Important Note: This Critical Analysis (except background information) only focuses on The Prelude from its book one and line 1 to 100. Therefore, this article is only useful for the students of Sargodha University.
Background Information
The Prelude is an unfinished epic by Wordsworth which is also known as Growth of the Poet's Mind; An Auto-biographical Poem. As is obvious from its long-tail title, the poem is an autobiography that Is highly personal and it was intended to be an introduction for a more philosophical poem, The Recluse, which remained unfinished. One thing to be noted that Wordsworth did not give his poem a title because he continued to work on it from 1798 when he was 28 till the rest of his life. The title was given by Mary after his death. So far, three different versions have been published of The Prelude. The first one appeared in 1799; the second one was found and printed in 1826 (The 1805 version) containing 13 books and the third one was published in 1850 after his death in 14 books of which the first 100 lines of The Book 1 are a part of the course of MA English Literature in Sargodha University.
Development of Situation
The poem opens on the gentle breeze, soothing the speaker. The poet is unaware of the purpose of the breeze but he is happy on his successful escape from the hustle and bustle of the urban life. The speaker is unsure which place shall welcome him. Maybe a valley, a forest or a stream of clean water. Perhaps he is free to roam about the whole earth. He is happy that nothing can endanger his freedom. He is hopeful that "long months of peace" are ahead. But the poet does not know which way leads to his peaceful abode.
The speaker addresses that such peaceful liberty is of no worth unless it is turned into the gift of poetry,
Dear Liberty! Yet what it would awail
But for a gift that consecrates the joy?
The poet is overwhelmed by the gentle breeze which is overpowering his poetic thoughts. Wordsworth addresses Coleridge and tells him how he is overjoyed on the recollection of poetic emotions upon looking at a field. He, then, marches towards a shady tree in Racedown to control his poetic turmoil. The gentle sunshine of the autumn was suitable for the previously mentioned task. He decides to go to the cottage near Racedown valley which he might have seen before.
He finds the scene of the Racedown valley to be the most beautiful one he has ever seen. The poet's flow of poetic thoughts is disrupted by the falling of the fruit of oak. He is reluctant to leave the soft grass but is compelled by the sunset. The poetic thoughts rise up like storm and begin playing with his soul like Æolian playing on harp but soon, the storm is weathered by the inner silence and the poet focuses on enjoying the beauty of Nature.
Themes
The poem speaks volumes of the Wordsworthian spirit of Romanticism. The prominent themes of this part include escapism and Nature as an inspiration of art.
Escapism
Just like John Keats, Wordsworth is also desirous of his escape from the noise of the city life. But the difference between the two stars of the constellation lies in the duration of escapism. Keats shows his desire for a temporal escape in Ode to a Nightingale (as nightingale deserts him in the middle of his imagination) but Wordsworth shows his desire for a permanent escape. This idea is openly supported in the text of The Prelude,
Long months of peace (if such word accord
With any promises of human life),
Long months of ease and undisturbed delight.
But the reason of escape is as interesting as the (long) duration of escape.
Nature as Inspiration for Art
The core reason behind the escape of Wordsworth into the lap of Nature is not just to relish its unparalleled beauty and charm but to utilize its beauty for the sake of poetry. At the beginning of the poem, Wordsworth mentions the blowing of gentle breeze which stirs up his poetic insight. He, obviously, wants to compose something big that he intends to compete with Paradise Lost. In order to recollect those intense poetic thoughts, he draws inspiration from the objects of Nature, i.e. The Racedown Valley and the sunset. But it is worth noting that when Wordsworth is unable to keep the flow of his poetic thoughts, he just concentrates on enjoying his moments among the objects of Nature.
Figurative Analysis
The poem contains a number of figurative devices like personification, simile, metaphors and allusion. He uses personification to showcase the trial of his soul. Also, giving the sense of consciousness to the gentle breeze is the use of personification. Simile occurs when the poet compares his freedom with the flying of a bird by using the word "as". The poet has used the metaphor of the gift of freedom for poetry. While the allusion of Æolia denotes to the god of wind who uses the harp to play music.
Setting and Imagery
This part of the poem begins with Bristol and ends in a valley known as Racedown. This part of the poem takes place in the season of autumn. The images used by the poet are so wordially appealing that a reader finds himself in the company of Wordsworth. The images of this part may include like: "fans my cheek", "wandering cloud", "trackless field", "beneath a tree", and "Of city smoke, by distance ruralized".
Structural Analysis
The whole poem contains more than 10,500 lines. Although the part included in our syllabus at Sargodha University only contains the first 100 of it. The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme and rhythmic patterns. Thus, the poem is a blank verse. The language of this poem is simple and the tone is somewhat meditative.
Conclusion
The Prelude by Wordsworth beautifully displays the poet's love for Nature, not for the sake of escapism but for the pursuit of inspiration.
Well donw dear,
ReplyDeleteIt's Probably the best dessimination of first section of prelude on internet.
hey, thanks!
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