Millennial Themes in The Prelude and Mont Blanc
On reading Book VI of Wordsworth's thirteen-part version of The Prelude, I was particularly struck by the passage in which, following his crossing of the Alps, the poet describes "the sick sight / And giddy prospect of the raging stream" (VI. 564-565) of the Arve Ravine as both an apocalyptic foreboding and an expression of millennial unity in his theory of the One Mind:
The unfettered clouds and region of the heavens,
Tumult and peace, the darkness and the light,
Were all like workings of one mind, the features
Of the same face, blossoms upon one tree,
Characters of the great Apocalypse,
The types and symbols of eternity,
Of first, and last, and midst, and without end.
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The time in which Wordsworth and the other Romantics wrote was itself at the turn of a century, and the events of the French Revolution - and later, the Napoleonic War - also served to aggravate apocalyptic/millennial thinking, in both senses. The initial promises of the overthrow of the monarchy to bring about a unified 'millennial' society soon gave way to "the lurking destructive potentialities [that] became evident with the Reign of Terror" (Beer 110) and the declaration of war between Britain and France - in which people known to Wordsworth had become involved, many losing their lives in the process. The journey retold in Book VI of The Prelude was one Wordsworth had made in 1790, when he was twenty years old, when the turn of the century was still ten years away, and when the Revolution was still in its earlier, more optimistic phases. As he had also done in Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth uses his memories of the travels of his younger days to reflect upon the changes in his life since those days, as well as to express his belief in "The universal reason of mankind / The truth of young and old" (VI. 476-477) that would always endure even through the most violent upheavals in society.
Many times throughout The Prelude, and especially in his musings on the imagination and the One Mind in Book VI, Wordsworth contrasts his earlier use of the picturesque with his later use of the sublime, which itself
The reason Wordsworth wrote this poem was to express the beauty of all nature and how we take its beauty for granted. He is wishing to convey that we should acknowledge nature because we are nature and nature is in all of use. Also that we should admire its beauty
Wordsworth stood on the cliff 'not only with the sense of 'present pleasure'; (63) but he joyfully anticipated the moments 'for future years'; (65). He came back to reality and began to analyze the situation after his reminiscing. Wordsworth realized that he had lost some guidance and was searching for the presence of nature when returning to the Wye. He remembered when he used to wander and roam as free as a roe but as he matured he felt content with tapping into his memories of his youth because as Wordsworth stated, 'That time is past? other gifts have allowed; for such loss, I would believe, abundant recompense'; (83-88). He realized that he was involved with more mature things in life because he had become more intelligent through the years and saw nature in the light of his intelligence. Yet, he insisted that he was 'still a lover of the meadows and the woods, and the mountains; and of all that we behold from this green earth'; (102-105) but indeed, in a more composed way.
He discovers a deeper sense of existence when gazing across the scenery, as opposed to the shallow and superficial perspective he once had. He finds himself more calm and restored when immersed in nature, and that nature inspires in him a sublime state. Wordsworth was so entranced with the beauty of the Wye that it would cause him to feel dizzy or slow down his breathing, but as he grew older, this tendency of his had changed; the beauty no longer overwhelmed him as much, and he had more control over his senses where he would look and actually see, or hear and truly
Wordsworth describes in this poem that even though many years have went by since he has been back to Tintern, nothing has really changed in his eyes. And when they come back to visit it is just the ruins of it, it is still beautiful to him. When he says, “For the future years. And so I dare to hope. Though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first I came among these hills; when like a roe” lines 65 to 67, it tells that the changes really do not affect the way he sees the beauty.
Bringing forth the fact that Wordsworth finds such “tranquil restoration” when he reminisces over these fond times and sights that it would also inhibit in him a feeling of “unremembered pleasure.” And though Wordsworth finds no sense of absolution with modern society, he doesn’t hate it for what it is. In fact, he simply just gives off this feeling that he simply doesn’t belong in cities or towns and instead jells more into natures embrace. Another reading post by Jaqueline coincides with Wordsworth’s views of the natural world. This is on full display when she herself mentions that she can heavily relate to the component of memory that that uses nature as a backdrop to fuel “current joys, hopefulness for the future, a sense of wholeness, healing and a knowledge.” The appreciation of such a connection is breathtaking and harkens back to the “aspect more sublime.” (37) which we also discussed in depth during last week’s lecture session. Jaqueline also brings up the fact that Wortdsworth doesn’t “mourn” the fact he has lost that connection to nature, that he simply must be happy with both who he is and how his nature with the world around him has matured since those days have come and passed. Exhuming the idea that Wordsworth has come to terms with the mankind’s overall evolution and relationship with the natural world. That is a past point brought up in my C3
Wordsworth seems to be reminiscing his last visit to the Tintern Abbey. He is well aware of the amount of the time that has passed by that he last visited, it is as though it has been a torture for him being away so long. His vivid descriptions of the Tintern Abbey solely come from the memory of his last visit. There is a sense of longing to be there by the way he is able to remember the sound of the “water rolling from their mountain-springs” or laying down under a sycamore tree while taking in the view (Wordsworth, line 3-12). These memories he carries with him have provided him with “sensations sweet, felt in the blood, and
In this excerpt from “The Prelude”, Wordsworth’s speaker exhibits three major responses to his experiences in nature. Each response is quite different from the previous and just as- if not more- vividly represented.
stand out other than him. The words in his poem shown in a format that gives off a
William Wordsworth’s poetry was renowned for its connection to nature. As we learnt in class, his father became very ill when he traveled into nature and the
The human tendency, described in the poem, is to foolishly “waste our powers” on material items rather than taking time to enjoy nature. Mankind is obsessed with “getting and spending” that we have become “out of tune” with the rest of the world to the point we do not anything of nature at all. The majority of the poem is a tribute to nature’s beauty so that others can experience it once industrialization consumes it. The past and memory are captured in Wordsworth’s poem through the experience of nature and its destruction from a first-person perspective. The concern of preserving the past to the Romantic poets it to pass on experiences of something beautiful that many do not take the time to see, and will soon cease to
(“lonely rooms, and mid the din / Of towns and cities, I have owed to them / In hours of weariness, sensations sweet”). Once again repetition is used to firmly imprint the idea in our mind of how essential this memory has been to his happiness during testing times, “How oft, in spirit, have I turned to thee / … / How often has my spirit turned to thee”. The simplicity in which he aims to convey this idea relates back to his poetic purpose of recovering “the naked and native dignity of man” (Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, 1801), doing this required using “a selection of language really used by men” (Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, 1801). The use of repetition emphasises the point he is trying to convey, the audience is made focus on just how beneficial state of mind can be when we are in unpleasant circumstances. The first person narrative style places us in the shoes of Wordsworth, and we ponder the role positive thought has played in our own lives. With the poet himself, memories of nature sustained and restored him when weighed down by the burdens of the world, and we are compelled to question where he would be without
Abstract: By comparing and analyzing their two poems, I will try to define Wordsworth and Emerson¡¯s respective conception of nature. The reason why they formed such conceptions of nature is, to the former, lies in his passiveness; and to the latter, in German philosophy and bold individualism.
By contrast, Wordsworth takes a completely different approach to poetry where he relief heavily on his senses. Wordsworth relied on his senses to produce images that he could then use to produce his poetry. Wordsworth describes, "I have said that poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility" (303). He continues, "Now, if nature be thus cautious in preserving in a state of enjoyment a being thus employed, the poet ought to profit by the lesson thus held forth to him" (303). These lines indicate the chief mission Wordsworth find himself on when writing poetry. Thus, because nature can produce such feelings in the poet, the poet must therefore rely heavily on what he sees. In order for him to have "powerful feelings" to recollect on he must first have a visual aid to send him into this "spontaneous overflow." This is one of the core differences between Blake and
Written over the course of several years beginning in 1802, Ode to Intimations by William Wordsworth is one of the most revered poems of the Romantic period. The sonnet explores man 's relationship with nature and the gradual loss of the glorious life of childhood. In William Wordsworth’s “Ode to Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” the speaker specifically uses the memories of the innocence and life of his childhood to articulate his ideas of devotion and connection with nature.
The opinions and viewpoints William Wordsworth is trying to express in his 1802 poem describe the peaceful and natural environment that exists in London, England. The poem that Wordsworth composed upon Westminster Bridge on September 3rd, 1802 references the majestic views brought on by native London. Wordsworth states “The Beauty of the morning; silent, bare,” illustrate London as an attractive place, unflawed and authentic. Lines like “All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep” express the environment as fresh and clean, with a lack of smoke that would come from factories. The “Never did sun more beautifully steep” part describes a sunrise (or sunset) in which the view is not polluted by distant factories or smokestacks. Towards the end, Wordsworth says “The river glideth at his own sweet will” which can translate to the river gliding without interruption, no pollution or man made waste infecting the flow, as the river remains natural, meaning it bends, flows, and moves freely. It is the environmental damages that are expressed in the two paintings, documents C and D. The first painting depicts an agricultural environment with laborers, dogs, cattle, and horses. In the background of the painting, we see luscious trees and forestry, and in the foreground we see laborers working the land in order to make their living. Document D expresses the complete opposite of Document C. In this painting, we see a painting of Manchester England