The Prelude, Commentary

This book seeks to study the mind of a poet, specifically by picking William Wordsworth as a case study. The reason for signaling out Wordsworth as the person in whom to study the mind of a poet is that The Prelude reveals with unusual fullness a mind that is fundamentally poetic. Even its peculiarities, its numerous limitations, and its unusual emphases are in the main those of a poet. Besides, poetry—not, as with many other writers, religious or social problems, humanitarianism, science, politics, economics, metaphysics, or literary criticism—was the chief concern of his creative years. Further, the sheer amount of verse, criticism, letters, and journals Wordsworth produced makes him an excellent choice for a study of this kind.