Romantic Poetry of the Self or Mysticism: William Wordsworthian Manifesto of Literary Romanticism

"Romanticism is the art of presenting people with the literary works which are capable of affording them the greatest possible pleasure, in the present state of their customs and beliefs. 

Classicism, on the other hand, presents them with the literature that gave the greatest possible pleasure to their great-grandfathers."-Stendhal (1783 - 1842)French writer. Racine and Shakespeare

In the William Wordsworthian manifesto of literary romanticism it is affirmed the importance of feeling and imagination to poetic creation and disclaimed conventional literary forms and subjects. There is, however, issued the mysticism of great sensibility and passion. Speaking of mysticism Spurgeon observes that mysticism is a personal temper rather than a doctrine, an atmosphere rather than a system of philosophy. The fundamental basis of mysticism is an unshakable belief in an essential unity, oneness or likeness in all objects of nature and human beings created by the Almighty. 

William Wordsworth is considered one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement in England. His poetry is often characterized by its focus on the individual's experience of nature, its emphasis on emotion and imagination, and its use of simple language and imagery.

In his preface to the Lyrical Ballads (1798), Wordsworth famously declared that "poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." This statement reflects Wordsworth's belief that poetry should be rooted in the poet's own personal experience, and that it should be written in a way that is both sincere and evocative.

Wordsworth's poetry often explores the relationship between the individual and nature. He believed that nature could be a source of inspiration and solace, and that it could help us to connect with our inner selves. In his poem "Tintern Abbey," Wordsworth writes about his childhood memories of the Wye Valley, and how these memories have helped him to find peace and tranquility.

The indissoluble bond that unifies all is the divine spark or spirit that permeates through all objects of His creation. There is God in brief in all animate and inanimate objects in the universe. There is one undivided changeless life in all lives and the One Inseparable in the separable. The soul is eternal though it may leave the body at its death; and all things are but forms and manifestations of God. 

It is the Advaita philosophy of Sri Sankara that Wordsworth propounds in England of the 19th century. The most typical presentations of acosmic pantheism come from the Hindu tradition, the greatest philosophical exponent of which was the Indian philosopher Sankara . The difficulties of acosmism are visible in his system: tendencies to deny the full reality of the changing finite, to deny the reality of evil, to deny the reality of freedom and chance, and to see individual personality as ultimately unreal. When this unifying force is apprehended, naturally he begins to sympathize with all love all mankind. Such a power is called intuition often throws a mystic into a trance. This may be called ‘cosmic consciousness’ and at this hour transcendentalism he become a ‘living soul’ oblivious to earthy existence. A mystic is more than satisfied with his soul’s apprehension of cosmic unity and he naturally refuses to discuss this matter with the rationalists who believe in “reasoning”, which is infinitely inferior to “spiritualization”.

According to Wordsworthian treatise the universe is identical with God, who is the uncaused “substance” of all things. The conception of substance is not that of a material reality but rather of a metaphysical entity, the comprehensive and self-sufficient basis for all reality. like Spinozaic categorization Wordsworth should not be taken or regarded merely as a portrayed of the beauty of nature. With the power in intuition, he has been able to penetrate into the life of natural objects and find a synchronizing one in human being- divine soul permeating in all His creations. This is his mystic experience. He is able to find a manifestation God in all objects looking through them with his cultivated eye.

Walter Raleigh rightly observes that Wordsworth forever aimed at finding the Inseparable and the Changeless in all forms animate and inanimate in the universe.  

Key Points of Romantic Poetry:

• Romantic poetry often focuses on the individual's experience of nature, emotion, and imagination.
• It emphasizes the importance of personal feeling and imagination, and the belief in a larger reality that transcends the individual.
• William Wordsworth is considered one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and his poetry explores the tension between the self and the divine.
• His poetry is a testament to the power of poetry to both express the individual's unique experience and to connect us with something larger than ourselves.
• The use of simple language and imagery to evoke personal feelings and experiences.
• The focus on the natural world as a source of inspiration and solace.
• The exploration of mystical themes such as the soul, the divine, and the afterlife.
• The use of symbolism and allegory to convey deeper meaning.

Ardhendu De

Ref:

1. Lettres d’un Voyageur- George Sand -Translated by Sasha Rabinovitch
2. Romanticism in theory : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/isbn_9788772887869

3. lyrical-ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge : William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Standard eBooks : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/william-wordsworth_samuel-taylor-coleridge_lyrical-ballads

4. Sir Walter Raleigh Selections : Raleigh Walter : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.79445