Wordsworth constitutes a sublimity out of his own overbearing subjectivity. Discuss with reference to the poems prescribed for study.

Wordsworth and the Redefinition of the Sublime

Traditionally, the sublime was associated with vastness, power, and terror – think of mountains, storms, or the ocean. However, Wordsworth’s approach diverges significantly. He finds the sublime not in these external forces, but in the ‘mind’s own power’ to transform and interpret experience. This is a crucial point: the source of the sublime isn’t the object itself, but the subjective response to it. This subjectivity isn’t presented as a weakness, but as a strength, a means of accessing deeper truths about existence.

Subjectivity and the Portrayal of Nature

In ‘Tintern Abbey’ (Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye During a Tour. July 13, 1798), Wordsworth doesn’t simply describe the beauty of the Wye Valley. He details *his* emotional and spiritual connection to the landscape, tracing the evolution of his feelings over time. The poem isn’t about the valley itself, but about how the memory of the valley has shaped his inner life. The ‘sense sublime / Of something far more deeply interfused’ isn’t inherent in nature, but is a feeling *generated* within Wordsworth’s consciousness through his interaction with it. He projects his own emotional state onto the landscape, creating a symbiotic relationship where both are elevated.

Memory and the Reconstruction of Experience

Wordsworth’s subjectivity is powerfully evident in his treatment of memory. In ‘Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,’ the loss of childhood’s innate spiritual vision is lamented. However, this loss isn’t presented as purely negative. Instead, memory becomes a crucial faculty for reconstructing and re-experiencing that lost connection. The poem’s sublime moments aren’t found in present reality, but in the poet’s recollection of past joys. The ‘spots of time’ – moments of intense emotional significance – are not objectively remarkable events, but become sublime through the power of memory and the poet’s subjective interpretation. He actively *creates* the sublime through the act of remembering.

The Common Man and the Dignity of Ordinary Life

Wordsworth’s focus on the ‘common man’ is another manifestation of his subjective approach. He elevates the experiences of ordinary people – farmers, shepherds, wanderers – not because of their inherent grandeur, but because he imbues them with dignity and significance through his empathetic imagination. In ‘The Prelude,’ particularly the ‘Lucy’ poems (though not explicitly prescribed, they are illustrative), the death of a young woman is not simply a tragic event, but a profound meditation on loss, mortality, and the interconnectedness of all things. The sublime isn’t in the event itself, but in the depth of the poet’s emotional response and his ability to find universal meaning in a personal tragedy. He doesn’t attempt to objectively represent Lucy; he presents his subjective experience of her and her loss.

The ‘Overbearing’ Aspect of Subjectivity

The phrase ‘overbearing subjectivity’ suggests a forceful imposition of the poet’s will onto the material world. Wordsworth doesn’t passively observe; he actively shapes and transforms his experiences through the lens of his own emotions and imagination. This can sometimes lead to a sense of self-absorption, but it’s precisely this intensity of feeling that generates the sublime. He doesn’t shy away from exploring the complexities and contradictions of his own inner life, and it is in this unflinching self-examination that his poetry achieves its power.