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May 31, 2014
Wordsworth
We no longer require humor in poets. We demand salvation.
Of that commodity, Wordsworth still supplies the purest sort; and since he was an artist, it will continue to be available in any world.
--Mark Van Doren, 1950, commenting on Wordsworth's transition from his role as "nature poet" to one of philosopher, and even reluctant apologist for man and society in Europe.
William Wordsworth (1770-1850), English romantic poet, in his native Lake District. All his life, Wordsworth preferred the beauty and solitude of the outdoors to London and the most vibrant cities on the continent. In his earlier years, the upheavals in France between 1789 and 1799, and his extensive travels through Europe, made him sad, cynical and pessimistic about the "human condition".
Posted by JD Hull at May 31, 2014 10:15 AM