Some Aspects of Style in Wordsworth's The Prelude

Abstract

<p>The aim of this dissertation is to examine some facets of poetic technique in wordsworth's The Prelude. Because Wordsworth emphasizes the importance of spoken communication In his relationship with Nature, and because that relationship is central to the growth of the poet's mind, the initial focus of the study is on the function of the vocal control as a consciously adopted means of structuring and modulating the monologue in the poem. Wordsworth adopts various voices which are recognizably Miltonic, Shakespearian and Augustan, and these are examined in chapter two. In the third chapter, his use of variations in the voice which are recognizably Wordsworthian is examined. The second area focused upon in the study is the use of particular techniques which substantiate Wordsworth's view that language is "the incarnation of thought" but that there are areas of experience which cannot be reached by language. This view is linked to his conscious use of understatement, his careful use of repetition as a means of probing and clarifying experience and perception, and his control of syntactic and linear structure to demonstrate and to probe the validity of his views on language, expression and experience. These aspects of poetic technique are considered in chapter four. The final chapter attempts to plAce the various aspects of style examined in the dissertation in context, by observing them as they function in one passage.</p>