Wordsworth, William - Author and a certain colouring of imagination

Relationship between man and nature

Shared Rousseau's theories about nature and children. He was interested in the relationship between the natural world and human consciousness. His poetry focuses on the complex interaction between nature and man which led to the creation of feelings that arise from this contact. Man is not separated from nature but it is an active participant in it (whole system). Nature is a place where people can find peace, joy and pleasure.

Memory and senses

Sensations lead to simple thoughts which later combine into complex and organised ideas. He was interested in the interactions with nature that have influenced him in different ways during his life. Memory is a major force that the poet uses to grow his mind, it helps the poet to give the poetry its life and power.

Poet’s tasks

The power of imagination makes him able to communicate his knowledge, and he became a teacher of understanding feelings and improving their moral being. His aim is to draw attention to humble people and ordinary things of life.

A certain colouring of imagination

This text is taken from the “Preface” by William Wordsworth to the second part of Lyrical Ballads, which is the Manifesto of English romanticism (written by Wordsworth and Coleridge).
This text starts by talking about the subjects of the poetry which are common things of everyday life, it has to be described with language used by man, which is simple and understandable. Using his imagination he makes people able to see ordinary things in a different way, which will engage the reader's emotions.
As backgrounds there is rustic and rural life, because emotions are not under the control of the society so they are purer and feelings are more emphatic and simple. As I said before, the language has to be simple in order to eliminate the vanity of the poet because he is using heart for writing poems, and they have to express feelings with unelaborated expressions. A poet is a man speaking to man, who has a greater knowledge of human nature and he has more sensibility. After that he explained the process of writing poems. The poet has to be in a tranquillity state, in which he can remember his memories about sensory experience. Memory recreates the situation of the sensory experience and the poet can contemplate the emotions, after he creates kindred emotions and finally he can write the poem.