Wordsworth: A Troubled Mind

In the long history of English literature, Wordsworth is generally regarded by his readers and critics as a great nature poet who, enjoying and worshipping the beauty of nature, leads a quiet and reclusive life in the countryside. Very few of them, however, seem to have noticed the fact that the inner world of Wordsworth is actually full of troubles and anxieties, sometimes to the point of overshadowing all his life. The popular view that the poet has found great consolation and hearty enjoyment in nature should also be approached cautiously. In fact, nature is not always able to provide comfort for the poet; sometimes it has even shown its malevolent forces to the poet.In this thesis, the author endeavours to probe into the inner world of Wordsworth through the study of his poetry, his life story, his general disposition and the historical background of his time, and aims to provide evidence for the conclusion that in spite of the few consolations Wordsworth is able to find in life, he remains essentially a troubled mind.Finally, at the very end of the thesis, the author also ventures to point out that much of Wordsworth's poetry, which so faithfully records the poet's melancholy and troubled thoughts in face of the eternal "sad music of humanity", nevertheless shows its everlasting value to later generations.