William Wordsworth, The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind

Yimon Lo (Catholic University of Leuven)

Ed. by Daniel Cook, University of Dundee
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 1805 - 1850

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Pastoral
Poetry (any)

Resources

Published posthumously in July 1850, three months after the death of William Wordsworth, The Prelude was the culmination of over fifty years of creative effort. Taking its central subject as “the growth of a poet’s mind”, The Prelude is an autobiographical poem that details the development of Wordsworth as a poet. It represents Wordsworth’s most sustained self-examination and his spiritual exploration of human nature. The poem is, in Stephen Gill’s perceptive words, “a self-conscious artefact” (1991, p. 3).

The Prelude is a product inspired by Wordsworth’s “dear Friend”, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and was intended to be an introduction or “…

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3434 words

Citation: Lo, Yimon. "The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 May 2020 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7439, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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