English Literature

SHUAIB ASGHAR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH GOVT. RAZVIA ISLAMIA COLLEGE HAROONABAD, PAKISTAN Wordsworth�s passion for nature is well-known. As De Quincey puts it, �Wordsworth had his passion for nature fixed in his blood. It was a necessity of his being, like that of a mulberry leaf to the silk-worm, and through his commerce with nature did he live and breathe.� Wordsworth had a complete philosophy of nature. Following major points in his creed of nature may be noted: Nature, A Moral Teacher Wordsworth emphasized the moral influence of nature. A careful reading of �The Prelude� shows that he received the best part of his education from nature. He regarded her as a great moral teacher, as the best mother, guardian and nurse of man, as an elevating influence. Like the senior Duke in �As You Like it� , he too found                    Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks     ...

SHUAIB ASGHAR DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH GOVT. RAZVIA ISLAMIA COLLEGE HAROONABAD, PAKISTAN �The Prelude�, a kind of �semi-autobiography� is only a record of the meaningful experiences of Wordsworth�s life. He tells the story of his inner life from earliest childhood up to 1798, the year of the �Lyrical Ballads�. It is not a self-portrait. In it, Wordsworth makes no attempt to bring his personality before the reader. It actually offers us a record of his mental and spiritual growth which starts from his very infant days. As it is concerned with the development of the poet�s sensibilities, only those aspects and events of his life which affected them are included. He selects only those of his actions and experiences which are significant for the evolution of his soul. It is the Nature inspired life which he lived through his childhood and youth that he tries to recapture and record. The introduction to �The Prelude� ends with a brief account of the paradisiacal state of childhood described ...