William Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey
By: Edward • Research Paper • 1,215 Words • December 12, 2009 • 1,295 Views
Essay title: William Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey
William Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey
As students, we are taught that William Wordsworth's basic tenets of
poetry are succinct: the use of common language as a medium, common man as
a subject, and organic form as an inherent style. Yet beyond these
rudimentary teachings, it should be considered that it was the intimacy
with nature that was imperative to the realization of Wordsworth's goals
set forth in the "Preface" to Lyrical Ballads. In his "Preface,"
Wordsworth states, "Poetry is the image of man and nature" (Norton 247). A
study of "Tintern Abbey," the intended finale and last impression of the
Lyrical Ballads, reveals Wordsworth's conviction that the role of nature
is the force and connection that binds mankind not only to the past and
the future, but to other human beings as well. Regardless of the language
employed, the subject used, or the method of delivery, it was the primal
connection with nature that fueled Wordsworth's poetic genius.
Wordsworth begins the journey into "Tintern Abbey" by taking the reader
from the height of a mountain stream down into the valley where the poet
sits under a sycamore tree surveying the beauty of the natural world. This
introduction through nature sets the scene for the poet's blending of his
mind with that of the natural world. Here Wordsworth does not dwell on the
imprint of mankind on the landscape but on the connection of an isolated
individual enveloped within the wild world of nature. Although he refers
to the presence of man - vagrant dwellers or hermits - his connection is
with the untouched splendor of the countryside.
From his perspective, looking out on the verdant landscape, the speaker
ties his connection with nature to the past. He remembers that during his
long absence from the Wye Valley, years which he spent living in the city,
he found consolation in calling back the memories of his time spent in
nature. It is important to note here that Wordsworth is not merely finding
comfort in fondly remembering a past holiday, but is unequivocally using
the natural setting as his source for transcendence. By specifically using
nature as his escape from "...the heavy and weary weight/Of all this
unintelligible world" (39-40), he asserts that the purity of nature holds
no ill memories of man's unkindness. This ability to gradually retreat
from the trials of daily life by calling to mind the solace found in
nature is key to the concept that only through withdrawal from the world
of society and immersion in the natural world can one rise above present
strife.
Wordsworth continues speaking of his connection with nature to the past by
relating how nature has held prominence during all stages of his past