It is almost universally accepted that William Wordsworth never took seriously the idea of pre-existence, or life before birth. In this study, Robert Zimmer shows that this is an unjustifiable presumption. Evidence from Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood," from The Prelude, and from the "Essay Upon Epitaphs" shows that Wordsworth firmly believed in pre-existence. Nor was this an idea he adopted out of curiosity or for its poetic utility. Wordsworth, like Henry Vaughan and Thomas Traherne, remembered life before birth, and retained a kind of clairvoyance in his infancy. As Zimmer shows, it is only because of the religious and philosophical prejudices of critics since Coleridge that Wordsworth's recollections have seldom been properly recognized for what they are.

Looking ahead to the 250th anniversary of Wordsworths birth, this small book challenges fresh questions about where Wordsworth stood in his poetic production in the great years of creative ferment between 1798 and 1806. Numerous poems are covered from this period, but especially does this book re-think our traditional conception of the relationship between The Prelude and Intimations. Wordsworth is separated from the visionary life he once knew by the interdictive effects of his obsession with The Recluse, the great philosophical poem he never finished. In the meantime he takes up with The Prelude but the essential Wordsworth remains the one who, in Intimations, turns his attention back, yearningly, to the visionary gleam. With The Prelude the epic poet comes through, but Wordsworth the visionary poet is lost, and it concerns him all the more now that he feels he faces death and a new darkness, the darkness of the grave, without the life that he once knew.

The idea of the pre-existence of the soul has been extremely important, widespread, and persistent throughout Western history--from even before the philosophy of Plato to the poetry of Robert Frost. This book offers the first systematic history of this little explored feature of Western culture. Terryl Givens underscores how durable (and controversial) this idea has been throughout history, highlighting the theological dangers it has represented, and revealing how prominently it has featured in poetry, literature, and art.

A Trilogy bringing together titles by John O’Meara that are also individually available from iUniverse. The Modern Debacle Containing close readings of work by Beckett, Hemingway, and T.S.Eliot; Tennessee Williams, Chekhov, Arthur Miller, and Brecht; Plath, Hughes, and Robert Graves, and W.B. Yeats. “beautifully and fluently written and ingenious in its combination of catastrophes” --Anthony Gash, Drama Head, The University of East Anglia Myth, Depravity, Impasse An in-depth study of Robert Graves, the modern theory of myth and Ted Hughes, with further reference to Shakespeare and to Keats. “I am very sympathetic to the cause of myth and especially in relation to literature” --Michael Bell , author of Literature, Modernism and Myth in a letter to John O’Meara This Life, This Death An extensive study of Wordsworth’s great life-crisis, with additional reference to S.T. Coleridge, and to P.B. Shelley. “Of this Wordsworth book, one recognizes its truth, its breadth of coverage and awareness, and above all its depth...” --Richard Ramsbotham, editor of Vernon Watkins, New Selected Poems, Carcanet Press.

Philosophy for Children in Transition presents a diverse collection of perspectives on the worldwide educational movement of philosophy for children. Educators and philosophers establish the relationship between philosophy and the child, and clarify the significance of that relationship for teaching and learning today. The papers present a diverse range of perspectives, problems and tentative prospects concerning the theory and practice of Philosophy for Children today The collection familiarises an actual educational practice that is steadily gaining importance in the field of academic philosophy Opens up discussion on the notion of the relationship between philosophy and the child

Before the ideas we now define as Romanticism took hold the word 'atmosphere' meant only the physical stuff of air; afterwards, it could mean almost anything, from a historical mood or spirit to the character or style of an artwork. Thomas H. Ford traces this shift of meaning, which he sees as first occurring in the poetry of William Wordsworth. Gradually 'air' and 'atmosphere' took on the new status of metaphor as Wordsworth and other poets re-imagined poetry as a textual area of aerial communication - conveying the breath of a transitory moment to other times and places via the printed page. Reading Romantic poetry through this ecological and ecocritical lens Ford goes on to ask what the poems of the Romantic period mean for us in a new age of climate change, when the relationship between physical climates and cultural, political and literary atmospheres is once again being transformed.

Wordsworth's Bardic Vocation, the most comprehensive critical study of the poet since the 1960s, presents the poet as balladist, sonneteer, minstrel, elegist, prophet of nature, and national bard. The book argues that Wordsworth's uniquely various oeuvre is unified by his sense of bardic vocation. Like Walt Whitman or the bards of Cumbria, Wordsworth sees himself as 'the people's remembrancer'. Like them, he sings of nature and endurance, laments the fallen, fosters national independence and liberty. His task is to reconcile in one society 'the living and the dead' and to nurture both 'the people' and 'the kind'. Review Comment: 'This erudite exposition, profligate with its ideas ... succeeds as few others have done in apprehending Wordsworth's career holistically, incorporating all its diversities and apparent inconsistencies into a unified vision. It justifies fully the notion proposed by Hughes and Heaney that he was England's last national poet.' - Duncan Wu, Review of English Studies

Daniel Robinson provides a comprehensive guide to studying Wordsworth at undergraduate level.

Memoirs of William Wordsworth by George S. Phillips Memoirs of William Wordsworth by George S. Phillips offers a captivating exploration into the life and legacy of one of England's most cherished poets. Phillips delves into Wordsworth's personal journey, from his early years in the Lake District to his rise as a leading figure in the Romantic movement. This memoir provides readers with intimate insights into Wordsworth's character, his relationships with contemporaries like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and his profound connection to nature. Through detailed accounts of his life and literary career, Phillips illuminates how Wordsworth's experiences and philosophical beliefs shaped his poetry and his enduring influence on English literature. Phillips' narrative not only recounts Wordsworth's personal and professional milestones but also contextualizes his work within the broader Romantic era. By exploring Wordsworth’s poetic themes, such as the sublime beauty of nature and the quest for spiritual fulfillment, the memoir reveals the deep-seated convictions that drove his creative genius. Memoirs of William Wordsworth is a must-read for enthusiasts of Romantic poetry and those interested in the life stories behind literary greats. Phillips’ thorough research and engaging prose offer a nuanced portrait of Wordsworth, making this book an essential addition to the library of anyone who wishes to understand the man behind the poetry and the enduring impact of his work.