William Wordsworth was a nature poet and a major English romantic poet, born on April 7, 1770, at Cockermouth, England. Lyrical Ballads, with a few other poems is collection of poems by Wordsworth and Coleridge, first published in 1798 and generally considered to have marked the beginning of the English Romantic Movement in Literature. He is regarded one of the founders of English Romanticism. His feeling for mankind and concept of his poems makes him the most important and central figures of English literature. He is considered as a spiritual poet and the high priest of nature.

In this article, first of all, we explain Romantic period and after it we discuss Wordsworth as a romantic poet.

William Wordsworth as a Romantic poet


Romantic Period (1798-1837)

The beginning of Romantic Period in English Literature is acknowledged from 1798 with the publication of the Lyrical ballads. Romantic age started from 1800 and ended 1890. Some considered the period is from 1800 to 1900.

Another name of Romantic period is Romanticism. The term Romanticism and Romantic are derived from Romance. Romance is a medieval lyrical poetic form. It deals with epic and fantastic unrealistic topics.

Romanticism

Romanticism is the literary, artistic and intellectual movement after neoclassical movement. In fact it was a reaction against the objectivity of neoclassical poetry.  It was a movement, a tendency, that marked a before and an after in human history; Romanticism came to strike against all neutrality and serenity, filling the inhabitants of the land dilemmas and disasters that, although they did not want to, they enjoyed too much.

What is Romanticism?

It is a cultural movement that originated in Germany, United Kingdom, France and Spain, born from the rebellion to the typical, rational and ordinary; romanticism denies the perception of a reality without drama, without colours and to vary with absurd monotonies.

About Romanticism

This cultural movement is based more than anything else on the breakdown of all those patterns of earlier times, classicism, neoclassicism and rationalism. Born with the irreverent feverish desire to want to postpone all serenity, ordinariness. For Romanticism imperfection is the net symbol of beauty and the fact that ancient cultural movements were so methodical and perfectionist, led this movement to be revolution against them.

Objective of Romanticism

The final objective of Romanticism was simple, the human being in his nature and his simplicity, developing and acting without concealment, nor limitations, demonstrating and expressing everything that appeased the reason; doing in this way that the true personality was reflected, that a new being flourished without fear of being judged for being imperfect.

Romanticism in Literature

Romance begins to appear, however, as the person was the centre of attention of Romanticism, initiated the relevance of autobiographies and monologues, appeared historical novels and become famous gothic, however, literature was used more in theatre, when making scripts, as it was a faster way to get the message and emotions to the people because we know that literature is the mirror of the society.

Themes of Romanticism

The main themes of Romanticism are followings:

  • Feelings and emotion
  • The human being imagination
  • Nature
  • Nostalgia rejection and opposition to absolutist themes
  • Individualism
  • Beauty
  • Imperfection
  • Rationalism
  • Monotony

This is some description about romantic age. now our topic will be –Wordsworth as a romantic poet. so, let’s start it.

William Wordsworth as a romantic poet

Wordsworth is the most prominent romantic poet of the nineteenth century. As a romantic poet, he interpreted the beauty of nature .subjectivity of his feelings etc.

He was also called as a nature poet. Shelley called him “poet of nature”. Wordsworth set a relationship between the human and the nature. he is known as lake poet also. Wordsworth has deep love for nature and its beauty. Wordsworth seems to be attached and belonged to a rural environment. As early he established his career as a great Romantic poet.

 

Theory of Wordsworth

The Romantic Movement heralded a reaction against the very principles of the 18th century. As against the poetic diction of the 18th century writers, Wordsworth choose the language of public as the vehicles of his poetry. Because it is the sincerest expression of the deepest and rarest passions and feelings. this was the first point attack on the artificial and formal style of classical school of poetry. the other point that Wordsworth attacked the old school was its insistence on the town and the artificial way of life which prevailed there. He wanted the poet to breathe fresh air of the hills and view beautiful natural scenes and becomes interested in rural life and the simple folk living in the lap of the nature.

The important features of Wordsworth’s poetry

The important features of Wordsworth’s poetry are following –

*Imagination

*Nature

*Subjectivity

*Romanticism

*Mysticism

*Humanism

Definition of poetry

Definition of poetry according to William Wordsworth is- “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”


The whole of his life had been a dedication to poetry. and from his childhood he had stored his mind with the experience in nature which later he was recall in his verse. According to Wordsworth ‘Internal feelings of the poet proceeds poetry ‘It is a matter of feelings and temperament True beauty cannot be written without proper mood and temperament. It must flow out freely and willingly from the soul as it cannot be made to flow through artificially laid pipes.

Conclusion 

The contributions of William Wordsworth to English literature can be broadly classified in two ways.  First, the impact Wordsworth had on the literary merits, and second, the influence he had on his contemporaries and future poets. He is known as the master of Romantic poetry for his literary brilliance, depiction of emotions, personifying human life with nature that called everyone back to nature. The ways he used language, Imagery, naturalism, rhythm and tone and points of style, it proves that Wordsworth is a leader of the Romantic movement.