Pantheism in 1805-6 and 1850 Versions of the Prelude
Graduation Date
Spring 1958
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Degree Granting Institution
Catholic University of America
Program Name
Humanities
Abstract
When Wordsworth wrote The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet1s Mind, he probably did not suspect that the matter of his religious orthodoxy would be the subject of much discussion. But no sooner had the poem been published than the comments on his orthodoxy began. Wordsworth worked intermittently over forty-five years revising the original text, partly with an eye for effectiveness of style, but also paying attention to his religious ideas and in places revising them toward orthodoxy. As a result visions, there has been discussion, not only about the drafts but also about the later 1850 version. In particular changes in the poet's references to God and nature in the 1805-6 and 1850 texts have caused interesting comparative speculations about them.