Extract From The Prelude Flashcards
Poet
William Wordsworth
Structure/Form
It is a long, autobiographical poem of 44 lines and may be described as an epic poem because of its length. It is written in blank verse (no rhyme) and has a conversational tone, achieved through the repeated use of ‘and’.
There are no stanzas: the writing is continuous
though there is plenty of punctuation to help us read
it. This extract is almost a complete story in itself. The
Prelude can definitely be viewed as an epic poem, in
length at least.
As part of an Epic Poem (usually very long pieces of
writing that deal with exciting, action-packed heroic
events like wars or explorations), many of the events
Wordsworth writes about are ‘ordinary’. They are given an epic quality, to fully describe the impact they had on his life. Gothic Horror is a genre or mode of literature that contrasts horror and death with beauty and romance.
Context
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was born and lived in the Lake District. This greatly influenced his writing and his appreciation of nature. In 1796, Wordsworth, along with his sister Dorothy and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, worked on a collection of poems, which became known as The Lyrical Ballads. This collection is very important as it marks the beginning of The Romantic Movement in literature. The Romantic Period developed at the end of the 18th century and reflected a change in the way people thought about art and writing. They also found beauty in the ordinary, everyday world
Small circles glittering idly in the moon
Wordsworth opens his poem with a simple, yet detailed, description of nature through sibilance in ‘small circles’. It has a calm and pleasant sound, through which Wordsworth admires the simple beauty of nature and invites us to share in that. This also contrasts with the gothic images he goes on to describe later.
Adverb idly = innocent
Pathetic fallacy moon = beauty
She was an elfin pinnance
Personification is used to describe how small his boat is compared to the ridge of a mountain. It is given a delicate female identity, which he describes with the adjective ‘elfin’. ‘Elfin’ refers to a mythical, enchanted world of pixies and fairies, which reflects how small Wordsworth feels in his boat compared to the sight of this huge mountain in the distance. The noun ‘pinnace’ means ‘a lightly sailing ship’, to emphasise his smallness.
Call it solitude/or blank desertion
Here, the poet no longer feels at one with nature, enjoying all it has to offer. Feels apart from nature and threatened by it. The noun ‘solitude’ emphasises that the poet felt totally alone – like he was the only living soul on earth. Enjambment is used to show the poet’s train of thought at trying to pinpoint a way to describe the uncomfortable atmosphere he now feels on the lake. The verb ‘desertion’ reflects the loneliness and powerlessness he feels against his surroundings.
No familiar shapes/remained
The adjective ‘familiar’ suggests that the poet feels troubled by his surroundings, whereas earlier in the poem he felt delighted by it. Assonance is used to convey his confusion and change in emotions whilst out on the lake. Enjambment creates a sense of isolation that he was left alone in a place he didn’t recognise. This contrasts with the earlier description whilst out on the lake. This surrounding have changes, and so have his feelings towards them. This is a feature of gothic horror: a pleasant experience has become like a nightmare.
There hung a darkness huge and mighty forms, that do
not live/Like living men
Personification– describing mountains as people (‘forms’), yet he acknowledges that they do not ‘live’. The poet uses a simile with alliteration to emphasise that, although they are frightening in their size and form, they are not like humans. The ‘l’ sound is gentle, as the poet compares the mountains to some kind of monsters. Pathetic fallacy - darkness in the sky reflects the mood and desolation of the poet
A huge peak, dark and huge
Personification is used where the mountain peak comes alive and chases him. Repetition of the word ‘huge’, describes the vastness of the mountain, but also reflects the conversational tone – where we unconsciously repeat words. This is clear way of emphasising the sheer size of the peak and also a temporary loss for words. Dark shows how nature can be frightening as well
Upreared its head
Personification is used to show how the poet has gone from being charmed by nature, to frightened and threatened by it. The verb ‘upreared’ suggests that the surroundings he was enjoying, suddenly revealed themselves to him as a threatening presence. The assonance or ‘reared’ and ‘head’ has the effect pf building tension in the poem.
