Ecological vision in selected poems of William Wordsworth, 1798-1800

This study focuses on Wordsworth's view of the relationship between humankind and nature represented in his poems "Tintern Abbey" (1798), "Home at Grasmere" (1800), and "Michael" (1800), as well as other poems. The purpose of this study is to show, from the perspective of Bakhtinian dialogical ecocriticism, how Wordsworth's view anticipates ecological issues, such as ecoconsciousness, bioregionalism, and Aldo Leopold's land ethic. For Wordsworth, the relationship between humankind and nature is not dichotomous but dyadic as he conceives them as mutually constitutive in an interconnected ecosystem.; "Tintern Abbey" shows its lyrical speaker transforming his self into an environmental self. In the construction of this environmental self, Wordsworth changes the traditional I/It relation between consciousness and the landscape of nature into the ecologically conscious I/You relation. The speaker's consciousness is a prototype of what we now call ecoconsciousness.; "Home at Grasmere" reveals the philosophy of bioregionalism by emphasizing the mutual relation between narrative and place. Wordsworth's narrative values Grasmere as self-sufficient and resists the economic and political centralization of the state. Wordsworth constructs the ethic of giving as a model of bioregional dwelling.; "Michael" shows the relation between human community and the land. This pastoral poem differs from traditional arcadian pastoral by implying Wordsworth's environmental anxiety. The poem criticizes the influence of industrialism on Michael's agrarian society and values Michael's ethical attitude toward his land. Michael's land ethic underscores human obligation to nature. The poem also appreciates the feminine by acknowledging Isabel's labor and Michael's childcare.; This study demonstrates that Wordsworth constructed a dialogical partnership between humankind and nature. For Wordsworth, humans and nonhumans constitute an ecological whole. His works from the period between 1798-1800 direct us to an ecological way of life.