IV. Imagination and the Self

In the Prelude, the relationship between imagination and the self is also explored. Although nature and other sources can inspire imagination, imagination exists as a form of power that does not follow a formula for its appearance. Imagination intertwines with the self. The poet uses a vivid metaphor to illustrate the relationship.

whate'er I saw, or heard, or felt, was but a stream That flowed into a kindred stream; a gale, Confederate with the current of the soul, To speed my voyage; every sound or sight, In its degree of power, administered To grandeur or to tenderness,-to the one Directly

(Book VI, 744-748)

The poet's metaphor goes like this: the self, i.e., the soul, is like a river. All my experiences from my senses, e.g., what I see, what I hear, and what I feel, are streams flowing into the river. Imagination is like a strong wind working together with the river's current, the self, speeding the river's voyage. Thus, if the river is consciousness, the wind - the mysterious power of imagination - can work on each of the streams of senses flowing into the river and can work on the river itself - the overall consciousness. The power of imagination can be of various quality. Throughout the poem, there are examples of different qualities of imagination being described. “Those bold imaginations in due time/Had vanished, leaving others in their stead” (Book VII, 142-143); “Which on thy young imagination, trained/In the great City, broke like light from far” (Book XIII,364-365); “In this new life. Imagination slept/And yet not utterly.” (Book III, 258-259); “With unchecked fancy ever on the stir” (Book VII, 75). For the poet, imagination is sometimes experienced in solitude. He writes:

At this day I smile, in many a mountain solitude Conjuring up scenes as obsolete in freaks Of character, in points of wit as broad, As aught by wooden images performed

(Book III, 572-576)

However, supposedly, imagination does not need to be experienced in solitude, as the mind works under all conditions. However, according to the poet, being in solitude, especially when away from the city and with nature, can provide imagination “on more lofty themes.”

For the poet, imagination has played an important role in the growth of his mind. In the three books of the Prelude that describes the poet's residence in France, Wordsworth describes the French Revolution's initial appeal as “the multitude, so long oppressed/Would be oppressed no more” (Book XI, 194-195). He then loses confidence when Frenchmen “become oppressors in their turn” and “lose sight of what they struggle for.” He laments, “the dream/Flattered the young, pleased with extremes, nor least/With that which makes our Reason's naked self” (Book XI, 234-236). Reason's naked self “build social upon personal Liberty” (Book XI, 242). ² During this period, the poet suggests that his imagination becomes impaired.

Books XII and XIII are titled “Imagination and Taste, how impaired and restored.” As Wordsworth's political view undergoes a transformation from the French revolution, he feels the need to repair and restore his mind. The restoration and repair of his self are done through the restoration of his imagination and taste. To nourish his mind, he opens his heart to nature and meditates on several “spots of time” from childhood. Upon the repairment, his mind returns to a good state. He writes:

I beheld the emblem of a mind That feeds upon infinity, that broods Over the dark abyss, intent to hear Its voices issuing forth to silent light In one continuous stream; a mind sustained By recognitions of transcendent power, In sense conducting to ideal form, In soul of more than mortal privilege.

(Book XIV, 70-77)

When the mind is in a glorious state, the mind becomes timeless and limitless. It will “hold fit converse with the spiritual world, /And with the generations of mankind/Spread over time, past, present, and to come, /Age after age, till Time shall be no more.” (Book XIV, 108-111).