Wordsworth's Poetry and Prose

by William Wordsworth, Nicholas Halmi (Editor)

The most accessible edition of Wordsworth’s poetry and prose, prepared to meet the needs of both students and scholars. This Norton Critical Edition presents a generous selection of William Wordworth’s poetry (including the thirteen-book Prelude of 1805 ) and prose works along with supporting materials for in-depth study. Together, the Norton Critical Editions of Wordsworth’s Poetry and Prose and The Prelude: 1799, 1805, 1850 are the essential texts for studying this author.

Wordsworth’s Poetry and Prose includes a large selection of texts chronologically arranged, thereby allowing readers to trace the author’s evolving interests and ideas. An insightful general introduction and textual introduction precede the texts, each of which is fully annotated. Illustrative materials include maps, manuscript pages, and title pages.

“Criticism” collects thirty responses to Wordsworth’s poetry and prose spanning three centuries by British and American authors. Contributors include Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Felicia Hemans, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lucy Newlyn, Stephen Gill, Neil Fraistat, Mary Jacobus, Nicholas Roe, M. H. Abrams, Karen Swann, Michael O’Neill, and Geoffrey Hartman, among others.

The volume also includes a Chronology, a Biographical Register, a Selected Bibliography, and an Index of Titles and First Lines of Poems. 8 Illustrations

Genres: Poetry, 19th Century, Literary Criticism, Criticism, Literature, Classics

761 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

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

[Diego Bolanos · Rating 3 out of 5]

He’s like smart but I never wanna read him again

[michaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

for my WORDSWORTH class. i have spent more time w wordsworth in the last 4 months than i have w my family

[Regitze Xenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess it is kind of backwards to mark this book as read today, since I've been reading it for months. That's just because it is a book for uni and I'm currently working on an exam paper about 3 to 4 of Wordsworth's poems.

Trust me, selecting was not easy, there just so many.

My rating relfects that. Of course we haven't read the entire book from cover to cover, but I think we've read most of the poems and maybe not as much of the prose or the criticism at the back.

But what I have read, I really like. I think, at first I really didn't care much, this would be the second semester we worked with WW and my experience the first time around wasn't too good. But it has actually been kind of great to dive in to one single author for so long.

Of course, it means that my head is pratically spinning these days. I'll be glad when this paper is handed in next Monday.

Because while I like Wordsworth well enough, he isn't my favourite poet. And I'd still prefer to read his works entirely for please and not for school.

PS.
Of course I picked one of my favourite for my paper. "We Are Seven" is just... so fantastic.

[Chastity Imes · Rating 5 out of 5]

the joy, the hope, the pleasure, untroubled yet meditated !

[David Campton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has taken me a long time to work my way through this, and deliberately so, first because I wanted to take time over a poet I hadn't really read much of beyond the few we were forced to read at school, and, sadly the further on I got, because I found it a bit of a chore. I have highlighted poems and passages I want to go back and re-read, but for too much of this anthology the lack of a common point of reference and Wordsworth's sheer wordiness reduced my enjoyment. On the plus side this was a man who lived through and witnessed close up a period of massive social upheaval (especially the French Revolution) with an ability to see beyond the obvious or the accepted wisdom of the time, was willing to revise his opinion in the light of new developments, and retained a sense of compassion for others less fortunate than himself. His essays on poetry and the power of words are worth reading though again his love affair with words make them a more wearisome experience than they might have been.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this wonderful, vintage edition from 1921, I was able to read Wordsworth's poetry with great energy because the lovely board binding had a wonderful texture in my hands. The poetry itself was wonderful; a mixture of serenity, humour, and reflection. I also enjoyed Coleridge's essays; however, it was the poetry which grabbed my attention. A wonderful read.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not going to say I read this whole thing. I love Wordsworth, but this was a bit much for me. I always wanted to read "The Prelude," but could never get myself to actually do it. I guess I'm still a philistine at heart.

[Jennifer Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic and beautiful poetry