Didascalia alternativa:

Lyrical Ballads, that contained his famous 'Preface', which was to become the Manifesto of English Romanticism. In 1802 William married a childhood friend, Mary Hutchinson, and they had five children. In the following years Wordsworth wrote some of his best poems, which were published in 1807. In 1805 he finished his masterpiece, The Prelude, a long autobiographical poem in 14 books, subtitled 'Growth of a Poet's Mind', which was published only after his death. His reputation as a poet grew steadily and, in 1843, he was made Poet Laureate. The last years of his life were marked by the growing conservatism of his political views. He died in 1850. The Manifesto of English Romanticism In the 18th century, English poetry was mainly composed at the highest level of diction. For Wordsworth, however, poetry was a solitary act, originating not in the extraordinary but in the ordinary. He belonged to the first generation of Romantic poets, which was characterised by the attempt to theorise about poetry. While planning the Lyrical Ballads with Coleridge, they decided that he would deal with man, nature and everyday things trying to make them interesting for the reader, while Coleridge should write about the supernatural and mystery making them seem real. Wordsworth's strongest objection to 18th-century poetry was its artificial, elevated language, which he called 'poetic diction'. In his 'Preface' he explained that the subject matter should deal with everyday situations or incidents and with ordinary people. The language should be simple and the objects called by their ordinary names. The reason for Wordsworth's choice lies in the fact that in humble rural life, man is nearer to his own purer passions and it conveys its feelings and notions in simple and unelaborated expressions. Therefore, the poet is not a man in an ivory tower, but a man among men, speaking to them, writing about what interests mankind. The relationship between man and nature Wordsworth shared Rousseau's faith in the goodness of nature as well as in the excellence of the child. He thought that man could achieve that good through the cultivation of his senses and feelings. He was interested in the relationship between the natural world and the human consciousness. Rather than a precise and objective observation of natural phenomena, his poetry offers a detailed account of the complex interaction between man and nature, of the influences, insights, emotions and sensations which arise from this contact. When a natural object is described (→ T47), the main focus of interest is actually the poet's response to that object. Wordsworth believed that man and nature are inseparable; man exists not outside the natural world but as an active participant in it. In his pantheistic view Wordsworth saw nature as something that includes both inanimate and human nature: each is a part of the same whole. Nature is a source of pleasure and joy, it comforts man in sorrow and teaches him how to love and to act in a moral way. Wordsworth also saw it as the seat of the mighty spirit of the universe. The importance of the senses and memory For Wordsworth nature was also a world of sense perceptions and he used especially the sensibility of the eye and ear. He was influenced by David Hartley in his belief that our moral character develops during childhood as a result of the pleasure and pain caused by our physical experiences. Sensations lead to simple thoughts, which later combine into complex and organised ideas. In fact, Wordsworth was most interested in the growth of his relationship with nature, in the ways it influenced him at different points in his life and the ways in which his awareness of it changed. Memory, therefore, is a major force in the process of growth of the poet's mind and moral character, and it is memory that allows Wordsworth to give poetry its life and power. The poet's task and style The poet has a great sensibility and an ability to see into the heart of things. The power of imagination enables him to communicate his knowledge, so that he becomes a teacher showing others how to understand their feelings and improve their moral being. His task consists in drawing attention to the ordinary things of life, to the humblest people, where the deepest emotions and truths can be found. Wordsworth abandoned the 18th-century heroic couplet; he almost always used blank verse, though he proved skilful at several verse forms such as sonnets, odes, ballads and lyrics with short lines and simple rhymes.