Wordsworth, William,--1770-1850--Criticism and interpretation

The interaction between mind (consciousness) and world (sensory phenomena) is explored in depth by poets William Wordsworth and Wallace Stevens, with particular attention given to the role of imagination. In The Prelude, Wordsworth describes events from his own early life, encounters between mind and world, leading to the development of a poetic sensibility. Stevens, writing in a playful, improvisational style very different from Wordsworth's, examines a variety of encounters between characters such as Crispin in "The Comedian as the Letter C" and external reality. For both poets, the boundaries between mind and world are indeterminate, and the question of supremacy in their dynamic relationship is unresolved. Yet the sense of a "something" that grounds this interplay, what Stevens identifies as "Being," leads the ever-active imagination to do its work, at home in the world.

Although Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and William Wordsworth had no personal contact, and, in fact, were adversaries, several parallel passages show correspondences between the two artists. An examination of Faust and The Excursion reveals a strikingly similar attitude toward nature. A comparison of Faust and "Resolution and Independence" shows several significant resemblances: unusual verse measures, the use of personification, the bestowal of natural landscapes with consciousness, and the presence of images which suggest fluctuation and development. Finally, a close reading of Faust and the The Prelude reveals similar motifs such as veils, waterfalls, and mirrors; also common in both works is a satiric denunciation of scholarly learning. These parallels prove that incompatible poetic minds, without influencing each other directly, can share fundamental images, thoughts, and diction.