The Conception of Nature in William Wordsworth’s poetry

Abstract

This thesis aims at studying the conception of nature in William Wordsworth’s poetry. As one of the remarkable representatives of the romantic period, William Wordsworth played an incomparable significant role in the development of English romantic poetry, and also laid a foundation for its further development. Influenced by social background and personal experience, Wordsworth’s natural poetry broke through the shackles of neoclassical literature and gradually formed his own unique conception of nature. Wordsworth’s conception of nature was based on the relationship between man and nature, and it emphasized the role of nature in social life and spiritual redemption. By analyzing the relationship between man and nature and constantly seeking the essence of life in nature, the poet attempted to find a way to solve human’s problems. Although there have been a lot of researches on Wordsworth and his poetry, there are few studies that systematically analyze the conception of nature in William Wordsworth’s poems by integrating his natural poetry into a whole. Based on William Wordsworth's personal experience and social background, this thesis attempts to analyze the causes of the formation of Wordsworth’s conception of nature. Through the careful interpretation of Wordsworth’s natural poetry, this thesis summarizes his conception of nature and its characteristics. It was found that in William Wordsworth's natural poems, nature was the unity of human nature, rational nature and divine nature, and the combination of the three was the highest attribute sought by human beings. Mastering these characteristics is of great reference values for the study of romantic natural poetry and Wordsworth's conception of nature.