetry comparison)

1. How does the horse function as more than a narrative detail in "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known"? Explore how the horse's mechanical, indifferent movement symbolises the relentless passage of time and fate, and consider how this contrasts with the speaker's emotionally charged, dreamy state of mind. (AQA AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis)

1. To what extent is the tone of "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known" best described as dreamlike rather than mournful? Trace the tonal shifts across the poem — from tenderness and reverie to abrupt dread — and argue how Wordsworth's control of pace, voice, and imagery produces its distinctive emotional effect. (AQA AO1/AO2; IB guiding concept: the reader-text relationship)