The Secret Of WILLIAM WORDSWORTH LIFE AND WORKS
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The Secret Of WILLIAM WORDSWORTH LIFE AND WORKS : William Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770 at Cockermouth in Cumberland. He attended the infants' school in Penrith.. After his mother Ann Wordsworth died in 1778, he was brought up by his uncle who sent him to Hawkshead Grammar School in the Lake region. He studied there from 1779 to 1787. His father, John Wordsworth, died in 1783.
Right from his school days, he found interest in Nature. He attended St. John's College, Cambridge, from 1787 to 1791, but did not like formal education. In 1790, he went to France and spent a year there. During this period, he was Influenced by the French revolution. After return- ing from France, he, along with his sister Dorothy, settled in a little cottage in Dorset. He was the worshipper of Nature.
He was preparing for a poetic career. When England declared war against France in 1793, he was shocked. In 1797, Words- worth moved to Alfoxton to have close contact with his friend Coleridge. Wordsworth and Coleridge collaborated and published Lyrical Ballads in 1798. This collection of poems made history. It was unprecedented and its impact was revolutionary.
Both Wordsworth and Coleridge visited Germany in 1798. In 1799, Wordsworth returned to England and settled in Dove Cottage at Grasmere in the heart of the Lake District. He wrote most of his best poems here. In 1802, Wordsworth and Mary Hutchinson got married. During the next two or three years, Wordsworth's achievement was great. In 1803, he and his sister made a tour to Scotland.
Later, his domestic hap- piness was marred by the death of his brother, John, and his two children. In 1813, he moved to Rydal Mount where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1843, he was made Poet Laureate. Wordsworth died on April 23, 1850. His poetry inspired all the poets of his age and beyond. Wordsworth started his poetic career with the poem, "Guilt And Sorrow" (1791). But his first important poetic composition was "An Evening Walk" which was published in 1793. His Descrip- tive Sketches (1793) was a revolutionary work. In 1798, with the publication of Lyrical Ballads, which I Wordsworth wrote in collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Romantic Age in English lit- erature began.
It is unique both in theme and style. His other important works include Lucy Gray, Ruth, The Prelude etc., that were composed between 1799 and 1805. In 1807, his Poems in Two volumes was published. In 1814, The Excur- sion was published. From 1823 to 1825, he pub- lished a series of sonnets. His dramatic work The Borderers was published in 1842.
ESTIMATE AS A POET:
Introduction: Wordsworth was primarily a poet of Nature. His poetry dealt with rustic life. His lan- guage was simple.
Wordsworth's Poetic Theory: Wordsworth describes poetry as the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." He contended that poetry is the expres- sion of the poet's thoughts and feelings recol- lected in tranquillity.
Poet of Nature: Wordsworh is famous as a poet of Nature. To him, nothing in Nature is trivial. He believed Nature never betrays the heart that loves her. Nature is not merely sensuous; it is a physical as well as spiritual entity. To Wordsworth, Nature is intelligent, meaningful and profound. It gives knowledge to man and it also teaches moral truth. The poet identifies God and Nature as one. In his poetry, Wordsworth personifies objects of Nature and expresses his joy in the lap of Nature.
Poet of Man: Worthsworth is also a poet of man. Along with Nature, he is also interested in the rus- tic life. His poetry represents the qualities of ength, endurance, simplicity, courage and hope of the common people.
Subject-matter or Theme: He was as much inter- ested in Nature as in man. He was interested in the unsophisticated peasants, rustics, shepherds, mountain dwellers who lived their simple lives in the midst of Nature.
Poetic Diction and Style: He has a kind of middle style. At its best, it has grace and dignity, a heart- searching simplicity and a certain magical enlight enment of phrase that is all his own.
Conclusion: Wordsworth was a great innovator. He expanded the range of English poetry, both terms of subject-matter and content.
Occasion: While going to France, Wordsworth, on his way from London to Dover, stopped his horse carriage on Westminster Bridge and wrote this poem, sitting on the roof of the carriage. It was early morning. The poet was moved by the beauty of the city of London bathed in the early morning sunlight. He enjoyed this beauty by standing on the Westminster Bridge.
Dorothy's Explanation: The poet's sister, Dorothy, who accompanied him, writes: "Left London between five and six o' clock in the morning. A beautiful morning. The city, St. Paul's, the river with its multitude of boats made a beautiful sight as we crossed Westminster Bridge,.... the sun shone brightly with such a pure light that there was something like the purity of one of Nature's own grand spectacles."
Type: The poem, Upon Westminster Bridge, is a Petrarchan sonnet. It has fourteen lines. Its rhyme-scheme is abba abba cd cd cd. The sonnet has two parts, octave (first eight lines) and sestet (last six lines).
Theme: The poem was actually written about an experience the poet had on July 31, 1802 during his trip to France with his sister Dorothy, and it describes the early morning view of London and river Thames, seen from Westminster Bridge. It also expresses his feeling of joy. In this poem, Wordsworth integrated the city into his general vision of the countryside by breaking the barrier between the two. Wordsworth has made it clear that the city itself is also a part of Nature.
Speciality: Wordsworth is a poet of Nature. In this sonnet, he is speaking of the beauty of the city of London. He refers to man-made entities, such as 'ships', 'towers', 'domes', "theatres', and "tem- ples'. It seems as if the city, bathed in the light of the early morning sun, has itself become a part of silent, grand and widespread Nature.
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