Thomas Hardy’s “The Convergence of the Twain” is about the sinking of the Titanic, which happened in April of 1912. The poem was written and published within one month in the program for a Titanic disaster fund matinee. This was called the “Dramatic and Operatic Matinee in Aid of the ‘Titanic’ Disaster Fund” which happened in May of 1912. In his poem, Hardy talks about the “convergence” of the iceberg and the ship as not merely accidental, but rather by fate/destiny. He talks of the “Spinner of the Years” and the “Immanent Will” bringing the ship and the ice together. This perhaps brought solace to those saddened by the tragedy, in a sense of the common phrase “everything happens for a reason.”
The poem was later published in The Fortnightly Review in June of 1912. In this review, topics covered included religion, politics, evolution, and death. This poem fit perfectly within the periodical because it was a widespread topic of the time and everyone related to it and was interested in it. Also, it brought up the questions of destiny and “did this happen for a reason?”
Hardy then published this poem in his own book Satires of Circumstance, Lyrics and Reveries two years later. After that, the poem was included in canonical texts. I believe this poem has such a long lasting impression because of its difference in thought about the Titanic. Rather than taking a tragic, accidental approach to the sinking, this one is showing how it might have happened because of fate. The reader is forced to look at the forces that have nothing to do with human action, instead looking at the possibility of a higher power. For this reason, Hardy’s poem and himself as a poet were set apart from other poems of the time. This modern look at tragedy is something that is still dwelled on today.
You have some excellent material here, but for archival posts–and I’ll discuss this in class–the goal is to really focus on one thing in particular. In this case, you might have really focused on The Fortnightly Review, comparing Hardy’s poems to others included, or connecting his poem to other conversations happening in the journal. Or you might have tried to find another poem published in that titanic remembrance and compared Hardy’s approach. As it is, you trace a quick publication history, which is interesting, but archival posts are supposed to dig deep in the archives, really working to understand the world the poem emerged from by exploring contemporary periodicals. Again, we’ll talk more about this in class as I never fully clarified what my expectations are for archival posts.