ABSTRACT
Winter began the poem that—in 1730—became The Seasons; as first published in 1726, it contained only a few of the stylistic or organizational characteristics that Thomson developed in the final poem. It was an early work and shared with ‘Of a Country Life’ and ‘Hymn on Solitude’ the varied perspectives of a single physical and emotional condition (solitude) or the varied aspects of a rural life. The original Winter presented the change in season from autumn to winter, and was, indeed, addressed to both, with the conclusion hinting at the rebirth of spring. The changes in Winter from 1726 to 1746 can be considered representative of changes in the other seasons. The transpositions are organizing strategies, and though not always successful, they propose aesthetic changes that reveal Thomson’s awareness of his scientific and spatial innovations.
