William Wordsworth: The Pedlar, Tintern Abbey, the Two-Part Prelude

by William Wordsworth, Jonathan Wordsworth (Editor)

This volume is an excellent introduction to Wordsworth's poetry. His great autobiographical poem The Prelude runs to thirteen books in the text of 1805. But by 1799 the poet had already written a version covering his childhood and adolescence in under a thousand lines. This complete, self-contained work includes most of the beautiful poetry that has made the longer Prelude famous. The text of this two-part Prelude has been in print since 1973 but has not until now been readily available. It is prefaced by two poems that form a natural introduction: The Pedlar, the poet's first autobiographical work, and Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth's much more widely known meditation upon the continuing influence of nature in his life. This volume constitutes the first unified approach, at student level, to Wordsworth's mystic response to nature and the processes of growing up. Jonathan Wordsworth, the poet's great-great-great nephew, has written a full critical introduction to the selection. Notes at the foot of each page include glosses of difficult words, background material and useful comparisons with Wordsworth's own poetry, and that of S. T. Coleridge.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

84 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 1985

About the author

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was a major English romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their 1798 joint publication, Lyrical Ballads.

Wordsworth's masterpiece is generally considered to be The Prelude, an autobiographical poem of his early years, which the poet revised and expanded a number of times. The work was posthumously titled and published, prior to which, it was generally known as the poem "to Coleridge". Wordsworth was England's Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death in 1850.

Reviews

[Matt Ely · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There are in our existence spots of time
Which with distinct preeminence retain
A fructifying virtue, whence, depressed
By trivial occupations and the round
Of ordinary intercourse, our minds--
Especially the imaginative power--
Are nourished and invisibly repaired."

The quote above, extracted from the Two-Part prelude, could be read as the thesis statement of Wordsworth's project in these three long poems. He is trying to go back as far as he can in his memory, back to the core of who he's been, hoping to discover his first sensations of wonder, unity, and joy. The poetry is a path which he hopes will lead him to the single story, the unifying narrative of who he is, why he is, and his place in the universe.

These are big aspirations for poems about rowing boats and herding sheep. But what is interesting to me is that Wordsworth felt this impulse to separate himself from technology and recenter in nature... over 200 years ago. He felt disconnected from what it meant to be human and how that affected his connection to the truth of life over a hundred years before the automobile.

Is it perhaps that he saw the world changing under his feet? That a more visceral connection with nature seemed like it was slipping away as industry evolved but maybe he could retrace his steps to an age when things were different? Or is this perpetual? Do we always feel ourselves to be newly disconnected? Hoping that if we can just think our way back or cut ourselves off or unify our spirits that then we'll rediscover what was lost?

If you couldn't guess by my several question marks, I don't know the answer. But I appreciate that Wordsworth tries. These poems are long but deceptively readable. They deserve to be lingered over. Despite the intervening years, I think you'll find something familiar here.

[Chris Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Nature. Thou has fed my lofty speculations, and in thee
For this uneasy heart of ours I find
A Never failing principle of joy
And purest passion.

A perfect embodiment of this book. Wordsworth loved Nature. It spurred his imagination and vision. It spills out into his poetry. This fellow pantheist too sees God in the mountains and mists and winds and hills. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It isn't long, only 76 pages. There are a lot of footnotes providing explanation behind the origins of some of the language.

[Amelia Shipley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the Two Part Prelude, but it was so pleasant to listen to. Really enjoyed the audio book

[Adam C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some poems were okay but most didn’t speak to me. So it goes with poetry

[mia ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

did this for my presentation for English lit and i found it overall very interesting! x