This thesis aims at studying the conception of nature in William Wordsworth’s poetry. As one of the remarkable representatives of the romantic period, William Wordsworth played an incomparable significant role in the development of English romantic poetry, and also laid a foundation for its further development. Influenced by social background and personal experience, Wordsworth’s natural poetry broke through the shackles of neoclassical literature and gradually formed his own unique conception of nature. Wordsworth’s conception of nature was based on the relationship between man and nature, and it emphasized the role of nature in social life and spiritual redemption. By analyzing the relationship between man and nature and constantly seeking the essence of life in nature, the poet attempted to find a way to solve human’s problems. Although there have been a lot of researches on Wordsworth and his poetry, there are few studies that systematically analyze the conception of nature in William Wordsworth’s poems by integrating his natural poetry into a whole. Based on William Wordsworth's personal experience and social background, this thesis attempts to analyze the causes of the formation of Wordsworth’s conception of nature. Through the careful interpretation of Wordsworth’s natural poetry, this thesis summarizes his conception of nature and its characteristics. It was found that in William Wordsworth's natural poems, nature was the unity of human nature, rational nature and divine nature, and the combination of the three was the highest attribute sought by human beings. Mastering these characteristics is of great reference values for the study of romantic natural poetry and Wordsworth's conception of nature.

Li Dan. The Conception of Nature in William Wordsworth’s poetry. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2022) Vol. 5, Issue 9: 23-36. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2022.050905.

[1] Behrendt. S. C. William Wordsworth and Women Poets [J]. Routledge, 2012, 23(6).

[2] Duffy. “There Was a Time”: William Wordsworth and Jens Baggesen Recollecting Childhood [J]. Routledge, 2015, 28(3-4).

[3] Garnai. Writing Romanticism: Charlotte Smith and William Wordsworth [J]. Routledge, 2013, 20(4).

[4] Hill. William and Dorothy Wordsworth: All in Each Other [J]. Routledge, 2014, 21(2).

[5] Hughes. J. Wordsworth's I Travelled among Unknown Men [J]. Taylor & Francis Group, 2010, 68(2).  

[6] Jamie. K. The radical lessons of William Wordsworth [J]. New Statesman, 2020,149(5517).

[7] Johnstone. W. M. Toward a Book History of William Wordsworth's 1850Prelude [J]. Indiana University Press, 2010, 5(2).

[8] Mathes. C. F Listening Not Listening: William Wordsworth and the Radical Materiality of Sound [J]. Routledge, 2017, 28(3).

[9] Moutray. T. Remodeling Catholic Ruins in William Wordsworth's Poetry [J]. Routledge, 2011, 22(6).

[10] Newlyn. L. Confluence: William and Dorothy Wordsworth in 1798 [J]. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 2011, 34(2).

[11] William Wordsworth and Philosophical Necessity [J]. The University of North Carolina Press, 2013, 110(1).

[12] Wordsworth’s Despotic Eye [J]. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2019, 54(2).

[13] Cui Guiying. “The Singer of the Nature” and “the Admirer of the Nature”[D]. Yanji: Yanbian University ,2005:12-22.

[14] Cui Guiying. Wordsworth's View of Nature [J]. Dongjiang Academic Journal, 2007, (04): 58-63.

[15] Du Binbin. The Singer's Nature and the Poet's Wilderness [D]. Wenzhou: Wenzhou University, 2009:11-31.

[16] Hu Gaiping. "Sublime" in William Wordsworth’s Nature Poetry [D]. Hangzhou: Zhejiang Normal University, 2012:1-27.

[17] Hu Shi: On a Great Event in the Last Eight Years of New Poetry ——A Collection of The Construction Theory of Chinese New Literature, Shanghai Liangyou Book Company, 1935.

[18] Lu Meihua. Review of Studies about Wordsworth’s Poetry[J]. Overseas English, 2018, (19): 172-173 + 196.

[19] Luo Junrong. Research Review of Domestic Studies about Wordsworth  [J]. World Literature Review (Higher Education edition), 2015, (01): 187-191.

[20] Li Xiaojia. Comparative Analysis of Wordsworth and Tao Yuanming [D]. Shenyang: Liaoning University, 2014:1-16.

[21] Wang Chun. Research on Natural Themes in Wordsworth’s Poetry [J]. Journal of Xi'an Foreign Studies University, 2003, (02): 46-49.

[22] Wang Jie. Creation Source of Wordsworth’s Nature poetry [J]. Journal of Shanghai Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences edition), 1995, (03): 72-78.

[23] William Wordsworth. Wordsworth Poems Selected [M]. Translation is made by Yang Deyu. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2012.

[24] Wei Lu. Memories in Natural Emotion and Calm [D]. Qingdao: Ocean University of China, 2015:11-37.

[25] Wu Shan. Reviewing the Relationship between "Nature" and "Self" from Britain Romantic Perspective[D]. Changsha: Central South University, 2013:6-11.

[26] Wang Yan. Wordsworth: Nature [J]. Reading and Writing (Education and Teaching Journal), 2008, (01): 47 + 78.

[27] Xiang Lingling. A Review of Domestic Comparative Studies about Wordsworth [J]. Journal of Changchun Institute of Education, 2011,27 (08): 53-5.

[28] Xiang Minyue. Read Wordsworth's Natural Poetry from a Spiritual and Ecological Perspective [D]. Nanjing: Nanjing Normal University, 2018:1-24.