Salient features of Wordsworth as a romantic poet

 NAME  : SRUSHTIKUMARI ZINABHAI  CHAUDHARI 

                ROLL NO : 40

                CLASS : MA, SEM– 1

                YEAR : 2024-25

                       MKBU,

       DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH,                                       

                 BHAVNAGAR.

“Salient features of Wordsworth as a romantic poet”

Introduction of poet: William Wordsworth  ( 1770-1850) :-

                                        He was born at Cockermouth , outside the Lake District .  In 1839, Oxford conferred upon him the degree of D.C.L. (Doctor of Civil Law ) and on the death of Southey he became Poet Laureate. Throughout his life , however , he never wavered in his faith in himself and his immortality as poet.

                                       He records that his earliest verse was written at school . At the university he composed some poetry, which appeared as An Evening Walk (1793) and Descriptive Sketches (1793) . In style these poems have little originality , but they already show the Wordsworthian eye for nature. The first fruits of his genius were seen in the Lyrical Ballads (1798) , a joint production by Coleridge and himself, which was published at Bristol. Biographia Literaria is epoch-making, for it is the prelude to the Romantic movement proper. The concluding piece, Tintern Abbey , is one of the triumphs of his genius. During the years 1798-99 Wordsworth composed some of his finest Poems, which appeared in 1800. Among the most noteworthy of the new works in this collection were “ Michael”, “The Old Cumberland Beggar”, “ She dwelt among the untrodden ways”, “Strange fits of passion I’ve known”, and “Nutting”.

                                     “The Prelude” , which was completed in 1805 but not published until 1850, after Wordsworth’s death, is the record of his development as a poet. He describes his experiences with a fullness, and laborious anxiety that are unique in our literature. The poem, which runs to fourteen books, is often dull and prosy, but at times, particularly, when he is describing the formative influence of nature, and his emotions when confronted by seamingly unreal natural objects, the blank verse is impassioned, and inspired by his exaltation, wonder and awe.

                                     “The Prelude” was intended to form part of a vast philosophical work called “The Recluse” which was never completed.

 

                                      Next to be published, in 1807, were two volumes of poems which represent the fine flower of his genius. Wordsworth is here seen at the height of his powers. Some of the finest lyrics are : “The Solitary Reaper”, “The Green Linnet”, “I wandered lonely as a cloud”; in the philosophical, “Ode on the Intimations of Immorality”, “Ode to Duty”; and the Sonnet Dedicated to National Independence and Liberty  - are of a quality which has led many critics to hail them as the finest sonnets in the language. 

                                     After the publication of “The Excursion” Wordsworth’s poetical power was clearly on the decline, but his productivity was unimpaired. His later volumes include The White Doe of Rylstone (1815), The Waggoner(1819), Yarrow Revisited(1835).

Theory of Poetry : 

                                 In the preface to the second edition of Lyrical Ballads (1800) Wordsworth set out his theory of poetry. It reveals a lofty conception of the dignity of that art which is “the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge” , Wordsworth rightly says, 

                       “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of

                         powerful feelings; it takes its origin from

                          emotion recollected in tranquility.”

Features of his poetry: 

(A): Its Inequality and its Limitations: “The Excursion” is long, meditative, and often prosaic poem and these tendencies become more marked as the years pass. Before the year 1808 he had produced poems as intensely and artistically beautiful as any in the language. He had little sense of humou, a scary dramatic power, and only a meagre narrative gift, but he strove to exploit all that qualities in his work. 

(B): Its Egoism: The best of his shorter poems deal with his own experiences; and his longest works “The Prelude” and “The Excursion” describe his spiritual development in the minutest detail. 

(C): In spite of this self-obsession he is curiously deficient in the purely lyrical gift. He excels especially in the face of nature, in the expression of a reflective and analytic mood which is both personal and general. The following lyric illustrates this mood to perfection:

              “My heart leaps up when I behold

                          A rainbow in the sky:

                So was it when my life began;

                So is it now I am a man; 

                So be it when I shall grow old, 

                               Or let me die!

                The child is father of the man:”

                                        In his sonnets he his lyrical mood burns clear and strong, and as a result they rank among the best in his English poetry, Wordsworth’s use of the Petrarchan form was so striking that he re- established its supremacy over the Shakespearean sonnet.

(D): His treatment of Nature: His dealings with nature are his chief glory as a poet. His treatment is accurate and first-hand. His personal dealing with nature in all her moods produces a joy, a plenteousness of delight, that to most readers is Wordsworth’s most appealing charm. In his treatment of nature, however, he is not content merely to rejoice: he tries to see more deeply and to find the secret springs of this joy and thanksgiving.

Experience of academic visit to Victoria park: 

                     On August 31, Sunday, we visited Victoria Park. The atmosphere was very cheerful upon entering. Started moving forward with friends from the department. The surrounding nature seemed to be welcoming with love. The flying butterflies were showering like feathers. Peacocks and other birds were chirping and welcoming.The light rain seemed to be playing with everyone. After reaching there, some people painted naturalistic pictures while others wrote poetry and prose. After completing this activity, everyone presented their work. Professors also gave us work related to our future goals. Then we had a lunch. After lunch we visited the lake and also took group photo. 

   

 Represent Daffodils 🌼 

                       Wordsworth often writes about the stunning beauty of nature. He captures the joyful,  mystical, feeling of being in nature and landscape full of life and light. When walking through a park , I see flowers, trees, birds and lake that remind me his description and I feel the same awe and delight he expresses in his poetry. In his work “Tintern Abbey” , he reflects on the spiritual and emotional revival he feels when immersed in nature. This visit provide me a similar sense of peace and renewal. I feel connected to nature on a deeper level, just as Wordsworth describes a communication with the “serene and blessed mood” that nature brings.Wordsworth valued the simplicity and solitude found in nature, believing that such environment allows for self-analysis and clarity of thought. A park give me time to reflect on my life and even find moments of peace, echoing the sense of peacefulness and reflection present in Wordsworth’s poetry. Wordsworth saw nature as a source of wisdom and moral guidance. In writes that “Let Nature be your teacher”. This visit offers me a chance to observe the natural processes, cycle and rhythms that inspire these lessons- just as Wordsworth found meaning in observing the details of the natural world. Wordsworth also explores the more dramatic, awe-inspiring aspects of nature. In poems like “The Prelude”  , he captures the power and vastness of nature that can evoke both fear and wonder. My visit involves seeing majestic landscapes, trees, open and clear cloudy sky.