Nature as consolation : a reading of William Blake's ‘Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience’, William Wordsworth's ‘The Prelude’ and Samuel Coleridge's works in the ‘Lyrical Ballads’ and the ‘Conversation Poems’

Abstract

This dissertation will touch upon the theme of nature in the Romantic Age, shedding light particularly on the early poets named William Blake, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge respectively. Whilst looking at their works, an observation is to be made with relevance to the previous era, named the Enlightenment, also known as the Augustan Age. Through the differing and defining qualities of both Eras, a contrast can quite clearly be seen. Moving forth, to the discussion of the respective poets, all three of them knowingly discuss nature, each in their own unique understanding. Nevertheless, there seems to be a common understanding which seems to pertain to all of them; the effects of the devastating and pivotal events of the French Revolution, to which hence, each poet used their own work to cope. This can be seen in the way that William Blake makes use of the Poetic Vision, the use of the imagination with William Wordsworth, and lastly Samuel Taylor Coleridge makes use of the Supernatural to seek Nature, as a consolation.