Book Description

Wordsworth is a beloved writer of many. They love his passionate and direct descriptions of Nature, his reflective calm, his deep moral sense, his simplicity and beauty of language. They love the thoughtfulness of his poetry, and its music. His lines are memorable lines and they evoke sensations sweet felt in the heart. He is a poet who brings with him a sense of both the sublime and the simple combined. There are of course many non- memorable lines and many poems which seem at times to be versified prose. But in the great Wordsworth there is the Literature which makes us Love Life More. At some point in their lives each and every reader can be uplifted by this great poetic soul. 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.