Concetti Chiave
- William Wordsworth was born in 1770 in Cumberland, near London, and became a prominent figure in the Romantic movement alongside Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
- Wordsworth's poetic philosophy emphasized simple language and everyday situations, focusing on humble characters like children, whom he saw as pure and close to God.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, born in 1772 in Devonshire, was a contemporary and collaborator of Wordsworth, contributing to the "Lyrical Ballads" with his renowned piece, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."
- "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" tells a haunting tale of a mariner who survives a cursed voyage and is doomed to recount his story eternally.
- Both Wordsworth and Coleridge were initially inspired by the French Revolution but later became disillusioned, which influenced their literary works.
• William Wordswort
William Wordsworth's early life
He was born in Cumberland near London, in the Lake District, in 1770. He received a good education (he attend Cambridge University). As a young man Wordsworth was a supporter of the French revolution but when the revolution culminated in the reign of terror, he got disillusioned and he had a nervous breakdown. He went back to England and he moved to the Lake District. In England we have 2 generation of romantic poet, the first generations consist of Wordswort and Coleridge. They were also called “The Lakists”; they composed “The Lyrical Ballads”.
What is Wordsworth's poetic philosophy?
For Wordswort the poet was “a man speaking to other man” so the language used was simply and comprehensible for the majority of the reading public. The events told in his poems were taken from “Everyday situations”; the protagonist were humble and poor people and children because were considered purer and nearer to God. The child was the most uncorrupted being; as the child grow up, he lost innocence.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's background
He was born in Devonshire in 1772; after attending the local school he went to university, but he took no degree. He was also influenced by the French Revolution and he was later disillusioned.
He moved to Lake District where he made friends with Wordswort and they started a work collaboration by publishing the “Lyrical Ballads” his contribution was “The rime of the ancient mariner”.
. The rime of the ancient mariner.
The tale of the ancient mariner
This story is told by a mariner during a marriage, which tells of how his ship had been blocked by ice at the South Pole and how the arrival of an albatross has brought a good luck with breaking the ice, but the fleet was hit by a curse and all the sailors died except one, who had killed the bird, and he tells his story to the people he met. At the end, “Death” and “Life in death” come to play dice. Death wins the lives of the crew members and Life-in-Death the life of the mariner: he has to wander the earth and tell eternally his story.
Domande da interrogazione
- What influenced William Wordsworth's shift in perspective during his early life?
- What is the central theme of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"?
William Wordsworth was initially a supporter of the French Revolution, but he became disillusioned after the revolution led to the Reign of Terror, resulting in a nervous breakdown. This experience prompted him to return to England and settle in the Lake District.
The central theme of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is the mariner's tale of misfortune and redemption. After killing an albatross, the mariner's ship is cursed, leading to the death of the crew. The mariner is doomed to wander the earth, sharing his story as a form of penance.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
