First published in 1960, this book studies Wordsworth’s ‘simple’ poems, such as the Lyrical Ballads, as products of a sophisticated and powerfully successful literary genius. The author aims to approach the poems as perhaps Wordsworth expected his first readers to; but as they have never been in fact. The result of this approach is to discover a Wordsworth far different to that which he has previously been presented as — the ‘Sage of Rydal’ at one extreme and a naïve perpetrator of poetical blunders at the other — and, the author argues, a far more exciting one. This book will be of interest to students of literature.

From the earliest reviews of his poetry, readers were deeply divided on the merits of William Wordsworth's work. John Williams looks in detail at the major poems and discusses the critical issues that have dominated discussions of Wordsworth's compositions since they first began to appear in print after 1798. Beginning with a fresh assessment of the controversies that developed around Lyrical Ballads, the chapters trace the evolution of both Wordsworth's poetry and his reputation through to his death in 1850. At each stage, Williams investigates the possible reasons why critics and readers responded as they did: enraged by his revolutionary 'Jacobinism' at the turn of the eighteenth century; insulted by the 'simplicity' of the Poems in Two Volumes of 1807; reassured by his commitment to Nature and his reverence for Church and State in the early Victorian period. In the twentieth century, Wordsworth has been subjected to a series of extensive critical reappraisals. With reference to a wide range of the poetry, Williams goes on to discuss the way Wordsworth has been variously reconstructed as a consequence of the main critical and theoretical initiatives of the last one hundred years. He also examines the Wordsworth we have inherited for the twenty-first century: a poet many still feel has important things to say to the contemporary reader about human relationships, nature, the environment, and our imaginative life.

This book provides the essential contexts for an understanding of all aspects of the major English Romantic poet, William Wordsworth.

This Is Perhaps The Most Comprehensive Book On Wordsworth, Having Discussions On Most Of The Different Dimensions Of The Poet As A Critic, A Poetic Theorist, A Great Lover Of Nature, A Humanist, And As A Philosopher. In This Book, Twelve Most Important Poems Of The Poet, His Five Lucy Poems And Also His Six Sonnets Have Been Thoroughly Discussed, And The Texts Of All The 23 Poems Have Been Given. In The Three Appendices, The Texts Of Wordsworth S Three Most Important Literary Essays Preface To Lyrical Ballads (1802), Appendix On Poetic Diction, And Essay Supplementary To The Preface Have Been Given For The Reader S Ready References. The Author Has Shunned All Pedantry Anywhere In The Book, His Primary Objective Being Introduction Of Wordsworth To The Generality Of Readers. References Have Always Been Cited Whenever Quotations From Critics Books Have Been Appropriated.Contents Vol. 1: Preface; Life And Works; Twelve Select Poems Of Wordsworth; The Five Lucy Poems Of Wordsworth; Six Select Sonnets Of Wordsworth; Wordsworth As A Romantic Poet; Wordsworth S Theory Of Poetry; Wordsworth As A Poet Of Nature.Contents Vol. 2: Wordsworth As A Poet Of Humanity; Wordsworth As A Philosophical Poet; Wordsworth S Style; Wordsworth As A Critic; Appreciation And Criticism Of Wordsworth; Residuary Discussions On Wordsworth; Wordsworth And Coleridge; The Prelude; The Excursion; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

The Critical Heritage series collects together a large body of criticism on major figures in literature. Each volume presents the contemporary responses to a particular writer, enabling the student to follow the formation of critical attitudes to the writer's work and its place within a literary tradition. The carefully selected sources range from landmark essays in the history of criticism to fragments of contemporary opinion and little published documentary material, such as letters and diaries. Significant pieces of criticism from later periods are also included in order to demonstrate fluctuations in reputation following the writer's death. This new volume in the series includes criticism on the work of William Wordsworth during the period 1793-1820. Extremely wide-ranging in its coverage, over 250 diary extracts, letters, reviews, comments, and opinions by and about Wordsworth are gathered together here for the first time. An invaluable addition to any literary library.

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Fernuniversiteat Hagen, 2008.

Professor Durrant examines, with detailed reference to particular poems, Wordsworth's creative vision.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.