William Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Daniel Robinson (Widener University)

Ed. by Daniel Robinson, Widener University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Daniel Robinson (Widener University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1807

Places

England (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Lyric
Pastoral
Poem

Resources

The poem commonly called by its first line “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” or just “Daffodils” (as Wordsworth himself occasionally referred to it) is immortalized on many a refrigerator magnet and coffee mug (both available, for example, from the Wordsworth Trust’s gift shop). Daffodils are now part of the iconography of the Wordsworth brand. Because these flowers bloom early, they symbolize rebirth or simply herald the joyful promise of spring and the close of winter. Daffodils, therefore, suit the image of Wordsworth as a nature poet, although he includes descriptions of other flowers in his poetry. From the poem’s first publication, it was ridiculed as downright silly; to poet Anna Seward, for example, the poem produced “…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

4228 words

Citation: Robinson, Daniel. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 May 2012 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34633, accessed 22 November 2024.]

Save this article