SOURCE - WIKIPEDIA
The epic poem The Prelude or, Growth of a Poet’s Mind; An Autobiographical Poem is a testament to the fact that Nature is a source of inspiration in Romantic poetry. The philosophy of Pantheism states that divinity is exemplified in external nature; and that divinity and nature are one. Wordsworth is a pantheist and an advocate of pantheism. Wordsworth gave all his life to The Prelude. He began working on it at the age of 28, in 1798 and it continued till 1850. It was published three months after he died in 14 books as we know it today. Originally addressed as ‘Poem’ in his letters to Dorothy Richardson, the title to the final version was given by his widow Mary.
Unlike Shelley, Wordsworth’s approach to nature was philosophical rather than intellectual. For Coleridge nature changed as per man’s disposition; it was rather practical. But for Wordsworth, nature was spiritual: a communion between man and divine. The Prelude is an autobiography, delves deep into the poet’s life. At the outset, it was meant to be an introduction to Wordsworth’s ‘Recluse’ touted to be more philosophical than The Prelude which he never finished. In the introduction, he mentioned his ‘dear friend’ Coleridge’s role in inspiring him “ to compose a philosophical Poem, containing views of Man, Nature and Society, and to be entitled the Recluse….’ Although unfinished, had the joint resolve been successful, it would have surmounted Paradise Lost.
Much of the poem is a demonstration of poet’s fitness to take up and perfect the vocation he is drawn to. It’s a depiction of his growth as a poet. As Milton reworked The Fall of Man in Paradise Lost similarly Wordsworth makes his mind and imagination a primary subject deserving of the epic. Composed in blank verse, the poem begins with Wordsworth in his manhood. The literal journeys taken up in the poem are directed at the spiritual journey called the circle of life: to end where it started. The poem also stresses the aftermath of the French Revolution which made the masses, especially the youth despondent about the advancement or betterment of mankind slowly slipping into greed.
Nature, the muse of Wordsworth's poetry, the spiritual force and the moral compass is written in the language of man. The return to The Vale of Grasmere takes a metaphorical meaning to underscore the spiritual quest the poet undertakes. Meditative in tone and reflective in nature it grants the readers with new meaning in each read. Each of the fourteen books depict his journey from boyhood is intermittent in development. The poet holds back, pauses and restarts as his poetic power matures. Books 1-7 deal with boyhood and youth, Book 8 is a transition, Book 9-11 enumerates his adventures in France and London and lastly, Books 12-14 are devoted to art and metaphysics.
The Prelude is a treasured piece in the canon of English Literature. The incomplete piece is so complete that it does not leave the readers in want for more. True to its subtitle, it traces the growth of the poet.