1. William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

2. Introduction to Romanticism 1.beginning (1798):Lyrical Ballads 2.impetus on Romanticism: French Revolution Industrial 3.special qualities of Romanticism 4.two generations of Romanticism

3. His principles of poetry 1 Subjects: 1)The great subjects of poetry are “essential passions of the heart” and “the great and simple affections”(Preface to Lyrical Ballads(2nd ed.)). 2) incidents and situations from common life

4. 2. Source of poetry: feelings 1) “all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”(ibid) 2) emotion recollected in tranquility

5. 3. language: ”real language of men in a state of vivid sensation” (no poetic diction)

6. 4. function of poetry: to produce pleasure (aesthetic pleasure) ”Nor let this necessity of producing immediate pleasure be considered as a degradation of the poet’s art….It is and acknowledgement of the beauty of the universe…”” (Preface to Lyrical Ballads)

7. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Questions 1. Some qualities of English Romanticism; 2. Wordsworth’s principles of poetry; 3. Relation between the poet and nature ? 4. What effect can nature have on the mind? 5. What is shown of the general qualities of Romanticism in the poem ? 6. What is shown of special qualities of Wordsworth’s poetry and his principles of writing poetry?

8. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud More questions: 7.Find out the words denoting action: wandered, floats, fluttering, dancing, stretched, 8. words denoting state of mind:glee, gay, jocund, bliss

9. 9. tenses used in the poem and the significance of the change of tenses stanzas 1-3, past tense; last stanza: present tense The poet (speaker )looks back from preset upon the even in the past; his recollection of the past, his emotion recollected in tranquility.

10. Relation between the poet and nature ?(p.58) In perfect harmony, nature gives him happiness What effect can nature have on the mind? (p58) Healing effect.

11. What is shown of the general qualities of Romanticism in the poem ? love of nature, harmony between man and nature, love of loneliness, of melancholy, spiritual freedom, nature’s wholesome effect on man’s spirit…

12. What is shown of special qualities of Wordsworth’s poetry and his principles of writing poetry? Simplicity of language, common incidents of life, emotion recollected in tranquility