Wordsworth's "The Prelude"

Poem Review # 103463

English > Analysis
Literature > English
Literature > Poetry

This paper discusses William Wordsworth's use of archetypal imagery in his poem "The Prelude".

1,210 words () | 0 sources | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in "The Prelude", William Wordsworth recounts his life as he discovers both himself and his calling as a writer. The author points out that, in books six, twelve and fourteen, Wordsworth uses archetypal imagery as a source of inspiration and understanding to illuminate his recollections of the past and herald his revelations. The paper exemplifies that, in the sixth book, Wordsworth recounts his journey to the top of the Alps, utilizing a constructed vision rather than an actual experience to illuminate the power of the imagination to shape the world around us. The author relates that, in the linear progression of the poem, the memory of the crag reminds Wadsworth of the beauty of life and drags him out of his depression and disillusionment with the world. The paper concludes that the archetypal imagery accentuates the power of recollection and imagination.

From the Paper:

"The re-invigorating force, Wordsworth's fountain, is not nature, however, but the remembrance of nature. Wordsworth concludes that: "in a strong summer wind, some workings of the spirit,/Some inward agitations, thence are brought,/Whate'er their office, whether to beguile/Thoughts over-busy in the course they took,/Or animate an hour of vacant ease.". Strong wind brings back memories of the past; it recalls the memory of the pastoral scene. Propelled to the past, a "vacant" moment becomes alive with remembrances of the crag and sheep."