E-LESSON-3 ENGLISH LITERATURE-1

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B.A. 2ENGLISH LITERATURE - I All right are reserved with CU-IDOL ENGLISH LITERATURE - I Course Code: BAQ105 Semester: First SLM Unit : 3 e-Lesson 3 www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105)

ENGLISH LITERATURE - I OBJECTIVES INTRODUCTION 33 Student will be introduced to literary background of William Wordsworth as one of the greatest William Wordsworth’s Poetry poets of Romantic Age Student will be introduced to themes of Wordsworth as a poet of Nature Wordsworth poetry Wordsworth as a poet of Spirituality in Student will be introduced to the spiritual aspect of connection with nature Wordsworth poetry www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQAQ10150)5) INASlTl ITriUgThEt OarFeDrIeSsTeArNvCeEd AwNitDh OCNUL-IIDNOE LLEARNING

TOPICS 4 > Literary & Social Background of W ENGLISH LITERATURE - I illiam Wordsworth > Themes > Analysis of Wordsworth’s Poetry > Themes > Main Ideas > Nature as a mother and as a thera py to all human beings https://www.slideshare.net/architsudheer/william-wordsworth-the-nature www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

SOCIAL & LITERARY BACKGROUND  Wandering and Wanderers 5 The speakers of Wordsworth’s poems are inveterate wanderers; they roam solitarily, they travel over the moors, they take private walks through the highlands of Scotland. Active wandering allows the characters to experience and participate in the vastness and beauty of the natural world  Memory Memory allows Wordsworth’s speakers to overcome the harshness of the contemporary world. Recollecting their childhood gives adults a chance to reconnect with the visionary power and intense relationship they had with nature as children.  Vision and Sight Throughout his poems, Wordsworth fixates on vision and sight as the vehicles through which individuals are transformed. As speakers move through the world, they see visions of great natural loveliness, which they capture in their memories  Light Light often symbolizes truth and knowledge. In “The Tables Turned” (1798), Wordsworth contrasts the barren light of reason available in books with the “sweet” and “freshening” www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

SOCIAL & LITERARY BACKGROUND 6  The Leech Gatherer In “Resolution and Independence,” the ancient leech gatherer who spends his days wandering the moors looking for leeches, represents the strong-minded poet who perseveres in the face of poverty, obscurity, and solitude. As the poem begins, a wanderer travels along a moor, feeling elated and taking great pleasure in the sights of nature around him but also remembering that despair is the twin of happiness. Eventually he comes upon an old man looking for leeches, even though the work is dangerous and the leeches have become increasingly hard to find. As the speaker chats with the old man, he realizes the similarities between leech gathering and writing poetry. Like a leech gather, a poet continues to search his or her mind and the landscape of the natural world for poems, even though such intense emotions can damage one’s psyche, the work pays poorly and poverty is dangerous to one’s health, and inspiration sometimes seems increasingly hard to find www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

THEMES 7  The Beneficial Influence of Nature Throughout Wordsworth’s work, nature provides the ultimate good influence on the human mind. All manifestations of the natural world — from the highest mountain to the simplest flower — elicit noble, elevated thoughts and passionate emotions in the people who observe these manifestations.  Nature “Come forth into the light of things/Let Nature be your Teacher.” No discussion on Wordsworth would be complete without mention of nature. Nature and its connection to humanity makes an appearance in the vast majority of Wordsworth's poetry, often holding a poem’s focus, and has become the cornerstone of the Romantic Movement primarily because of him.  The Power of the Human Mind Wordsworth praised the power of the human mind. Using memory and imagination, individuals could overcome difficulty and pain. For instance, the Speaker in “Lines Composed a www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

 The Splendor of Childhood THEMES In Wordsworth’s poetry, childhood is a magical, magnificent time of innocence. Children 8 form an intense bond with nature, so much so that they appear to be a part of the natural world, rather than a part of the human, social world. Memory For Wordsworth, the power of the human mind is extremely important. In several of his poems he begins in a negative or depressed mood, and then slowly becomes more positive. The most important use of memory, however, is to maintain connections. For instance, in poems like  Mortality Wordsworth’s fascination with death frequently shows up in his poetry. The Lucy Poems, for instance, are a series of poems about a young girl who may or may not have been a figment of Wordsworth’s imagination, and who ultimately dies.  Humanity One of Wordsworth’s greatest worries is the descent of humanity. As man moves further and further away from humanity he seems to be losing more and more of his soul. Often when Wordsworth is in nature, he is saddened because he is forced to think about the people trapped in www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

9  Transcendence and Connectivity The idea of transcendence did not gain full speed until the Romantic Movement moved to America, but Wordsworth was certainly a fan of the idea long before then. “Transcendence” simply means “being without boundaries.” For Wordsworth, this means being able to connect with people and things outside of oneself, especially in terms of nature. https://literariness.org/2017/11/28/literary-criticism-of-william-wordsworth/ www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

POEM ANALYSIS 10  Analysis of ‘The Education of Nature’ William Wordsworth’s Poems have long comforted the sorrowful soul. His tone is not that of the typical tortured soul poet, yet he was not without immense suffering. His ability to infuse comfort into his pain through his poetry has offered peace and understanding to people for generations. https://literariness.org/2017/11/28/literary-criticism-of-william-wordsworth/ www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS 1. ‘A lovelier flower’ means 11 (a) Nature (b) Rose (c) Lucy (d) Mother 2 ‘Myself will….be both law and impulse’ means (a) react forcefully (b) law and order (c) react meekly (d) take revenge 3. What must Lucy be doing amidst nature in heaven? (a) Missing the speaker (b) Feeling very deserted and lonely (c) Running across happily across the lawn (d) Preparing to return to earth Ans:1.(c) 2.(a) 3. (c) Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL www.cuidol.in

SUMMARY 12  The short poem profoundly teaches us the universal truth of the nature of the life, i.e., we are fro m nature, we sustain by the nature, we have to return to nature and there is no loss of human life after death.  It is a loss only to the living.  The Education of Nature’ is about the poet’s love to a pure young girl and the loss of the beloved one, as his beloved (Lucy) belongs to nature, her return to nature is her death.  The poem is narrated by nature herself and compares Lucy to a beautiful flower. www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Frequently Asked Questions 13 1. What is the truth of nature? (For more information see SLM) Ans: we are from nature, we sustain by the nature, we have to return to nature and there is no loss of human life after death. It is a loss only to the living. 2. With whom is lucy compared? (For more information see SLM) Ans: the poem is narrated by nature herself and compares lucy to a beautiful flower. 3. Elucidate analysis of poem The Education of Nature. Ans: william wordsworth’s poems have long comforted the sorrowful soul. His tone is not that of The typical tortured soul poet, yet he was not without immense suffering. His ability to infuse Comfort into his pain through his poetry has offered peace and understanding to people for Generations. (For more information see SLM) www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

References 14 1. https://www.notablebiographies.com/We-Z/Wordsworth-William.html 2. https://www.poems4free.com/THEEDUCATIONOFNATURE.,html 3. https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-summary-william-wordsworths-poemeducation- 317787 4. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Lord-Tennyson/Major-literary-work 5. https://beamingnotes.com/2017/07/18/summary-analysis-things-will-die-tennyson/ 6. https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/tennyson/plot-analysis/ 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson www.cuidol.in Unit-3 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

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