The Prelude’s Prelude

The nature of poetry remained an enigma to the majority of society in the late 1700s. Rigid to the didactic principles of the past, Wordsworth’s manifesto declared that poetry, as a collective, had become perverted by, then, modern society. He called for a return to the principles of classical poetry, in which the rhetoric of poetry, and its content, mattered. This, cataclysmically combined with the 1700s, existed in a state of chaotic order. Needless to say, this time period embodied social upheaval from the majority of its citizens. The French Revolution had a massive affect on not only cultural, social, and political society, but on William Wordsworth as an individual. This observation is in itself poignant, because it marked the dawning of an age during which one could be an individual. While the country was shedding its monarchial shackles, individuals, namely Wordsworth, were taking the initiative to apply the principles of self-fulfilled existences within the context of their own lives.

Also occurring at this time was an overwhelming movement of Romanticism. This era revolved around the concepts of free expression, lyricism as personally coined by Wordsworth, the glorification of the ordinary, an innate awe for the natural world, and overwhelming individualism. These passions of the time spilled over into the hearts of artists everywhere. Wordsworth was extremely affected by this trend, and he conveyed it through his works.

The Prelude served as the metaphorical ruby to Wordsworth’s crown of literary achievements. It chronicles the spiritual journey that a poet embarks on by pursuing the craft, and symbolizes a historical transition into a new realm of literary expression. It spans multiple experiences, over the course ...

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