William Wordsworth And John Keats Poetry Analysis

The beginning of the seventeenth century gave authors and, especially, poets, a chance to experiment in literature more than in previous times. This was a time of great social upheaval which took a toll on literature. Eventually, the idea behind poetry and thoughts about how it must be written evolved for many readers and writers alike. William Wordsworth and John Keats were two such individuals. Each poet believed that poetry must be written, not only to entertain, but to enlighten and enhance the reader’s mind. William Wordsworth’s Preface to Lyrical Ballads and John Keats To John Taylor show an evolution in the role of the poet. An analysis of each of these poets’ beliefs and ideals, style, and purpose for writing can be used to better …show more content…
William Wordsworth was one such individual. His belief in the war led him to eventually serve and fight. Yet, as the French Revolution continued, with no end in sight, Wordsworth became bitter and disheartened. He came to despise everything the war had promised and lost his patriotism for some time after returning home. This helped him to turn to nature. His relationship to nature also helped him to form his ideas concerning his poetry. These experiences ultimately helped Wordsworth shape his beliefs and ideals of the role of the poet. In a journal which studies Romanticism and Wordsworth, in particular, it states “As long as he could be a poet, this belief in the bond between man and nature was valid. Poetry becomes, with Wordsworth, the record of moments of 'ennobling interchange of action from within and from without'; it takes on, in fine, a psychological aspect” (Newman 203). He believed that poetry must embody the action and lifeforce of men and women, using nature as a connection to use in this world. This is almost similar to John Keats perspective on the role of the poet and his own personal belief