Excerpt from the Prelude Flashcards
Who wrote The Prelude?
William Wordsworth
When was the The Prelude written?
1850
What are some context points about William Wordsworth?
- English poet
- Lived in rural areas like the Lake District
- Distant relationship with father. Mother died when he was 8. He was sent to boarding school
- Lived with grandparents and uncle in rural Cumbria, they did not get on
- Contemplated suicide
- Believed nature could be like a parent and spent a lot of time outdoors
- Romantic poet
- Loved to ice skate
- Started The Prelude in his 20s and never finished it, although it was 14 books long
- Autobiographical about his childhood and nature
What is the significance of the title of The Prelude?
An introduction - relating to themes of youthfulness and innocence
“frosty…
…season, when the sun was set”
“cottage windows…
…through the twilight blaz’d”
“I heeded…
…not the summons”
“time of…
…rapture: clear and loud”
“I wheel’d about…
…Proud and exulting”
“untir’d horse…
…that cares not for his home”
What semantic field is there in The Prelude?
Joy: “happy” “rapture” “proud” “exulting” “pleasures” - shows the happiness Wordsworth felt whilst in nature
Negativity: “din” “leafless” “tumult” “alien sound” “melancholy” “died” - suggests Wordsworth no longer feels comfortable in nature
“All shod…
…with steel, we hiss’d along the polish’d ice”
“through the darkness…
…and the cold we flew”
“not a voice…
…was idle”
“din…
…Meanwhile”
“precipices rang…
…aloud, The leafless tress”
“distant…
…hills”
“alien…
…sound of melancholy”
“the orange…
…sky of evening died away.”
What is The Prelude about?
Depicts a young Wordsworth’s views on nature changing as he grows up, reflecting themes of loss of innocence and childhood
