This authoritative edition was formerly published in the acclaimed Oxford Authors series under the general editorship of Frank Kermode. It brings together a unique combination of Wordsworth's poetry and prose - all the major poems, complemented by important letters, prefaces, and essays - to give the essence of his work and thinking. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) has long been one of the best-known and best-loved English poets. The Lyrical Ballads, written with Coleridge, is a landmark in the history of English romantic poetry. His celebration of nature and of the beauty and poetry in the commonplace embody a unified and coherent vision that was profoundly innovative. This volume presents the poems in their order of composition and in their earliest completed state, enabling the reader to trace Wordsworth's poetic development and to share the experience of his contemporaries. It includes a large sample of the finest lyrics, and also longer narratives such as The Ruined Cottage, Home at Grasmere, Peter Bell, and the autobiographical masterpiece, The Prelude (1805). All the major examples of Wordsworth's prose on the subject of poetry are also included.
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Stephen Gill, Professor of English, Lincoln College, Oxford.
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Format:Paperback
Wordsworth's poem "Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" is one of the master works of the English linguage. It is a poem which gives great pleasure and will greatly assist the reader in his or her own writing. Coleridge
writes in his famous literary biography that Wordsworth did not take seriously the Platonic philosophical heart of the poem. I
cannot know how accurate Coleridge's evaluation is.
writes in his famous literary biography that Wordsworth did not take seriously the Platonic philosophical heart of the poem. I
cannot know how accurate Coleridge's evaluation is.
I, personally, do not really like "The Prelude". It has informative points and tells something of Wordsworth's attitude. He seems quite pleased about the presence of "Negro Ladies" (his words) in London which may say something of his attitude toward race. If the poem were shorter, I should like it more I believe. Keats has a lot, usually unflattering, about Wordsworth's use of the first person in his poems.
The "Lucy" poems do not rank with "Intimations of Immortality". I find them works of great craftmanship rather than the genius that flows over in "Intimations of Immortality".
Coleridge goes into who wrote what lines in the Coleridge poem
of the Ancient Mariner, but the Wordsworth contribution is substantial.
"We Are Seven" is a look into the heart of a young child. It is
in keeping with "Intimations of Immortality" in that respect. "Intimations" is without doubt the finer poem.
Anyone who loves the English language or would master the language should read Wordsworth at his very best. "Intimations" in quality of language rises to the level of Shakespeare. Better can be said of no poetry. But, unlike Shakespeare, Wordsworth wrote a great deal of second or third rate poetry.
If you would see the English language at or near its best, read "Intimations". It may give you as it has given many lovers of poetry thoughts "too deep for tears".
By CR
Format:Paperback
'We are Seven' is based on an actual encounter Wordsworth had with a child near the River Wye in 1793.
To say he idolises an imaginary idea of Nature that doesn't exist except in Disney Land is not right. The kind of Nature he writes about exists in the Lake District.
Wordsworth writes about the harsh side of Nature as much as the unambiguously positive sides of it.
This book is most recommended and readers should dispell all those cliches that are stated about the 'Romantic' poets. The term 'Romantic' wasn't used until a long time after most of these poems were written.
Format:Paperback
Those readers of poetry who discount Wordsworth as merely a poet who "worships" Nature and holds emotion over rational thought are giving him only a shallow reading and relying on the obvious. When Wordsworth's work is read as a whole, and in context with his contemporaries and historical events, then one can begin to appreciate the depth and significance of the philosophical thought behind his poetry.
His reliance on Nature comes not from a worship of it, rather from the belief that philosophical and social issues can be found and answered in Nature. This does not contradict modern scientific thought, which relies upon the observation of the natural world through experimentation. It also eliminates the need for a rigid religious structure, because divinity can be found in Nature. Wordsworth teaches us that we learn, and grow, once we accept that we are part of the natural world, and that Nature does not exist to be conquered.
The feeling and emotion is a "natural" reaction, and therefore should not be discounted and inhibited. His poetry is an expression of this. It is not an attack on rational thought--it is a belief that one can learn through observation of the natural universe, not merely the reading of books and "dead forms."
Wordsworth was a master poet and a genius. he is well-worth the time it takes to study him.
His reliance on Nature comes not from a worship of it, rather from the belief that philosophical and social issues can be found and answered in Nature. This does not contradict modern scientific thought, which relies upon the observation of the natural world through experimentation. It also eliminates the need for a rigid religious structure, because divinity can be found in Nature. Wordsworth teaches us that we learn, and grow, once we accept that we are part of the natural world, and that Nature does not exist to be conquered.
The feeling and emotion is a "natural" reaction, and therefore should not be discounted and inhibited. His poetry is an expression of this. It is not an attack on rational thought--it is a belief that one can learn through observation of the natural universe, not merely the reading of books and "dead forms."
Wordsworth was a master poet and a genius. he is well-worth the time it takes to study him.
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