On The Emotional Aesthetics Of Wordsworthian Romanticism

William Wordsworth(1770-1850) was the leading figure of the English romantic poetry between the late 18th century and the early 19th century. The most important contribution he has made is that he has not only started the modern poetry, but also changed the course of English poetry by using ordinary speech of the language and by advocating a return to nature. His theory of poetry and his poems have produced a great impact on the poets of the same times and the successors. Emotion is an theme of Wordsworth's poetry. He defines poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of feelings". Based on the analysis of Wordsworthian poetics and poems, the present thesis probes into the influence of emotion on literature from the angle of aesthetics, in an attempt to expound the charm and value presented in his theory and implied in his poetry.The thesis consists of three parts. The first part discusses the historical background and the theoretical basis of Wordsworthian poetics. Inspired by the French Revolution, he held high the banner of freedom and equality, however, his revolutionary enthusiasm died down as he was shocked at the massacre during the Reign of Terror under the rule of Robespierre. Totally disillusioned, he returned to England and started to look for a sort of spiritual power from nature. Under the influence of Rousseau's philosophy, Wordsworth became a worshipper of nature. To him, nature means more than rivers, trees, rocks, mountains, lakes, and so on. Nature has a moral value and has its philosophical significance. Nature is for him the embodiment of the Divine Spirit. He believes that God and universe are identical, that God is everything and everything is God. To Wordsworth, nature is the greatest of all teachers, and those who are uncorrupted by urban society, especially those simple rustic people, can communicate directly with nature which gives them power, peace and happiness. Wordsworth's thoughts on emotioninfluenced by other philosophers including Johann Gottlied Fichte, John Locke and David Hume are also discussed.The second part of this thesis explores the emotional aesthetics of Wordsworthian Romanticism presented in his preface to Lyrical Ballads, which can be read as a declaration of Romanticism. In the preface Wordsworth makes clear such points as writing about the life of common people, trying to transform the incidents and situations of the common people by the poet's imagination and presenting them in such a way that they will seem novel and wonderful. According to Wordsworth, a poem is the outcome of the strong emotions of a poet. The poet should train and regulate his feelings by deep and long thinking, to such a degree that these feelings will be connected with important subjects. There is a moral purpose in every poem a poet writes.By expounding the main features of Wordsworthian emotional aesthetics, the third part of this thesis proceeds from five aspects. First, as a worshipper of nature, especially the sublime aspect of a natural scene, Wordsworth reads in nature some mysterious force. He treats nature as a living entity that shares his feelings. Second, Wordsworth's personal emotions and the universal feelings of the common people are in perfect harmony. The poet thinks that common life is the only subject of literary interest. The joys and sorrows of the common people are his themes. His sympathy always goes to the suffering poor. When we read his poems like The Thorn and Michael, we find ourselves in the presence of poverty, crime, insanity, ruined innocence, solitary anguish, and even despair. They are verses of sympathy and love. Third, the pregnant meanings are always conveyed through normal conversations in Wordsworth's poems. He takes to using everyday language spoken by the rustic people. Characterized by a humanitarian idealism, the poet has a vision of the brotherhood of mankind, universal sharing, and the ultimate freedom of human spirits. Moreover, there exist psychological fluctuations behind his temperament in his poems, which is caused by his psychological...