Conceiving Liberty: William Wordsworth’s Poetry and Prose, 1789-1845

Abstract

My thesis, ‘Conceiving Liberty: William Wordsworth’s Poetry and Prose, 1789-1845’, explores
the developing ideas of liberty in the thinking of William Wordsworth from 1789-1845. I argue
that Wordsworth’s concept of ‘liberty’ is linked to natural, sustainable living, education and
developed fundamental values, including respect for all living beings, social consciousness,
and time for leisure (free from the exploitations of early capitalism and mercantilism). Despite
Wordsworth’s shifting political trajectory from radical to conservative during his lifetime, the
thesis approaches the poet’s views of liberty as both complex and consistent. My thesis focuses
on texts that have traditionally been sidelined by Wordsworth criticism in order to offer a fresh
account of Wordsworth’s opinions on liberty. This reassessment of liberty in Wordsworth’s
oeuvre draws on a variety of literary, historical, and philosophical contexts that shaped the
poet’s political thinking.
The thesis is divided into two time periods, Part I (1789-1816) and Part II (1829-1845). Part I
covers ‘Descriptive Sketches on a Pedestrian Tour of the Alps’ (published 1793) in association
with Wordsworth’s earliest letters from 1789 and his activities in France in Chapter 1. Chapter
2 deals with ‘Poems on National Independence and Liberty’ (1802-1816) which are explored
in conjunction with the political pamphlet, On the Convention of Cintra (1809). The poems and
the pamphlet are explored as a joint text contributing to a single argument. Part II explores the
‘Gold and Silver Fishes in a Vase’ trilogy (published 1834) in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 is on
‘Sonnets on Liberty and Order’ (1831-1845). The chapters in Part II lean more on
historiographical sources than Part I due to the differences in the range of available secondary
criticism. On my reading, these selected texts show that liberty remains an important concept
for Wordsworth throughout his lifetime. My coda discusses similarities and differences
between Wordsworth’s approach to liberty compared with the ideas of Percy B. Shelley’s
Prometheus Unbound and Hellas (1822) and Lord ’s ‘Ode to the Greeks’ (1821). This
comparison of Wordsworth’s politics with his younger contemporaries highlights the
significance of liberty as both a radical and conservative concept.