![]() ![]() The speaker of the "Prelude" condemns the arrogance of scientists who believe that Enlightenment-era empiricism can singlehandedly solve the world's problems and clarify its mysteries. The periods of his adult life when he feels the most authentic and intelligent are also the ones where he feels most connected to his childhood self. After all, the entire point of the "Prelude" is to recount the speaker's artistic development, starting with his childhood the poem is premised on the idea that every phase of a poet's life will one day infuse their work. At the same time, the speaker's childhood self is undeniably an essential part of the artist he'll one day become. Elsewhere in the Prelude, he describes other children in the same terms, often identifying them as victims of a lost innocence.Ĭhildhood is such a distinct and elusive period that, in recalling his own, the speaker almost feels as if he's describing another person rather than a version of himself. This contrasts with a type of childhood that he increasingly notices and condemns-overeducated, constrained, and cut off from nature. ![]() Through these descriptions, Wordsworth embraces a prototypically Romantic ideal of childhood as a distinct period of authenticity and innocence. He remains free from the shackles of urban, adult society, and therefore is more in touch with underlying truths. ![]() In this state, the younger speaker is generally happy, often deliriously so. The speaker describes his childhood as a time of deep connection to the natural world. ![]()
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