How does William Wordsworth's poetry fit into the literary tradition of Romanticism? A. Romantic

ENGLISH COURSEWORK – WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

Q. How does William Wordsworth’s poetry fit into the literary tradition of Romanticism?

A. Romantic poetry was an artistic movement of the late 18th and early 19th century. It dealt with nature, human imagination, childhood and the ability to recall emotional memories of both happiness and sadness. Before Wordsworth began writing his revolutionary new style of poetry, all preceding poetry had a very different style.

The reason these poems were classed as revolutionary was because he believed that romantic poetry should describe “incidents of common life” and ordinary people and were written in deliberately plain words. It was what Wordsworth called “The real language of men”.

Before this style of writing, all poems were about important things and people. They were written about Kings, Queens and Gods. All poems were of a formal nature and of epic proportions. Before Wordsworth, poets didn’t believe that “common people” were good enough to have a poem written about them.

We see Wordsworth’s Romantic style and the inclusion of memories, imagination, human feelings and ordinary people. One such poem is “The Reverie of Poor Susan”.

In this poem, we are told of Susan who is a woman from the country who is living and working in the city. As she passes by a bird singing in a cage, she seems to be saddened. Wordsworth wonders why this is, as he says the bird’s song is very beautiful

“ Tis a note of enchantment. What ails her?”

We then see that the reason for this is that Susan is very homesick and longs to be back in the country. She imagines the streets of London turning into hills and green pastures. She also ...

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“ Tis a note of enchantment. What ails her?”

We then see that the reason for this is that Susan is very homesick and longs to be back in the country. She imagines the streets of London turning into hills and green pastures. She also imagines rivers running through the streets of London.

She is then “transported” through the power of her imagination, to her home. She sees her cottage and we see how happy she is.

“…and a single small cottage…the only dwelling on earth that she loves”

“She looks, her heart to heaven”

This shows how happy she is at seeing her cottage, in the countryside that she loves.

However, this soon fades. The images go away and she is sad once again as she goes back to her unhappy life in the city where she feels trapped.

This fits into Romanticism by including most of the main features. It deals with human feelings and how Susan is sad. It includes memories and the use of imagination. It also shows probably the most important feature, which is a love of nature. We see that Susan feels truly happy surrounded by hills and pastures.

We also see this in Wordsworth’s most famous and well-known poem “Daffodils”. Wordsworth thought of his poetry as originating in “emotion recollected in tranquillity”. His memories were memories of strong feelings of happiness brought about by something or some landscape connected to the nature.

In “Daffodils”, we again see all the features that make this poem fit into the tradition of Romanticism and Romantic Poetry.

Wordsworth describes nature and says how beautiful it is and the beauty he sees when he looks at the daffodils.

“…when all at once I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils”.

He also uses his imagination to see the daffodils almost as human beings. He describes their movements as, and compares them to people. He gives human attributes to something abstract.

“Fluttering and dancing in the breeze…tossing their heads in sprightly dance”

We also see the use of human feeling when Wordsworth describes his mood and how happy he is when he sees the daffodils and is surrounded by the beauty of the thing he loves, nature

“A poet couldn’t not but be gay… with wealth the show had brought to me”

Wordsworth then finishes the poem using two traits of romantic poetry. He uses his memories to recall a point in time when he was very happy and “emotion recollected in tranquillity” to call emotions whilst he is relaxed.

“For oft when on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood…and then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils”

This poem again shows how Wordsworth’s poems were Romantic, why he was considered a Romantic poet and how his poetry fits in with the literary tradition of Romanticism.

In “The Prelude”, this is one of few of Wordsworth’s poems where he shows memories of childhood. The poem again uses all the components of Romanticism in order to create a romantic poem.

“The Prelude” tells of his childhood and talk about the Lake District, which he grew up in, and loves.

He tells of when he was younger and stole a small boat that was tied up. He tells how it was pleasurable but was slightly tainted.

“…and troubled pleasure.”

He was possibly troubled from guilt or even fear of being caught stealing the boat.

In this poem, which is different from most of his other poems because this one describes nature as bad and scary, which is in great contrast to a poem such as “Daffodils”

He is out in his boat and he imagines the cliffs and rocks as a monster. Wordsworth is only a child and begins to get very frightened. He realises that he is only a child and is out alone and in the dark.

“And growing still in stature, the grim shape towered up between me and the stars”

“…with trembling oars I turned…”

This shows human emotion and how easily the power of your imagination can work against you. It shows how scared you can actually make yourself.

Wordsworth then goes on to say how he didn’t return to normal for days after and if he still remembered it by the time he wrote this, it must have been very emotional and traumatic for him.

“There hung a darkness…remained no pleasant image…and were a trouble to my dreams”

In conclusion, the reason Wordsworth’s poetry fits into the literary tradition of Romantic Poetry is that he complies with and uses all aspects of Romanticism in his poetry. He believed what he wrote was important and he had a great love for nature, which is why I think his poetry was so powerful. He was a revolutionary and new poet who could reach out to the ordinary people.

Sean McQuade