One of the things that most intrigued me with this reading was the third “stanza” of the Prelude, from line 55 to about line 69. I found this section to be particularly interesting because I viewed it as a sort of more thorough explanation of Wordsworth’s writing process, or, if this was not his intended purpose, these lines at least seem to give us a greater degree of insight into how he actually went about producing poetry.
Reflecting on his belief that poetry comes from “emotion recollected in tranquility,” (I would like to point out that it is a recollection, not a collection) Wordsworth explains how the creation of the first couple stanzas of the Prelude differed from his usual method. These lines had come to him, he explains, as the events they describe transpired. While this section describing how he wrote the previous stanzas could be read simply as a statement of authority in a manner similar to that of evoking a muse, I took it to have a function for Wordsworth perhaps greater than that of the reader. To me, it seemed a way for Wordsworth to mentally place himself in the mindset he had been when he wrote the earlier stanzas so that the tone would be consistent. The footnotes in the Norton state that he had written the previous stanzas in 1799, six years before the Prelude was published in its entirety. Although I am uncertain when he wrote the following lines in particular, it is likely a good couple years passed in the interim. Coming back to such a project, he would have needed some sort of method for continuing the poem in a way that would appear natural. This theory seems to be supported by the first few lines of the very next stanza:
“Whereat, being not unwilling now to give / A respite to this passion, I paced on / Gently, with careless steps . . .”
Wordsworth’s tone is slightly different in these lines and he takes care to use the word “now.” The phrase “I paced on” seems reflective not only of his physical progress in the story but of his continuing to write the poem after a break.
Another very interesting thing to me about this stanza are the lines:
“My own voice cheared me, and far more, the mind’s / Internal echo of the imperfect sound– / To both I listened, drawing from them both.” Although I could be wrong in my interpretation, it seemed to me that Wordsworth was saying his lines aloud while he walked, and as he said them, was making mental corrections, bouncing ideas off between his verbal and internal monologues. If anybody else has some thoughts on these lines, feel free to share.
