William WordsworthWord文档格式.docx

William WordsworthWord文档格式.docx

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sphilosophicalsympathieslaywiththerevolutionaries,buthisloyaltieslaywithEngland,whosemonarchyhewasnotpreparedtoseeoverthrown.WhileinFrance,WordsworthhadalongaffairwithAnnetteVallon,withwhomhehadadaughter,Caroline.AlaterjourneytoFrancetomeetCaroline,nowayounggirl,wouldinspirethegreatsonnet"

Itisabeauteousevening,calmandfree."

ThechaosandbloodshedoftheReignofTerrorinParisdroveWilliamtophilosophybooks;

hewasdeeplytroubledbytherationalismhefoundintheworksofthinkerssuchasWilliamGodwin,whichclashedwithhisownsofter,moreemotionalunderstandingoftheworld.Indespair,hegaveuphispursuitofmoralquestions.Inthemid-1790s,however,Wordsworth'

sincreasingsenseofanguishforcedhimtoformulatehisownunderstandingoftheworldandofthehumanmindinmoreconcreteterms.Thetheoryheproduced,andthepoeticsheinventedtoembodyit,causedarevolutioninEnglishliterature.

Developedthroughouthislife,Wordsworth'

sunderstandingofthehumanmindseemssimpleenoughtoday,whatwiththeadventofpsycholanalysisandthegeneralFreudianacceptanceoftheimportanceofchildhoodintheadultpsyche.ButinWordsworth'

stime,inwhatSeamusHeaneyhascalled"

Dr.Johnson'

ssupremelyadulteighteenthcentury,"

itwasshockinglyunlikeanythingthathadbeenproposedbefore.Wordsworthbelieved（asheexpressedinpoemssuchasthe"

IntimationsofImmortality"

Ode）that,uponbeingborn,humanbeingsmovefromaperfect,idealizedrealmintotheimperfect,un-idealearth.Aschildren,somememoryoftheformerpurityandgloryinwhichtheylivedremains,bestperceivedinthesolemnandjoyousrelationshipofthechildtothebeautiesofnature.Butaschildrengrowolder,thememoryfades,andthemagicofnaturedies.Still,thememoryofchildhoodcanofferanimportantsolace,whichbringswithitalmostakindofre-accesstothelostpuritiesofthepast.Andthematuringminddevelopsthecapabilitytounderstandnatureinhumanterms,andtoseeinitmetaphorsforhumanlife,whichcompensateforthelossofthedirectconnection.

Freedfromfinancialworriesbyalegacylefttohimin1795,WordsworthmovedwithhissisterDorothytoRacedown,andthentoAlfoxdeninGrasmere,whereWordsworthcouldbeclosertohisfriendandfellowpoetSamuelTaylorColeridge.Together,WordsworthandColeridgebeganworkonabookcalledLyricalBallads,firstpublishedin1798andreissuedwithWordsworth'

smonumentalprefacein1802.

ThepublicationofLyricalBalladsrepresentsalandmarkmomentforEnglishpoetry;

itwasunlikeanythingthathadcomebefore,andpavedthewayforeverythingthathascomeafter.Accordingtothetheorythatpoetryresultedfromthe"

spontaneousoverflow"

ofemotions,asWordsworthwroteinthepreface,WordsworthandColeridgemadeittheirtasktowriteinthesimplelanguageofcommonpeople,tellingconcretestoriesoftheirlives.Accordingtothistheory,poetryoriginatedin"

emotionrecollectedinastateoftranquility"

;

thepoetthensurrenderedtotheemotion,sothatthetranquilitydissolved,andtheemotionremainedinthepoem.Thisexplicitemphasisonfeeling,simplicity,andthepleasureofbeautyoverrhetoric,ornament,andformalitychangedthecourseofEnglishpoetry,replacingtheelaborateclassicalformsofPopeandDrydenwithanewRomanticsensibility.Wordsworth'

smostimportantlegacy,besideshislovely,timelesspoems,ishislaunchingoftheRomanticera,openingthegatesforlaterwriterssuchasJohnKeats,PercyByssheShelley,andLordByroninEngland,andEmersonandThoreauinAmerica.

FollowingthesuccessofLyricalBalladsandhissubsequentpoemThePrelude,amassiveautobiographyinverseform,WordsworthmovedtothestatelyhouseatRydalMountwherehelived,withDorothy,hiswifeMary,andhischildren,untilhisdeathin1850.WordsworthbecamethedominantforceinEnglishpoetrywhilestillquiteayoungman,andhelivedtobequiteold;

hislateryearsweremarkedbyanincreasingaristocratictemperamentandageneralalienationfromtheyoungerRomanticswhoseworkhehadinspired.Byron--theonlyimportantpoettobecomemorepopularthanWordsworthduringWordsworth'

slifetime--inparticularsawhimasakindofsell-out,writinginhissardonicprefacetoDonJuanthattheonce-liberalWordsworthhad"

turnedoutaTory"

atlast.ThelastdecadesofWordsworth'

slife,however,werespentasPoetLaureateofEngland,anduntilhisdeathhewaswidelyconsideredthemostimportantauthorinEngland.

Analysis

Wordsworth’smonumentalpoeticlegacyrestsonalargenumberofimportantpoems,varyinginlengthandweightfromtheshort,simplelyricsofthe1790stothevastexpansesofThePrelude,thirteenbookslonginits1808edition.ButthethemesthatrunthroughWordsworth’spoetry,andthelanguageandimageryheusestoembodythosethemes,remainremarkablyconsistentthroughouttheWordsworthcanon,adheringlargelytothetenetsWordsworthsetoutforhimselfinthe1802prefacetoLyricalBallads.Here,Wordswortharguesthatpoetryshouldbewritteninthenaturallanguageofcommonspeech,ratherthanintheloftyandelaboratedictionsthatwerethenconsidered“poetic.”Hearguesthatpoetryshouldofferaccesstotheemotionscontainedinmemory.Andhearguesthatthefirstprincipleofpoetryshouldbepleasure,thatthechiefdutyofpoetryistoprovidepleasurethrougharhythmicandbeautifulexpressionoffeeling—forallhumansympathy,heclaims,isbasedonasubtlepleasureprinciplethatis“thenakedandnativedignityofman.”

Recovering“thenakedandnativedignityofman”makesupasignificantpartofWordsworth’spoeticproject,andhefollowshisownadvicefromthe1802preface.Wordsworth’sstyleremainsplain-spokenandeasytounderstandeventoday,thoughtherhythmsandidiomsofcommonEnglishhavechangedfromthoseoftheearlynineteenthcentury.ManyofWordsworth’spoems（includingmasterpiecessuchas“TinternAbbey”andthe“IntimationsofImmortality”ode）dealwiththesubjectsofchildhoodandthememoryofchildhoodinthemindoftheadultinparticular,childhood’slostconnectionwithnature,whichcanbepreservedonlyinmemory.Wordsworth’simagesandmetaphorsmixnaturalscenery,religioussymbolism（asinthesonnet“Itisabeauteousevening,calmandfree,”inwhichtheeveningisdescribedasbeing“quietasanun”）,andtherelicsofthepoet’srusticchildhood—cottages,hedgerows,orchards,andotherplaceswherehumanityintersectsgentlyandeasilywithnature.

Wordsworth’spoemsinitiatedtheRomanticerabyemphasizingfeeling,instinct,andpleasureaboveformalityandmannerism.Morethananypoetbeforehim,Wordsworthgaveexpressiontoinchoatehumanemotion;

hislyric“StrangefitsofpassionhaveIknown,”inwhichthespeakerdescribesaninexplicablefantasyheoncehadthathisloverwasdead,couldnothavebeenwrittenbyanypreviouspoet.Curiouslyforapoetwhoseworkpointssodirectlytowardthefuture,manyofWordsworth’simportantworksarepreoccupiedwiththelostgloryofthepast—notonlyofthelostdreamsofchildhoodbutalsoofthehistoricalpast,asinthepowerfulsonnet“London,1802,”inwhichthespeakerexhortsthespiritofthecenturies-deadpoetJohnMiltontoteachthemodernworldabetterwaytolive.

Themes

TheBeneficialInfluenceofNature

ThroughoutWordsworth’swork,natureprovidestheultimategoodinfluenceonthehumanmind.Allmanifestationsofthenaturalworld—fromthehighestmountaintothesimplestflower—elicitnoble,elevatedthoughtsandpassionateemotionsinthepeoplewhoobservethesemanifestations.Wordsworthrepeatedlyemphasizestheimportanceofnaturetoanindividual’sintellectualandspiritualdevelopment.Agoodrelationshipwithnaturehelpsindividualsconnecttoboththespiritualandthesocialworlds.AsWordsworthexplainsinThePrelude,aloveofnaturecanleadtoaloveofhumankind.Insuchpoemsas“TheWorldIsTooMuchwithUs”（1807）and“London,1802”（1807）peoplebecomeselfishandimmoralwhentheydistancethemselvesfromnaturebylivingincities.Humanity’sinnateempathyandnobilityofspiritbecomescorruptedbyartificialsocialconventionsaswellasbythesqualorofcitylife.Incontrast,peoplewhospendalotoftimeinnature,suchaslaborersandfarmers,retainthepurityandnobilityoftheirsouls.

ThePoweroftheHumanMind

Wordsworthpraisedthepowerofthehumanmind.Usingmemoryandimagination,individualscouldovercomedifficultyandpain.Forinstance,thespeakerin“LinesComposedaFewMilesAboveTinternAbbey”（1798）relieveshislonelinesswithmemoriesofnature,whiletheleechgathererin“ResolutionandIndependence”（1807）perseverescheerfullyinthefaceofpovertybytheexertionofhisownwill.Thetransformativepowersofthemindareavailabletoall,regardlessofanindividual’sclassorbackground.Thisdemocraticviewemphasizesindividualityanduniqueness.Throughouthiswork,Wordsworthshowedstrongsupportforthepolitical,religious,andartisticrightsoftheindividual,includingthepowerofhisorhermind.Inthe1802prefacetoLyricalBallads,Wordsworthexplainedthere