浅析华兹华斯的自然观毕业论文.doc

【标题】浅析华兹华斯的自然观 【作者】林 梅 【关键词】华兹华斯；自然；爱；人类 【指导老师】李雪顺 【专业】英语 【正文】I. IntroductionWilliam Wordsworth（1770-1850）is a famous British Romantic poet, who together with Coleridge and Southey is well-known as“Lake Poets” because they lived in the district of the great lakes in Northwestern England. He is also one of the forerunners of 19th century English Romanticism.Wordsworth was born in a family of lawyer and received his education at Cambridge University. In 1790 and 1791 he visited France twice during the great French Revolution, young Wordsworth seemed to be attracted by“liberty, fraternity and equality” at first, but soon shocked by the bloodshed and gradually became a conservative.Wordsworths poems are famous around the world for singing highly of nature, natural beauty and simple country girls. In 1798, he, together with Coleridge, published The Lyrical Ballads which made a clear declaration to set free the poets and poems from the 18th century Classicism. When many poets still wrote about ancient heroes in grandiloquent style, Wordsworth focused on nature, children, the poor, the common people, and used ordinary words to express his personal feelings. His definition of poetry as“the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings arising from emotion recollected in tranquility”1 was shared by a number of his followers. In 1800 he voiced his theory about Romanticism in the Preface to the second edition of The Lyrical Ballads, saying that the language used is to be a selection of language really used by men.Wordsworths major works include Prelude, The Solitary Reaper, I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud, etc. As a great poet of nature, Wordsworth is the first person to find words for the most elementary phenomenon. His deep love for nature runs through such lyrics as Lines Written in Early Spring, To the Cuckoo, Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, etc.The author intends to examine Wordsworths viewpoints of nature in detail by analyzing Wordsworths poems. First of all, the author will give a brief introduction to Wordsworth. Secondly, the reasons why Wordsworth formed such conceptions of nature are put forward. Thirdly, the author analyzes Wordsworths views of nature in his nature poems. And then, the influence of Wordsworths views of nature on the succeeding writers and people of modern society is given. Lastly, it is concluded that Wordsworth has brilliantly fulfilled his role as the prophet of nature. By analyzing Wordsworths views on nature in the works, this thesis will arouse peoples attention to nature.II. Main Reasons for the Formation of Views of NatureNature is an indispensable and a crucial part in various stages of Wordsworths life. Wordsworths whole life is intricately entwined with natures pervasive manifold and profound influence. Nature accompanies Wordsworth all the times, physically and spiritually, even at those time when his direct contact and communication with it are impeded by worldly affairs.A. Wordsworths Personal CharactersFor Wordsworths own characters, he felt lonely and sensitive when he was a young boy. Especially he loved the peaceful lake and the fog around the mountains. He had written poems to describe the great power of mountains and mysterious fog.People who lived in the urban areas for long had forgotten the country land that they belonged to, but only remembered the appearance of the forests. They also forgot the details about natural life and could not distinguish the difference of the changing nature scene. Who could tell us the names of all kinds of trees and flowers? Who could know the indications of the changing weather? Wordsworth knew all of these indications when he had a play around the mountains from his childhood. He was familiar with all kinds of changes of nature of four seasons in England. He had observed, felt and thought all the things carefully around him since he was born.The beautiful scenery of lakes left a deep impression on Wordsworth who liked walking around the mountains of the district of the great lakes quietly under the peaceful starry sky, which exerted a great influence on his later works.Wordsworth was sensitive from his childhood and could observe and feel things more deep than others. The combination of this kind of sensitive and lonely feelings led Wordsworth to nature and made him produce a kind of special feelings about nature. Wordsworth became a poet who pondered nature deeply.B. Wordsworths Growing-up ExperiencesWordsworth was born in the countryside and spent his early childhood in the scenic Lake District in Northwest England. There, he was deeply attracted by nature and learned eagerly from flowers, hills and stars. As a lover of nature, Wordsworth was at his best in descriptions of mountains and rivers, flowers and birds, children and peasants, and reminiscences of his own childhood and youth.Wordsworth thinks that nature is good for ones moral health, the peasants and their children are pure and courageous because they always live in the dells, among clear streams and broad fields, and people should try to find power, beauty and knowledge in nature whenever they are tired of the selfish evil society.In his nature poems, Wordsworth reveals his spontaneous joy in seeing and hearing these creatures of the animal kingdom, often with boyish enthusiasm and contrasts his love of nature with his dissatisfaction with human society.C. Political Background in the 19th CenturyNo literary work can exist independent of a specific social background. Wordsworth lives in an age of great turmoil and transformation, and many of his works register either explicitly or implicitly the social circumstances at the time.In the 18th century, poetry was eclipsed by prose. The theme of poetry was tailored to the courts and nobles liking. It seemed that poetry only served aristocratic tastes and expressed poets sentiments that had nothing to do with common life. This became the trend of poetry at that time.In the early 19th century, the industrial revolution in England was in its prime, and numerous factories emerged one after another. Meanwhile, large areas of forests were destroyed and rivers became contamination, which made Wordsworth so upset that he was strongly opposed to the industrial revolution. The poet loved the purity of nature more than anything else. Thats why he chose to live in the Lake District, far away from the noisy urban life.Wordsworth was optimistic in his youth, believing in human perfectibility, and was enthusiastic with the so-called“liberty, fraternity and equality” proposed during the French revolution. But soon the revolutionarys behavior and Napoleons empire destroyed his beautiful dream. He lost his faith in human society and his thought began to center on the nature of humanity and more and more confined that the only way to better the society was to switch to the simplicity and kindness of human nature. Also the separation from his unmarried wife frustrated him. He went up to nature with a broken heart, hoping to find comfort from it. The healing power of nature was the clearing shown in many of his nature poems.Wordsworth lived in the end of 18th century when the western society was sinking in the atmosphere of revolutionary. Bourgeois revolution in England and France, Industrial Revolution in England carried the revolution to the high tide. So, he has a relish for the beauty of mountains and lakes, and immersed himself in the fresh, green, and imaginative world so as to forget his dissatisfaction with the reality.III. Views of Nature in Wordsworths WorksIt is nature that gives birth to everything in the world; it is nature that brings so much beauty and energy to life; it is nature that inspires so many poets of Romanticism. Nature becomes the main movement in Wordsworths poems. The gloomy of lakes and mountains, the wonder of the fairy world, and the splendor of peoples life all become the fountainheads of the writers inspiration. Being a great poet of nature, Wordsworth considers that nature is his ideal destination, the source of human beings happiness and moral strength. His poems always relate to common people who are close to nature. He also holds the opinion of the combination of humanity and nature.A. Wordsworths Ideal DestinationAlong with the Industrial Revolution, people tried their best to grab the profit, and also public morals were declining day by day in England. People did not see the beauty of nature and could not grasp the emotion of nature, and they also loved the spirit life, which made Wordsworth feel distressed, so he wrote the poem The World Is Too Much With Us; Late and Soon to criticize the society:The world is too much with us; late and soon,Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;Little we see in Nature that is ours;We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,The winds that will be howling at all hours,And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,Foe this, for everything, we are out of tune;It moves us not.Great God! Id rather beA Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.2In this poem, the poet felt distressed to the world. The poem compared the beautiful scene of the nature with peoples formal narrow mind of the transition of money, which expressed that the poet preferred to be a pagan who nourished with old principal and stayed with the nature. At the end of the poems, the association of the sea washed away the gloomy atmosphere and brought people to a wonderful fairy world such as Proteus and Tritons. The reason why the poet used these two allusions was that the old Greek who made everything deifies so as to make everything be full of life and human beings could find their own mates and not feel lonely. Obviously this poem expressed the ideal of the poet was that he wished to go back to nature.B. The Source of Human Beings HappinessEvery tree and every blade of grass in nature was full of life in Wordsworths poems, which gave human the console from heart and the inspiration to spirit.In 1802, when Wordsworth went through Ulwater and wandered near the lake, he saw a crowd of golden daffodils, which were fluttering and dancing in the breeze. After two years he recalled this, and then wrote the famous poem I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud. He wrote:I wondered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.3This crowd of daffodils associates the poet with the stars that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way and the waves beside daffodils danced. Therefore, the scene in the ground, water and sky appear one vast scene of harmonious. A poet, generally lonely, met such jocund company that let him be relaxed and joyful. Whenever the poet felt lonely and was at a loss, he recalled a crowd of daffodils that inspired the poet forever.The natural, beautiful, free and blissful daffodils gave the poet peace and delight. Therefore he said:I gazed? and gazed? but little thoughtWhat wealth the snow to me had brought;For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fillsAnd dances with the daffodils.4The poet here not only showed his joy at the sight of the beautiful daffodils but also reflected the philosophical depth of his mind under the enchantment of nature. He got strength and confidence from nature and the thought of the daffodils refreshed him whenever he was in bad mood.Wordsworths I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud is literally a lyric poem describing a natural scene. The poem shows that nature is the source of human beings happiness. Human can get supports from thought, feel pleased and derive comfort from spirit through getting close to nature.C. The Source of Human Beings Moral StrengthWhen reading Wordsworths poems, people can find out the true reflection of the poets mind between the lines. Wordsworth was trying to create a world in which the man is the center. He wrote to recall the past and to influence the readers with his powerful passions.Tintern Abby is the representative lyric poem of Wordsworth. In 1793, the poet went through the Huaihe River and old Tintern Abby. Five years later, he went back and sigh a great sorrow, so he wrote this famous poem. The opening lines of the poem appear great momentum:Five years have past; five summers, with the lengthOf five long winters! And again I hearThese waters, rolling from their mountain-springsWith a soft inland murmur.Once againDo I behold these steep and lofty cliffs?That on a wild secluded scene impressThoughts of more deep seclusion; and connectThe landscape with the quiet of the sky.The day is come when I again reposeHere, under this dark sycamore, and viewThese plots of cottageground, these orchardstufts,Which at this season, with their unripe fruits,Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselvesMid groves and corps, hardly hedgerrows, little linesOf sportive wood run wild; and wreaths of smokeSent up, in silence from among the trees!5The poet used“five years”“five summers” and“five long winters” consecutively. This repetition let people feel that these years especially in winter, was a long time to spend because his mind experienced attack several times by stream storm during this long period. Such as, he was full of enthusiasm for revolution in France in the early years, but later decreased after the outbreak of the war between England and France. Then the poet used“again I hear”“again I see”“again I repose” in order to express his feeling of immeasurable joy. At the same time, the poet mixed the past and the present together into the Huaihe River and contrasted the changing of him with the stabling of nature.In later lines, the poet wrote wherever he lived, in the city or countryside, he felt happy because of the beautiful landscape. Five years had elapsed since the poet left. On revisiting the old pastoral landscape, the very scene had always been in his mind. The poet believed that nature gave him a present that made him happy. Then the poet recalled his childhood when he often played between the mountain ridges and under the natures guidance. When he was a young boy, he believed that nature is his whole world, and the mountain ridges brought him love and ambition. When he grew up, childrens purity and innocence disappeared, but nature gave him new present that was mature mentality and thought independently:Knowing that nature never did betrayThe heart that loved her;tis her privilege,Through all the years of this our life, to leadFrom joy to joy: for she can so informThe mind that is within us, so impressWith quietness and beauty, and so feedWith lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor allRash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor allThe dreary intercourse of daily life,Shall eer prevail against us, or disturbOur cheerful faith, that all which we beholdIs full of blessings.6After grown-up, the poet learned that nature never did betray but“for she can so inform the mind that is within us, so impress with quietness and beauty”. Wordsworth not only loved nature, but also worshiped nature with a religious ecstasy. He saw in nature an immense and mysterious power that endowed nature with life and grandeur. He believed that people not only could get supports form thought and derived comfort from spirit through being close to nature but also obtained the moral strength.D. The Nearest Beings to NatureWordsworth was a master hand in searching and revealing feelings of the common people, who were the nearest beings to nature. He believed that in rural conditions mans elementary feelings found a better soil than in town life and could be better cultivated and strengthened in constant association with nature. He thus naturally showed his love and concerned over the peasants in many of his nature poems. In We Are Seven, a passer-by met a pretty and na?ve cottage girl of eight. The little girl did not know the difference between life and death. The dialogue between the poet and the girl is very simple:“Sisters and brothers, Little Maid,?”“How many may you be?”“How many? Seven in all,” she said,And wondering looked at me.“And where are they? I pray you tell.”She answered,“Seven are we;And two of us at Conway dwell,And two are gone to sea.”“Two of us in the churchyard lie,My sister and my brother:And in the churchyard cottage, IDwell near them with my mother.”?“How many are you, then, said I,If they two are in heaven?”Quick was the little Mails reply,“O master! We are seven.”“But they are dead; those two are dead!Their spirits are in heaven!”Twas throwing words away; foe stillThe little Maid would have her will,And said,“Nay, we are seven!”7Though she had“a rustic, woodland air, and she was wildly clad,” yet“her eyes were fair, very fair” and“her beauty made me glad”the wide state of girl gave the passer-by the freshness of nature. Later on, when the passer-by asked her how many brothers and sisters she has, though one of her brothers and one of her sisters died very young, she naively insisted,“We are seven”. Her innocence prevented her from giving up death, and made her believe that her dead sister and brother were still living among them. By now, a picture