WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770-1850) William Wordsworth is the most representative poet of the first generation of English Romanticism.

He is best known as a nature poet who found beauty, comfort and moral strength in the natural world. For him the world of nature is free from corruption and stress, and offers man a means of escaping from the evils of industrialized society. LIFE William Wordsworth !""#$!%&#' was born on " (pril !""# in )ockermouth, )umberland, in the *ake +istrict the north$west of England'. When he was ,ust % years old his mother died, and he also lost his father five years later. (s a result, William and his sister, +orothy, were separated and raised by guardians. With the help of his two uncles, Wordsworth entered a local school Hawkshead -rammar .chool' and made his debut as a writer in !"%", when he published a sonnet in The European Magazine. /n !"%" Wordsworth also entered )ambridge, but he was not particularly interested in his studies. While still a university student, he went on a three$ month walking tour of France, the .wiss (lps and /taly, and was greatly impressed by the beauty of the landscape. When he finished his degree !"0!' he returned to France for a year and became an ardent supporter of the democratic ideals of the French revolution. Financial problems, however, forced him to return to England, where he went to live with his sister in a small village in +orset. /n !"01 he published his first 2 books of verse An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches', which received little notice from either the critics or the public. 3wo events changed Wordsworth4s life forever5 in !"0& he inherited a sum of money which covered his daily necessities and, in the same year, he met .amuel 3aylor

)oleridge, a poet with similar radical political and literary views. 3he friendship had a great influence on both poets and also resulted in a lasting, fruitful and famous literary collaboration5 in !"0%, they published the ,oint volume Lyrical Ballads which may be considered to have signalled the birth of the English Romanticism. /n the same year Wordsworth travelled to -ermany with his sister +orothy and with )oleridge and started work on his autobiographical volume, The Prelude, which he continued to revise throughout the rest of his life. 3wo years later a second edition of the Lyrical Ballads appeared, with new poems by Wordsworth, who also provided a preface illustrating his and )oleridge4s principles of poetry. Wordsworth and +orothy moved to -rasmere, one of the loveliest villages in the *ake +istrict, a region which Wordsworth immortalised in his writings. /n !%#2, he married a childhood friend 6ary Hutchinson' and together they had five children7 during this period, his reputation began to grow and his work became increasingly popular. He did, however, suffer personal tragedy when two of his children died. His close friend, )oleridge, was e8periencing serious health problems and the two became estranged and never fully reconciled. (s his fame as a poet grew, Wordsworth became more conservative politically. He was offered a well$paid government ,ob and openly campaigned for the conservative 3ory' party. 3he younger generation of Romantic poets criticized him for abandoning the radical politics and idealism of his younger age, while recognising the debt they owed him for the great innovations of his poetry. (s he advanced in age, however, his poetic vision grew weaker and his output was largely uninspired and written in the 9artificial4 style he had previously protested against. /n !%:# he was awarded a government pension and the title of the ;oet *aureate, in recognition of his contribution to English literature. He died on (pril 21, !%&#, a few days after his eightieth birthday. WORKS William Wordsworth4s monumental poetic legacy rests on a large number of important poems, varying in length and weight from the short, simple lyrics of the !"0#4s to the vast cantos of The Prelude

His literary debut is linked to the publication of his first 2 books of verse An Evening Walk $ dealing with the landscape round Hawkshead and (mbleside7 and Descriptive Sketches ! the materials of which had been furnished by his )ontinental travels', which received little notice from either the critics or the public. The Lyrical Ballads William Wordsworth4s contribution to the development of English poetry in general and to the shaping of English Romanticism in particular cannot and should not be underestimated. His work with .amuel 3aylor )oleridge on the Lyrical Ballads !"0%7 !%##' established Romanticism as a genuine literary movement in England. 6ore than being a momentous artistic union between two of the most gifted writers of the day, Lyrical Ballads brought about a literary revolution $ the duo set out to change and transform the content, language, and direction of poetry, thus preparing the field for the poetry of the people. 3he title of the volume proposes a kind of hybrid link between two different literary genres, i.e. a lyric $ a poem, usually in the first person, which is about the individual speaker, i.e. it is personal and emotive7 a "allad, on the other hand, is a narrative poem one that tells a story', i.e. it is public, narrative. (ll the poems included in the Lyrical Ballads fall into this o#y$oronic category. /n point of structure, it should be mentioned that the volume consists of a number of poems written by both Wordsworth and )oleridge5 it opened with )oleridge4s The %i$e o& the Ancient Mariner and also included Wordsworth4s famous Tintern A""ey 3he dominant theme of the poems was <ature, specifically the power of <ature to create strong impressions in=on the mind and imagination. 3he first edition of the volume was prefaced by an Advertisement written by William Wordsworth, wherein it is stated that >'t is the honoura"le characteristic o& Poetry that its $aterials are to "e &ound in every su"(ect )hich can interest the hu$an $ind?. 3he poet admits that the poems included in this volume should be treated as 9e#peri$ents* created >chie&ly )ith a vie) to ascertain ho) &ar the language o&

conversation in the $iddle and lo)er classes o& society is adapted to the purposes o& poetic pleasure? and comments on the novelty they bring. 3he second edition of the volume began with a Preface that has since been considered a manifesto of Romanticism the author of the Pre&ace was still Wordsworth'. ;oetry before Lyrical Ballads was predominately epic or satiric $ concerned with mythic heroes or simply designed to please the upper classes $ and it was usually written in heroic couplets and the most sophisticated style. Wordsworth proposes that poetry should in fact be something completely different5 it should make ordinary life interesting, and it should do so in simple language, > the very language o& $en?. Wordsworth makes new and democratic claims regarding poetry4s sub,ect matter, language, and style, and he also tries to assert the importance of poetry and poets in an industrialized and increasingly urban world. /n the treatment of this theme he advocated the re,ection of all artifices and conventions of !%th @century verse, and the substitution of the language of actual life. His aim was to bring the sub,ect of poetry, and with it the language of poetry back to the realities of life. Other Works 6any critics consider the long poem in blank verse The Prelude; or ro!th of a Poet"s #ind, originally planned as an introduction to another work, and published posthumously in !%&# after four different manuscript versions' to be Wordsworth4s greatest achievement. ;refaced by an Advertise$ent and organised in !: books, each dealing with a particular stage of the poet4s life i.e. Book +irst 'ntroduction , -hildhood and School!Ti$e7 Book Second , School!Ti$e .continued/7 Book Third , %esidence at -a$"ridge7 Book +ourth , Su$$er 0acation A', the poem describes the crucial e8periences of the poet4s e8istence and represents an introspective account of his emotional and spiritual development. /t illustrates in a poetical form pervaded by a philosophical substratum the forces that shaped his imaginative powers, and his spiritual crisis and recovery, thus becoming the essential living document for the interpre$ tation of Wordsworth4s life and poetry. Further evidence of Wordsworth4s genius can be found in Poems$ in T!o %olumes !%#"', which has been considered to be the peak of his creative powers

though not warmly welcomed by some of his contemporaries'. 3he volume contains, among other celebrated poems, some of his best works5 1de to Duty, The Solitary %eaper, ' Wandered Lonely as a -loud, 1de The 'nti$ations o& '$$ortality &ro$ %ecollections o& Early -hildhood 3he 'nti$ations o& '$$ortality epitomize briefly the Wordsworthian philosophy. 3he poet uses the ;latonic theory of our pre$natal e8istence as a premise. 3he soul comes into earthly life, not a blank as *ockian empiricism declared', but endowed with divine instincts and powers. 6undane and temporal interests encroach upon these, but cannot wholly stifle them. /n !%!:, he produced The E&cursion, another vast poem nine cantos' including ample philosophical digressions which was originally meant to be part of a much larger work, The 'ecluse $ never completed by the poet. 3he framework is provided by an account of a three days4 ramble in the )umberland vales7 into this are introduced incidents, stories, reflections, conversations7 the whole forming a vehicle of the poet4s views on 6an, <ature, and .ociety. /n light of the above, The E#cursion may be considered as a philosophical pastoral poem, a description of natural ob,ects and of the feelings associated with them7 an account of the poet4s reflections on the manners of rural life. /n it the poet does not present the reader with a lively succession of images or incidents, but describes his own feelings, the flight of his own imagination. /n !%22 he also published the cycle of Ecclesiastical Sonnets and #emorials of a Tour on the (ontinen t , the fruits of his earlier travels in Europe. His last volume Poems$ (hiefly Written of Early and Late )ears !%:2' reproduced impressions of travels through /taly in !%1". Prose Works (mong Wordsworth4s prose works, mention is due to5 Apology for the *rench 'evolution$ in a Letter to the Bishop of Llandaff !"01, posthumously published' (oncerning the 'elations of reat Britain$ Spain$ and Portugal to Each +ther$ and to the (ommon Enemy$ at This (risis$ and Specifically as Affected ,y the (onvention of (intra .!%#0' T!o Addresses to the *reeholders of Westmoreland !%!%'

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A Description of the Scenery of the Lakes (18 of the Lakes)

! 18"5# $s A uide through the District

-endal and Windermere 'ail!ay. T!o Letters !%::'. /ature Bery early in life William Wordsworth had resolved to become a poet of <ature in a new and distinct sense. /n his Evening Walk he writes the following of a description5 >' recollect the very spot )here this struck $e 2 The $o$ent )as i$portant in $y poetical history, &or ' date &ro$ it $y consciousness o& the in&inite variety o& natural appearances )hich had "een unnoticed "y the poets o& any age or country, so &ar as ' )as ac3uainted )ith the$, and ' $ade a resolution to supply, in so$e degree, this de&iciency ? From this point of view, Wordsworth was a great innovator. He found his greatest inspiration in nature, which he believed could elevate the human soul and e8ert a positive moral influence on human thoughts and feelings7 in his opinion, <ature was an ine8haustible source of beauty, permanently generating emotions while providing refuge from a world hostile to man. )ommunion with nature was a vehicle for the ennobling of man. (s he confesses in The %ecluse, he is C$using in solitudeC=41n Man, on 5ature, and on 6u$an Li&e2? His celebration of nature also launches a philosophical meditation in the ;reface, he openly states that >$y descriptions o& such o"(ects as strongly e#cite those &eelings, )ill "e &ound to carry along )ith the$ a purpose?'. His poetry celebrates the lives of simple rural people, whom he sees as being more sincere than those living in cities since they are closer to nature. )hildren are also seen as pure and innocent, uncorrupted by education and the evils of the world7 childhood is seen as the period when humanity is closer to essential truth. Poetry as intuition Wordsworth believed that intuition, not reason, should guide the poet in the process of writing. /nspiration should come from the direct e8perience of the senses. ;oetry, he wrote in the Pre&ace to Lyrical Ballads, originates from >the spontaneous

overflow of powerful feelings?, which is filtered through >emotion recollected in tranEuillity?. MAI% IDEAS W. Wordsworth was not only the most famous representative of the first generation of Romantic poets the so$called 9*ake .chool of ;oetry4', but also one of the most gifted poets in English literature as a whole. He is eEually appreciated for his theoretical contribution to the development of the new literary trend the ;reface to Lyrical Ballads' and for his poetic creations although the ones after !%#" were inferior to the earlier ones as regards the value of ideas and the modalities of e8pression'. Friginally inspired by noble, revolutionary ideals, later on he indulged in the conservatism he had once re,ected. However, the development of the English poetry and the development of Romanticism as a literary trend are very much indebted to the poet4s substantial contribution to enriching the content and style of poetry, to e8panding the sphere of the notion of poetry, and to formulating a new perspective on nature.

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Pre&$'e to the Lyrical Ballads >3he principal ob,ect, then, proposed in these ;oems ($s to 'hoose )*')+e*ts $*+ s)t,$t)o*s &ro- 'o--o* .)&e# $*+ to re.$te or +es'r)/e the-# thro,0ho,t# $s &$r $s ($s 1oss)/.e )* $ se.e't)o* o& .$*0,$0e re$..2 ,se+ /2 -e*# $*+# $t the s$-e t)-e# to thro( o3er the- $ 'ert$)* 'o.o,r)*0 o& )-$0)*$t)o* , whereby ordinary things should be presented to the mind in an unusual aspect7 and, further, and above all, to make these incidents and situations interesting by tracing in them, truly though not ostentatiously, the primary laws of our nature5 chiefly, as far as regards the manner in which we associate ideas in a state of e8citement. Humble and rustic life was generally chosen, because, in that condition, the essential passions of the heart find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity, are less under restraint, and speak a plainer and more emphatic language7 because in that condition of life our elementary feelings coe8ist in a state of greater simplicity, and, conseEuently, may be more accurately contemplated, and more forcibly communicated7 because the manners of rural life germinate from those elementary feelings, and, from the necessary character of rural occupations, are more easily comprehended, and are more durable7 and, lastly, because in that condition the passions of men are incorporated with the beautiful and permanent forms of nature. 3he language, too, of these men has been adopted purified indeed from what appear to be its real defects, from all lasting and rational causes of dislike or disgust' because such men hourly communicate with the best ob,ects from which the best part of language is originally derived7 and because, from their rank in society and the sameness and narrow circle of their intercourse, being less under the influence of social vanity, they convey their feelings and notions in simple and unelaborated e8pressions. (ccordingly, such a language, arising out of repeated e8perience and regular feelings, is a more permanent, and a far more philosophical language, than that which is freEuently substituted for it by ;oets, who think that they are conferring honour upon themselves and their art, in proportion as they separate themselves from the sympathies of men, and indulge in arbitrary and capricious habits of e8pression, in order to furnish food for fickle tastes, and fickle appetites, of their own creation. ! / cannot, however, be insensible to the present outcry against the triviality and meanness, both of thought and language, which some of

my contemporaries have occasionally introduced into their metrical compositions7 and / acknowledge that this defect, where it e8ists, is more dishonourable to the Writer4s own character than false refinement or arbitrary innovation, though / should contend at the same time, that it is far less pernicious in the sum of its conseEuences. From such verses the ;oems in these volumes will be found distinguished at least by one mark of difference, that each of them has a worthy purpose <ot that / always began to write with a distinct purpose formerly conceived7 but habits of meditation have, / trust, so prompted and regulated my feelings, that my descriptions of such ob,ects as strongly e8cite those feelings, will be found to carry along with them a purpose /f this opinion be erroneous, / can have little right to the name of a ;oet. For all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings5 and though this be true, ;oems to which any value can be attached were never produced on any variety of sub,ects but by a man who, being possessed of more than usual organic sensibility, had also thought long and deeply. For our continued influ8es of feeling are modified and directed by our thoughts, which are indeed the representatives of all our past feelings7 and, as by contemplating the relation of these general representatives to each other, we discover what is really important to men, so, by the repetition and continuance of this act, our feelings will be connected with important sub,ects, till at length, if we be originally possessed of much sensibility, such habits of mind will be produced, that, by obeying blindly and mechanically the impulses of those habits, we shall describe ob,ects, and utter sentiments, of such a nature, and in such conne8ion with each other, that the understanding of the Reader must necessarily be in some degree enlightened, and his affections strengthened and purified. ...' 3aking up the sub,ect, then, upon general grounds, let me ask, what is meant by the word ;oetG What is a ;oetG to whom does he address himselfG and what language is to be e8pected from himGHHe is a man speaking to men5 a man, it is true, endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, than are supposed to be common among mankind7 a man pleased with his own passions and volitions, and who re,oices more than other men in the spirit of life that is in him7 delighting to contemplate similar volitions and passions as manifested in the goings$on of the Iniverse, and habitually impelled to

create them where he does not find them. to these Eualities he has added a disposition to be affected more than other men by absent things as if they were present7 an ability of con,uring up in himself passions, which are indeed far from being the same as those produced by real events, yet especially in those parts of the general sympathy which are pleasing and delightful' do more nearly resemble the passions produced by real events, than anything which, from the motions of their own minds merely, other men are accustomed to feel in themselves5H whence, and from practice, he has acEuired a greater readiness and power in e8pressing what he thinks and feels, and especially those thoughts and feelings which, by his own choice, or from the structure of his own mind, arise in him without immediate e8ternal e8citement. ...' 3here will also be found in these volumes little of what is usually called poetic diction7 as much pains has been taken to avoid it as is ordinarily taken to produce it7 this has been done for the reason already alleged, to bring my language near to the language of men7 and further, because the pleasure which / have proposed to myself to impart, is of a kind very different from that which is supposed by many persons to be the proper ob,ect of poetry. ...' / have said that poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings5 it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranEuillity5 the emotion is contemplated till, by a species of reaction, the tranEuillity gradually disappears, and an emotion, kindred to that which was before the sub,ect of contemplation, is gradually produced, and does itself actually e8ist in the mind. /n this mood successful composition generally begins, and in a mood similar to this it is carried on7 but the emotion, of whatever kind, and in whatever degree, from various causes, is Eualified by various pleasures, so that in describing any passions whatsoever, which are voluntarily described, the mind will, upon the whole, be in a state of en,oyment. /f <ature be thus cautious to preserve in a state of en,oyment a being so employed, the ;oet ought to profit by the lesson held forth to him, and ought especially to take care, that, whatever passions he communicates to his Reader, those passions, if his Reader4s mind be sound and vigorous, should always be accompanied with an overbalance of pleasure. <ow the music of harmonious metrical language, the sense of

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difficulty overcome, and the blind association of pleasure which has been previously received from works of rhyme or metre of the same or similar construction, an indistinct perception perpetually renewed of language closely resembling that of real life, and yet, in the circumstance of metre, differing from it so widelyHall these imperceptibly make up a comple8 feeling of delight, which is of the most important use in tempering the painful feeling always found intermingled with powerful descriptions of the deeper passions. 3his effect is always produced in pathetic and impassioned poetry7 while, in lighter compositions, the ease and gracefulness with which the ;oet manages his numbers are themselves confessedly a principal source of the gratification of the Reader. (ll that it is necessary to say, however, upon this sub,ect, may be effected by affirming, what few persons will deny, that, of two descriptions, either of passions, manners, or characters, each of them eEually well e8ecuted, the one in prose and the other in verse, the verse will be read a hundred times where the prose is read once. ...' %ote 14 / here use the word 4;oetry4 though against my own ,udgement' as opposed to the word ;rose, and synonymous with metrical composition. Jut much confusion has been introduced into criticism by this contradistinction of ;oetry and ;rose, instead of the more philosophical one of ;oetry and 6atter of Fact, or .cience. 3he only strict antithesis to ;rose is 6etre7 nor is this, in truth, a strict antithesis, because lines and passages of metre so naturally occur in writing prose, that it would be scarcely possible to avoid them, even were it desirable.

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TE5T A%AL6SIS
S,/7e't o& 1oetr2 ;oetry was to deal with 3he best sub,ects to write about were about L$*0,$0e . 3he poems were to be written and as near as possible to though purified of Ro.e o& the I-$0)*$t)o* /magination was to play a very important role, which Wordsworth identified with its capacity of /n other words, it awakened and sharpened a special intuition, which enables the poet to analyse the comple8 relation between ideas and sensation

Poetr2 $s -e-or2

(lthough the poet describes natural and simple ob,ects and peaceful landscapes, he does not look at them with the realism of ob,ective observation, but sees them through his

T$sk o& the Poet

(lthough eEual to other men in Euality, the ;oet stands apart from them because of his status of a man speaking to men7 He is in fact possessed

He is therefore best suited to reach the very essence of things and communicate them in a simple, unelaborated language. 6oreover, he is a moral teacher, whose task is to purify men4s emotions through the

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A//E0 T1/TE'/ ABBE) .*ull title Lines -o$posed a +e) Miles a"ove Tintern A""ey, on %evisiting the Banks o& the Wye during a Tour 7uly 89, 8:;< / +'0E years have past= &ive su$$ers, )ith the length 1& &ive long )inters> and again ' hear These )aters, rolling &ro$ their $ountain!springs With a so&t inland $ur$ur !! 1nce again Do ' "ehold these steep and lo&ty cli&&s, That on a )ild secluded scene i$press Thoughts o& $ore deep seclusion= and connect The landscape )ith the 3uiet o& the sky The day is co$e )hen ' again repose 6ere, under this dark syca$ore, and vie) These plots o& cottage!ground, these orchard!tu&ts, Which at this season, )ith their unripe &ruits, Are clad in one green hue, and lose the$selves ?Mid groves and copses 3he speaker4s declaration that five years have passed since he last visited this location, encountered its tranEuil, rustic scenery, and heard the murmuring waters of the river. He recites the ob,ects he sees again, and describes their effect upon him5 the >steep and lofty cliffs? impress upon him >thoughts of more deep seclusion?7 he leans against the dark sycamore tree and looks at the cottage$grounds and the orchard trees, whose fruit is still unripe. +DE2 1/T1#AT1+/S +* 1##+'TAL1T) *'+# 'E(+LLE(T1+/S +* EA'L) (31LD3++D There )as a ti$e )hen $eado), grove, and strea$, The earth, and every co$$on sight, To $e did see$ Apparelled in celestial light, The glory and the &reshness o& a drea$ 't is not no) as it hath "een o& yore=@ Turn )heresoe?er ' $ay, By night or day, The things )hich ' have seen ' no) can see no $ore 6any of Wordsworth4s poems, including this, deal with the sub,ects of childhood and the memory of childhood in the mind of the adult in particular, childhood4s lost connection with nature, which can be preserved only in memory. /n this poem Wordsworth e8plains how humans change over time. /n fact, when we are a child we are connected with nature, but as we get old we tend to forget nature and become more interested in other responsibilities of adulthood, and that connection with nature stays as recollections of childhood in our memory.

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1 WA/DE'ED L+/EL) AS A (L+4D 14 SO8R9E OF I%SPIRATIO% A%D P8:LI9ATIO%

4 THEME O& The Poe-

"4 STR89T8RE OF THE POEM

;4 9OMME%TAR6 OF THE POEM

54 RH6ME

<4 FI=8RES OF SPEE9H

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