Question

To answer the question, consider the poems “Elegy Written in a Country Church” by Thomas Gray and “A Nocturnal Reverie” by Anne Finch. What is Pre-Romantic about Gray’s concern for the unknown dead of a country graveyard and Finch’s loving attention to humble “creatures”?

Answer 1

Both poets imply that value and dignity lie in the simple beauties of life, not in ambitious pursuits.

Answer 2

Anne Finch and Thomas Gray state in their poems that value and dignity of things are supported on simplicity.

Step-by-step explanation:

Pre-Romantic poetry sets the main focus of poetry on nature and highlights common life feelings and emotions.

In an unknown dead of a country graveyard, Gray worked together with these two aspects giving voice to "Nature" through the tomb and the ashes.

Finch's attention to humble creatures is her way to exalt simple living things without ambitions. This praise to nature highlights the value and worth of simplicity, even these creatures don't have high ambitions as human beings do.