A critical appreciation of "From the Prelude" by William Wordsworth

This poem is Wordsworth's magnum opus. It has been taken from the Prelude, Book 1 that has been taken from a larger work of his known as The Recluse. The poem was written around 1789-'99. This was the same time that 'Romanticism" or the 'Romantic Revival' came into being. The poets of this period emphasized on emotions, they explored the relationship between Nature and human life, they believed in the power of the imagination and experimented …

…him. It is his conscience that comes between him and stealing the boat. He is perplexed and confused by this unexpected reckoning from Nature, as he never seemed to view himself as a smaller part of it. He never realized that Nature was larger than his own existence and that he could learn great things from Nature. This poem shows how a passive entity like Nature can affect our lives in deep and profound ways.