William Wordsworth, whose biography and work is the subject of this review, was the largest representative of the direction of romanticism in English literature. His work in many ways determined the transition from classicism to romanticism. His landscape and philosophical lyrics are the best example of world poetic heritage.
general characteristics
Wordsworth William was a prominent representative of his time, his works should be seen in the context of the era. In the 18th century, the dominant trend in English literature was classicism. However, by the end of the century there was a tendency towards a transition to sentimental and romantic lyrics. In many respects, this was determined by the dominant directions of that era, namely, the fact that Russo's works played a great role in socio-political thought and in literature. The cult of nature put forward by him and the image of human experiences, emotions, personality psychology had a huge impact on the educated circles of that time. In addition, English literature already had experience in creating sonnets, images of nature and fine lyrics. The works of W. Shakespeare, D. Chaucer, D. Milton had a great influence on the poet's work.
Childhood, youth and travel
Wordsworth William was born in 1770 in Cumberland. He was the son of a real estate agent. The boy was sent to school in North Lancashire, where he received a good education: he studied ancient and English literature, mathematics. However, even more important was the fact that the child grew up in nature, which had a huge impact on personality formation. It was then that he fell in love with landscapes, which later became mainly in his lyrical works. Then Wordsworth William entered Cambridge University, in which there was a rivalry that did not appeal to him.
However, it was precisely during the student years that a very significant event took place: on vacation, the young man went on a trip to France on foot, where revolutionary upheavals were taking place. They made a great impression on the future poet. Together with his companion, he reached the lake edge in Italy. This journey was of great importance for his work: under the impression of him Wordsworth William wrote his first significant work (“Walk”). It has already outlined the basic creative principles of the author's poetic creativity: a combination of a description of nature and philosophical reasoning. We can say that this poem has become one of his most significant works. He worked on it a lot in the subsequent, mature years, remaking, ferrying and inserting new parts into it.
Transition period
Wordsworth William, after graduating from the university, devoted himself to poetry. However, the 1790s were a difficult time for him, since it was a period of disappointment in the French Revolution. In addition, he was very sensitive to the fact that his country had launched a war against France. All these experiences led to depression, so his lyrics of this period are painted in gloomy tones. But, fortunately, this did not last long, because very soon William Wordsworth, whose poems were still distinguished by melancholy and despondency, met Coleridge, who was also a poet. This acquaintance literally over a year grew into a strong friendship, which was very fruitful for their cooperation, and primarily for the creative rise of the author.
The Great Decade
That is what is commonly called the period from 1797 to 1808 in the poet's biography. Wordsworth William, whose works now received a completely different sound, entered a period of creative enthusiasm. Friends decided to take a trip to Germany and before sending decided to release a collection of poetic works that should demonstrate their views on modern literature. College was supposed to write ballads in an exotic style, and his friend - sentimental and romantic lyrics. However, the first included only about five essays in the collection, the rest belonged to his co-author. The reason should be sought in the fact that Coleridge undertook to write ballads in the traditional English spirit, that is, on complex subjects and a serious syllable. While the verses in English of his friend were light and simple. His characters spoke clearly and accessible to everyone, which was a fundamental innovation for that time.
Creative principles
This collection is also interesting because in its second edition in the preface, Wordsworth made an introduction in which he outlined the rules that guided him in writing his poems. He stated that his lyrical ballads are based on plots and reality, which he perceived and described as she imagined it to be. And life, nature and life were seen by the poet as a natural manifestation of the universe. Wordsworth stated that it is necessary to perceive and portray the surrounding reality in a simple, clear and conversational language. He believed that there was no need to complicate anything when creating a literary work, since the laws of nature are natural, they must be perceived directly, without unnecessary philosophies. In this setting, the influence of the ideas of Rousseau, who also praised the life of man in the lap of nature and emphasized the artificiality of urban life, is guessed.
Key Images
Wordsworth's verses in English are distinguished by a straightforward composition, but their characteristic feature is the combination of the image of nature, emotional experiences with deep philosophical reasoning. This was new to English literature of the time. In addition, the author made the hero of his works a simple man: on the pages of his poems there are tramps, wanderers, beggars, wandering merchants. This type of character was news for English literature, and not everyone immediately appreciated the poet's find. For some time, literary critics even criticized him for such innovations.
Another characteristic image in his poetry is a person who suffered from social injustice. Wordsworth very sharply condemned the war and wrote the drama "Residents of the Frontier", in which he depicted all the horrors of victims and violence. And, finally, the image of himself occupies a large place in his creative heritage. The poet wrote his autobiography in poetic form, which is called "Prelude." She is distinguished by an accurate depiction of human psychology and emotional experiences of a character who carefully analyzed the path of his creative formation as a poet. The image of the author is important for understanding the entire work of the poet in general.
Other works
The best examples of the author’s lyrics include poems about the nature and emotional experiences of a person. He was especially sensitive to the depiction of nature. William Wordsworth, whose “Daffodils” are one of the best examples of his lyric poetry, perfectly and beautifully felt the beauty of the world around him. In this poem, he sang the beauty of flowers, mountains in a very sonorous singing form. This composition is distinguished by its unusual melodiousness and penetration.
Another of his famous works is called "On Westminster Bridge." William Wordsworth recreated the panorama of London, but drew attention not so much to the urban landscape as to natural phenomena. In general, the city as such is almost not present in the works of the poet. He wholly belongs to the village, village and nature.
Late period
The last two decades of the poet's life were marked by the gradual fading of his poetic inspiration. In literary criticism, it is customary to distinguish between “early” and “late” Wordsworth. And if the first stage of his work was marked by a clear and harmonious attitude, then the late period is characterized by a difficult mentality. This is largely due to the personal losses of the author: he was very hard pressed for the death of his beloved sister, with whom he lived all his life, as well as the death of his two children. In addition, he lost his brother, who drowned during one of the flights, as well as his friend Coleridge. However, at this time he created a whole cycle of beautiful sonnets and elegiac works, which are imbued with sadness, sorrow and longing. These of his later works have a greater philosophical burden than the early works, in which joyful admiring the beauties of nature prevailed. The poet died in 1850 in the same county where he was born.
The value of creativity
Wordsworth's poetry has become a landmark in the formation of English romanticism. In modern literary criticism, he, along with Coleridge, is attributed to the older generation of romantics. It is significant that the poetry of the author did not immediately receive recognition. Only in the 1830s, his merits in literature were rewarded. The public began to favor his writings, and the queen granted him the title of poet and laureate. He was known in Russia. So, Pushkin in his famous “Sonnet” mentioned the name of the English poet as a prominent author.