Wordsworth William Wordsworth William Wordsworth

Wordsworth William Wordsworth William Wordsworth as a nature poet William Wordsworth is often referred to as a nature poet. However this sometimes leads to the erroneous impression that Wordsworth was simply a lover of nature and natural landscapes. While he certainly admired the beauty of nature, as a Romantic poet he saw nature in terms of spiritual renewal and transcendent insight into to reality that went beyond this world.

The central thesis that will be explored in this paper is the view that nature in the Wordsworthian context becomes a conduit for transcendence as well as philosophical meditation on mundane reality. Nature in Wordsworths' poems is something that acts as a reminder of knowledge and perceptions of a greater reality that has been forgotten or ignored by modern civilization. This view of nature is linked to the Romantic view of life and reality.

In this view nature was seen as, organic, rather than, as in the scientific or rationalist view, as a system of "mechanical" laws, for Romanticism displaced the rationalist view of the universe as a machine (e.g., the deistic image of a clock) with the analogue of an "organic" image, a living tree or mankind itself." ( Introduction to Romanticism) In general the Romantics were opposed to the tenets and the ethos of modern scientific and industrial civilization.

This can be seen in the way that they interrogated and condemned the rise of scientific and industrial society. (Introduction to Romanticism) Conversely, the hallmark of romanticism is their emphasis on the role and value of the imagination. In essence they were opposed to the conventional views and perceptions of their time and to what they saw as the growing movement towards an overly rational and mechanical view of reality.

Nature therefore played an extremely important role in this broad artistic movement in that it represented the antithesis of the rational scientific worldview. Nature was seen by the Romantics as a symbol of freedom from the mechanical and rational mentality of industrialization. Wordsworth in particular is known for his use of natural symbols as an expression of his desire for a more creative and spiritual reality. This is evident in one of his most famous poems, Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey.

In this poem Wordsworth contrasts the beauty of nature with the mundane and stark reality of modern civilization. He also laments the fact that the absence of an understanding and closeness to nature in the lives of modern men and women has led to a crisis of spiritual and existential meaning.

The following lines from Tintern Abbey capture this antithesis between nature and the modern rational world These beauteous forms, Through a long absence, have not been to me As is a landscape to a blind man's eye: But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din Of towns and cities, I have owed to them In hours of weariness, sensations sweet, Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart; And passing even into my purer mind, With tranquil restoration: -- feelings too Of unremembered pleasure: ("Tintern Abbey": lines 23-31) Modern civilization is described as an empty "din" of activity when compared to the calm and restorative qualities of nature.

However, nature for Wordsworth is not simply the opposite of modern civilization or a form of escape. It is seen as a symbolic and real alternative to the emptiness and vacuity of modern life. In essence, Wordsworth sees nature as a form of both physical as well as spiritual rejuvenation and transformation.

In Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey he goes on to describe the gift of nature as follows: To them I may have owed another gift, Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood, In which the burthen of the mystery, In which the heavy and the weary weight Of all this unintelligible world, Is lightened. ( "Tintern Abbey." Lines 36-41) It is through the imaginative experience of nature that he encounters a "blessed mood" that makes him aware of the underlying power and mystery of reality.

This could be described as a 'mystical experience' or a spiritual awakening that is obscured by the humdrum noise and activity of modern life. In the presence of nature he becomes aware of himself as a "living soul" who sees "… into the life of things." ("Tintern Abbey." Lines 36-49) This phrase refers to the wonder and mystery of life that is beyond everyday experience. Therefore, through the imagination of the poet, nature offers visionary experiences that extends beyond present conditions and transcends the human predicament.

The transcendent view of nature can be found in many of his major works. For example in Book 14 of The Prelude, Wordsworth's protagonist experiences the power of nature which is described as a "majestic Intellect." An extremely important aspect of Wordworth's vision of nature is that it transfigured or changes the ordinary world and offers a glimpse of a new and more spiritual reality. This view is clearly expressed in the following lines.

The power, which all Acknowledge when thus moved, which Nature thus To bodily sense exhibits, is the express Resemblance of that glorious faculty That higher minds bear with them as their own. This is the very spirit in which they deal With.