Wordsworth William, English poet: biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

William Wordsworth, whose biography and work are the subject of this review, was the largest representative of the direction of romanticism in English literature. His work largely determined the transition from classicism to romanticism. His landscape and philosophical lyrics are the best example of the world's poetic heritage.

General characteristics

Wordsworth William was a prominent representative of his time, his works should be considered 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 to move towards sentimental and romantic lyrics. This was largely determined by the dominant trends of that era, namely, the fact that the works of Rousseau played a great role in socio-political thought and in literature in general. The cult of nature put forward by him and the depiction of human experiences, emotions, personality psychology had a huge impact on the educated circles of that time. In addition, English literature already had the experience of creating sonnets, images of nature and subtle lyrics. The works of W. Shakespeare, D. Chaucer, D. Milton had a great influence on the work of the poet.

Childhood, adolescence andjourney

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 the formation of personality. It was then that he fell in love with landscapes, which later became mainly in his lyrical works. Then Wordsworth William entered the University of Cambridge, which was dominated by an atmosphere of rivalry, which did not please him.

However, it was during his student years that a very significant event took place: on vacation, a young man, along with his friend, went on a trip on foot to France, where revolutionary upheavals were just taking place. They made a great impression on the future poet. Together with his companion, he reached the lake district 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 main creative principles of the author's poetic work: 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 subsequent, mature years, reworking, redirecting and inserting new parts into it.

Transition period

WordsworthWilliam, after graduating from university, devoted himself to poetic creativity. However, the 1790s were a difficult time for him, as it was a period of disillusionment in the French Revolution. In addition, he very painfully accepted the fact that his country went to 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 in a year grew into a strong friendship, which was very fruitful for their cooperation, and first of all for the author's creative upsurge.

Great Decade

This is the custom to call the period from 1797 to 1808 in the biography of the poet. Wordsworth William, whose works have now received a completely different sound, entered a period of creative upsurge. Friends decided to take a trip to Germany and before sending decided to publish a collection of poems that were supposed to demonstrate their views on modern literature. Coleridge was to write ballads in an exotic style, while his friend was to write sentimental and romantic lyrics. However, the first included only about five works 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 plots and in a serious style. At thatwhile his friend's verses in English were distinguished by ease and simplicity. His characters spoke in an understandable and accessible way for everyone, which was a fundamental innovation for that time.

Creative Principles

This collection is also interesting because, in its second edition, Wordsworth made an introduction in which he outlined the rules that guided him when writing his poems. He stated that his lyrical ballads are based on plots and reality, which he perceived and described as it seemed to him. And life, nature and way of life were seen by the poet as a natural manifestation of the universe. Wordsworth stated that one must perceive and depict the surrounding reality in a simple, clear and colloquial 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 sophistication. In this setting one can guess the influence of the ideas of Rousseau, who also sang the life of man in the bosom of nature and emphasized the artificiality of city life.

Main looks

Poems in English by Wordsworth are notable for their uncomplicated composition, but their characteristic feature is the combination of images of nature, emotional experiences with deep philosophical reasoning. This was new to English literature at the time. In addition, the author made a simple person the hero of his works: on the pages of hispoems there are vagabonds, wanderers, beggars, traveling merchants. This type of character was new to English literature, and not everyone immediately appreciated the poet's discovery. For some time, literary critics even criticized him for such innovations.

Another characteristic image in his poetry is a person who has suffered from social injustice. Wordsworth condemned the war very sharply and wrote the drama The Frontiersmen, in which he depicted all the horrors of victims and violence. And, finally, a large place in his creative heritage is occupied by the image of himself. The poet wrote his autobiography in a poetic form called "Prelude". It is distinguished by an accurate depiction of human psychology and emotional experiences of a character who carefully analyzed the path of his creative development 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 are poems about nature and emotional experiences of a person. He was particularly sensitive to the depiction of nature. William Wordsworth, whose "Daffodils" are one of the best examples of his lyrical poetry, perfectly and perfectly felt the beauty of the world around him. In this poem, he sang the beauty of flowers, mountains in a very sonorous melodious form. This composition is notable for its extraordinary melodiousness and penetration.

Another of his famous works is called "On Westminster Bridge". William Wordsworth recreated the panorama of London, but paid attention not so muchon the urban landscape, but on natural phenomena. In general, the city as such is almost never present in the works of the poet. It belongs entirely to the village, the 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 worldview, then the later period is distinguished by a heavy frame of mind. This is largely due to the author's personal losses: he was very upset by 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 that are imbued with sadness, sorrow and longing. These later works of his have a greater philosophical load than his early works, in which joyful admiration of the beauties of nature prevailed. The poet died in 1850 in the same county where he was born.

The Meaning of Creativity

Wordsworth's poetry became a milestone in the formation of English romanticism. In modern literary criticism, he, along with Coleridge, belongs to the older generation of romantics. It is significant that the author's poetry did not immediately receive recognition. It was not until the 1830s that his services to literature were rewarded. The public began to favor his writings, and the queenawarded him the title of Poet Laureate. He was also known in Russia. So, Pushkin in his famous "Sonnet" mentioned the name of the English poet as a prominent author.