The Prelude by William Wordsworth

UNIT 29 THE PRELUDE BK. 1

William Wordsworth, the greatest poet of the nineteenth century Romantic Revival,

wrote The Prelude, a long autobiographical poem in fourteen Books, in 1800, when

He was thirty and at the pinnacle of his poetic talent. This long poem of 7883 lines in blank verse is an epic of a very special type : its 'story' is in the account of the growth of a 'spirit', the development of an awareness, the evolution of a sensitive mind.

NINETEENTH CENTURY ROMANTIC REVIVAL

What is Romanticism?

 RFB History of evolution of the word and its meanings along with the changing definitions.

Nineteenth Century Romantic Revival

The first half of the nineteenth century is known as the age of the Romantic Revival because the Elizabethan Age was popularly known as a romantic period. This romanticism was in contradistinction to what was called 'classical', and the status of The classical was given to the ancient works that had stood the test of time. So, romanticism meant novelty and its degree directly depended on its departure, well established and acknowledged norms or principles of writing.

Poets like Wordsworth felt that the world was going the wrong way which would lead to unhappiness and it was their moral duty to warn it and to show it the path of truth and bliss.

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH : HIS LIFE AND LIFE-VIEW

William Wordsworth was born on April 7,1770, at Cockermouth, William lost his mother in

1778 and his father in 1783.

Wordsworth's first published poem, Sonnet, On Seeing Miss Helen Maria Willians Weep at State of Distress appeared in The European Magazine in March, 1787. An Evening Walk was written the year the French Revolution started with the storming of Bastille (1 789). In 1 790 Wordsworth had a walking tour of France. He came back to England in early 1791 and returned to France late in the year to see revolutionary fervour in Paris. He had a love affair with Annette Vallon, and their daughter Caroline was born in December 1792. He composed Descriptive Sketches in 1793 and returned to England to seek a livelihood. Godwin's Political Justice was published the same year. In 1795 Wordsworth and Coleridge came lose to each other which finally resulted in the joint authorship of the Lyrical Ballads (1798). This very year Wordsworth wrote some autobiographical verse which was the foundation of The Prelude.

Works - 1804 Ode to Duty was composed and Ode on Intimations of Immortality, was completed, The Excursion in 1814, The Recluse, Biographia Literaria, The Prelude, Immortality Ode.

In 1843 Wordsworth became Poet Laureate. He died in April, 1850, and The Prelude Which he wrote and rewrote almost throughout his life was published after his death.

Wordsworth had the ambition of writing a 'great' poem -very long, very rich, containing all his thoughts, and the history of the maturing of his poetic sensibility, an epic simultaneously personal, national, and universal. But he could never write this poem. Attempts remained unfinished. The Prelude was designed to be the Prelude to that poem. Throughout his life he kept on revising The Prektde but could not publish it. When it was published posthumously, the critics did not hesitate to call it a 'great' poem.

As per him If one goes to nature with an open heart, nature gives one everything, especially strength to face and overcome all sorrows and sufferings of life. Since he knew the 'panacea' and found 'illness' all around him, and saw people ignoring what could cure them, he was sad. The tragic awareness of the suffering of man made him more inclined towards mankind, and so his love for nature and love for humanity became parts of the same awareness or philosophical truth he adhered to.

THE PRELUDE (GENERAL)

Wordsworth kept on working on The Prelude, his longest poem, throughout his life- writing and rewriting it, often copying it, changing, rearranging and revising it, but never published it during his lifetime. Though it is a complete poem, a complete statement, he always cherished the thought that it was only a 'prelude' to a much longer poem. The Recluse, which he could never finish. The Prelude is much longer than the unfinished poem whose prelude it was intended to be. This caused embarrassment in the poet and it is perhaps one of the reasons that he could never publish The Prelude.

The poem has a complicated textual history. The poet worked on it at intervals for more than forty years. The first drafts were written in 1798 and the last full scale revision was made in 1839. In 1799 a short version of the poem was published in two parts. In 1805 Wordsworth wrote the whole of it but did not give the poem a name. It was just 'a poem to Coleridge': Wordsworth wanted to hear a few words of appreciation from his friend so that he could go happily with the composition of The Recluse.

The 1850 Prelude is the outcome of three large - scale reworking of the poem, and

many minor revisions. The poem was finally printed just ten weeks after Wordsworth's death. In stylistic quality and tone the 1850 poem is very different from the 1805 one. Continuous revision improved it quite a lot.

The Prelude is about the poet himself; and so it is autobiographical. It is about the nature and function of the human mind; so it is psychological; it gives certain definite moral conclusion; so it is didactic; it is about the infinite power and harmony of nature; so it is spiritual; it is an attempt to define the role and potentiality of imagination, and so it is intellectual.

The poem is an autobiography. As a chronological narrative, the poem is an account of the growth of the poet's mind upto the point at which he conceived The Recluse in 1798. Through reviscons from 1798 to 1805, the poem took a shape and character which was different from what it was when the poem was conceived. Naturally so, because Wordsworth who began The Prelude was not the Wordsworth who finished it.

THE PRELUDE, BK. I

The Idea

The Prelude is a long poem and very difficult to categorize. Its huge body has an epic form, lofty style, and tone of moral seriousness, but for want of a story, a sequential development of narrative, it cannot be called an epic proper, It is an autobiographical poem but only those episodes in the poet's life have been narrated which have something to do with his contact with nature and which cast a deep influence on him in as much as they shaped his mind and fostered its growth, and gave him the joy of imaginative perception of the eternal and the universal.

The Prelude Book I opens with a reference to the divine ecstasy that he had in the lap

of nature. Then he goes on to refer to a few encounters with nature in his childhood, bringing them out of the store of his memory. They are not chronologically arranged, but they all lead to the central point: that nature shaped his personality and nurtured his moral being.

The Prelude is organised not chronologically but thematically. M.H. Abrams succinctly writes about the thematic structure of the poem in his Natural Supernaturalism: "The Prelude ..... is ordered in three stages - 

The poem opens with a note of joy. The wind suggests calm and peace and is

matched by a 'corresponding mild creative breeze' within which becomes a storm and,

breaking the frost, invokes the spring. The thenlc is announced in the very

beginning: the discovery of nature's beauty and the discovery of man's true self.

This poem of great length, divided into fourteen books, each book containing about six or seven hundred lines.

Diction, Metre, Imagery - RFB

Important Lines and their interpretation + Difficult words and its meanings RFB pg 12 to 17

sojourner - a person who resides temporarily in a place 38 vexing its own creation : much greater in force and power than the mild breeze which led to it. vex- make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters. 41 vernal - of, in, or appropriate to spring. 46 Matins and vespers : religious incantations of prayer sung in the morning and in the evening respectively. 72 Vale : The 'vale' in Grasmere; Dove cottage, into which the Wordsworths moved, on December 20,1799, and where they stayed until 1808, was then divided from the lake only by fields. Vale - a valley (used in place names or as a poetic term) 97 . . . . . . .... defrauded : The Aeolian harp, or wind harp - a fashionable toy in the late I eighteenth century - became for the Romantics a symbol of poetic creation. It consisted of a set of strings stretched across a rectangular sounding box from which the wind evoked varying tones and harmonies. 104 Sabbath - day of rest and worship 1a : the seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians. b : Sunday observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship. 2 : a time of rest. 105 servile - having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others. .of or characteristic of a slave or slaves. 1 12 self-congratulation : used without the modem pejorative implication, to mean'rejoicing'!. 129 grapple - engage in a close fight or struggle without weapons; wrestle. 131 impedement - a hindrance or obstruction in doing something. 14 1 . . ..brooding : the human mind initiates the creative process by brooding, as theHoly Spirit in Milton's Christian epic had brooded over Chaos. 155 images : landscapes as they present themselves to the eye or are retained within the mind. 158 manners: general way of life: morals; habits. 169 . . . . . . . . . unsung : Milton's decision not to write a romance about knights in battles and tournaments is recorded in Paradise Lost IX, 25-41, a passage that seems frequently to have been in Wordsworth's mind as he attempted to defrne his own position as a poet. 179 blazonry - art of describing or painting heraldic devices or armorial bearings. 181 votive- offered or consecrated in fulfilment of a vow. 185 faithful loves : it echoes the opening stanza of The Faerie Queene, 'Fieree warres and faithful loves shall moralize my song.' 187 -Mithridates - a medicine believed to be a universal antidote to or preservative against poison and disease. 187-1 90 How . . . . . .Empire: Mithridates the Great, King of Pontus, was defeated.by Pompey in 66 B.C. and died two years later; din, in one tradition, was a barbarian. who led his tribe north fiom the sea of Asov to Sweden in the hope that one day their descendants might carry out his revenge upon the Romans. 202 . . . .. Of natural heroes : The Roman general Sertorius, contemporary and ally of Mithridates, gained control of most of Spain, but was unsuccessful in his attempt to master Rome from the provinces; he was assassinated in 72 B.C. According to legend, his followers emigrated to the Canary Islands after his death, and there founded a race that flourished until the arrival of the Spanish at the end of the fifteenth century. 212 Withering the Oppressor : 'Dominique de Gourges, a French gentleman who went in 1568 to Florida to avenge the massacre of the French by the Spaniards there' (Prelude note, 1850). 2 13 Dalecarlia's mines : Gustavus Vasa of Sweden raised support among peasants in the mining district of Dalecarlia, and freed his country from Danish rule in 1521-23. 217 Wallace : William Wallace, hero of Scottish nationalism, was captured and executed by Edward I in 1305. Wordsworth's interest had been stirred during his tour of Scotland with Dorothy in August-September, 1803. 224 variegated - exhibiting different colours, especially as irregular patches or streaks. marked by variety. 237.. . . . . . ... And clearer insight: Another reference to The Recluse; Home at Grasmere, which was to be the first Book of the main philosophical section of the poem, does precisely cherish the daily life of the Wordsworths, holding it up as a type for general future happiness. Later tradition represented Orpheus as a philosopher rather than a musician. 237-42 Wordsworth, in the mood he describes here, is not decisive enough to be either vicious or virtuous; he cannot distinguish between vague but feeble longings to write The Recluse, and an overwhelming impulse to do so, between timorousness and prudence, between mere delay and circumspection. 246 blank reserve : total inaction. 260 interdict : prohibition 268 false steward : refers to the parable of the false steward, Matthew 25. 269-74 This question had of course been the opening of the two-part Prelude, expressing already in October-November 1798 the poet's discontent at failure to make progress with The Recluse, The river is the Derwent, which flows along the far side of the garden wall of the house where Wordsworth was born at Cockermouth. 275 holms : Islands. 284 a shattered monument : Cockermouth Castle. 295 Skiddaw : nine miles east of Cockermouth, it is the fourth highest peak in the Lake District. 305 transplanted : the experiences that follow take place after Wordsworth has been 'transplanted' to Hawkshead Grammer School, thirtyfive miles from Cockermouth, in May 1779. 320 toil : snare of labour 327 the cultured Vale: the part of the valley that was under cultivation 330 end : result 373 pinnace: small boat 379 instinct : imbued 408 vulgar : ordinary : commonplace. 450 reflex: shadow; reflection. 460 diurnal: daily 461 train : sequence ; 471 characters: marks 495 courser : swift horse 524 plebeian - (in ancient Rome) a commoner. 527 - potentate - king 535 .. .. By royal visages : In Wordsworth's extension here of the card game in 1799, the influence of Cowper is less apparent, and that of Pope (The Rape of the Lock) becomes more obvious 543 Bothnic Main: The northern Baltic. 546 sedulous - of a person or action) showing dedication and diligence. 547 ..... And made me love them : in his childhood days it was not his conscious enjoyment of nature, but nature coming forward to him and impressing upon his tender mind her benign and permanent stamp which in later years made the poet love her. 554 intellectual charm : spiritual bliss 555 first-born affinities : affinities with which a child is born. 549-58: Here is affirmation of Wordsworth's view that in the spontaneous sensuousness of childhood there is a quality of mind which is vital to the development of spiritual life. 552 tempest - tempestuous characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion. 564 Organic : sensual; bodily 568 Cumbria's : Cumberland's 5 8 1 vulgar joy: ordinary pleasure 59 1 evil-minded fairies: fairies were supposed to cause ill-assorted couples to fall in love, as in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream 593 Collateral : indirect 612 affections : feelings 620 tedious tale : the banal alliteration is a joke for Coleridge about poetic craftsmanship 626 honourable toil : the writing of The Recluse 63 3 visionary things : things seen in the imagination with the inward eye. 645 discomfited : unfit. Comment upon the literary and historical significance of the prelude. Discuss The prelude as an autobiographical poem. Justify the sub-title of The Prelude as 'Growth of a Poet's Mind'. Make a critical analysis of The Prelude, Book I by Wordsworth

Condensed notes  on The Prelude - 

the prelude by William Wordsworth published from 1799 to 1805

This long poem of 7883 lines in blank verse is an epic of a very special type : its 'story' is in the account of the growth of a 'spirit', the development of an awareness, the evolution of a sensitive mind. 

3 months after his death his wife marry printed first version of the first book in 1799

second book in 1805 & last version 14 books in 1815

The poem’s subtitle the growth of a poet's mind

autobiographical book

He begins by describing impact of nature describes passage childhood nature adulthood he is inspired from French Revolution.Wordsworth was an activist and participant of French Revolution

Richard Clarke says it's a lyrical bildungsroman.

• First & Second book about childhood School natures pleasure landscape mountains but should drink reverse give the steam opens with divine ecstasy
• Third book residence at Cambridge University fourth book about summer days 5th book about academic time format formative years of his life where he met Philosopher's critic example Blake and all
• 6th book about his experience in Cambridge and working experience Alps mountain climbing Mount and nature spiritual
• 7th book about Residence Inn London depressing days tour countryside people and she man humanity he felt organised
• 8&9 about a restorative inside how love of nature lead to love of men some books are open overlapping thoughts about God in Humanities
• book 10 and 11 about the experience in France is visit from 1791 292 to financial reasons he had to return bloody revolution in France spiritual crisis
• book 12 and 13 is the climax of the book while climbing Mount snowdon he had epiphany imagination is connected to nature and
• book 14 is the conclusion of all 13 books

He mentioned his ordinary event of his life celebrated to its fullest world of transcendental reality with poetic strength. He stole a goat and heard a Roar. He was frightened. He said it was an intervention from nature when you do something wrong. Mother nature corrects you. Mother nature acts as a guardian

he was almost 40 years revised in edited his whole life 1850 poem is very different from 1805

theology devotion experience psychological exploration intervention emotions imagination human mind is a centre of divine scheme good versus Evil human mind is Arena of life he hated the artificiality of 18 century projects Mata stories

he stole a boat and Road it across the river overnight his struggle to clarify the idea of 35 cm see God in everything nature is educating him is particularly turbulent about certain business he doesn't depend on Christian doctrine he was spiritual than religious

 

Questions from previous papers -

 

1. Justify the sub-title of The Prelude as 'Growth of a Poet's Mind'.

2. Make a critical analysis of The Prelude, Book I by Wordsworth.

3. Comment upon the literary and historical significance of The Prelude.

4. Discuss The prelude as an autobiographical poem.

 

 

If you found my blog useful please do leave a comment, share with your friends and also check out my Youtube Channel for more informative content - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9jxfCZS_h4AVcj2Ioe7S6Q