This book considers William Wordsworth’s use of iconography in his long poem The Excursion. Through the iconographical approach, the author steers a middle course between The Excursion’s two very different interpretive traditions, one focusing upon the poem’s philosophical abstraction, the other upon its touristic realism. Fresh readings are also offered of Wordsworth’s other major works, including The Prelude. Yen explores Wordsworth’s iconography in The Excursion by tracing allusions and correspondences in an abundance of post-1789 and earlier verbal and pictorial sources, as well as in Wordsworth’s prose and poetry. He analyses how the iconographical images in The Excursion contribute to, and impose limitations on, the overarching preoccupations of Wordsworth’s writings, particularly the themes of paradise lost and paradise regained in the post-revolutionary context. Shedding light on a vital aspect of Wordsworth’s poetic method, this study reveals the visual etymologies – together with the nuances and rhetorical capacities – of five categories of apparently ‘collateral’ images: envisioning, rooting, dwelling, flowing, and reflecting.

This text considers William Wordsworth's use of iconography in his long poem The Excursion (1814). Through this iconographical approach, it steers a middle course between The Excursion's two very different interpretative traditions, the one focusing upon the poem's abstraction, the other upon its touristic realism. The author explores Wordsworth's iconography in The Excursion by tracing cultural and political allusions and correspondences in an abundance of post-1789 and earlier verbal and pictorial sources, as well as in Wordsworth's own prose and poetry, especially The Prelude. Particular attention is paid to the complex ways in which The Excursion's iconographical images contribute to - and also impose limitations upon - the overarching preoccupations of Wordsworth's writings: the themes of paradise lost and paradise regained in the post-revolutionary context.

Comprehensive reading of 'late' Wordsworth, considering his work in dialogue with the poetic, cultural and political battles of his day.

A rich, illuminating study of how Wordsworth's late poetry reflects his lifelong engagement with the poetics and politics of peace.

First published in 1814, “The Excursion” is the second and only completed part of Wordsworth's three-part work “The Recluse”. It is a long poem that revolves around three central figures: the Solitary, who has lived through the horrors and hopes of the French Revolution; the Pastor, to whom a third of the poem is dedicated; and the Wanderer. “The Excursion” enjoyed popularity in the nineteenth century and is highly recommended for fans and collectors of Wordsworth's fantastic work. Included in this edition is an introductory excerpt from “Reminiscences” (1881) by Thomas Carlyle. William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was an English Romantic poet famous for helping to usher in the Romantic Age in English literature with the publication of “Lyrical Ballads” (1798), which he co-wrote with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His best known work is perhaps “The Prelude”, a semi-autobiographical poem from his early years which was changed and expanded many times throughout his life. He was poet laureate of Britain between 1843 until his death in 1850. Other notable works by this author include: “The Tables Turned”, “The Thorn”, and “Lines Composed A Few Miles above Tintern Abbey”.

In 1798, Coleridge persuaded Wordsworth that it was his destiny to write the first truly philosophical poem, a project Wordsworth dubbed 'The Recluse, or Views of Nature, Man and Society'. It was, as Wordsworth eventually conceived it, to be a poem in three Parts, each of many books. This is the first ever edition of all the poetry intended to form part of the great work. It includes two poems already written in 1798, 'The Old Cumberland Beggar' and 'A Night Piece'; 'Home at Grasmere' (1806), designated 'The Recluse, Part First, Book First'; four other short poems written for 'The Recluse' in 1808 and 1826; and 'The Recluse, Part Second', otherwise known as 'The Excursion' in the text of 1814. (This is the only reading edition of the original text of 'The Excursion'.) The texts included are selected from 'The Poems of William Wordsworth: Collected Reading Texts from the Cornell Wordsworth', edited by Jared Curtis and first published by Humanities-Ebooks in 2009.