About this Book

"What is the place of theory in Wordsworth's poetry and poetics? This collection interrogates how Wordsworth's ways of thinking about poetry are at once critically transformative and integral to his creative aims. In dialogue with his poetic works, the prose reflections in Lyrical Ballads, the Poems of 1815, or Essays upon Epitaphs explore the prospects for poetic knowledge, language, and experience. By clarifying major strands of Wordsworth's critical resources, the contributors address a lasting challenge of Romantic writing. They chart how Wordsworth, whether critically or in verse, asks just what makes for poetry and what its forms and affects might achieve. Jointly, they show that his poetic theory forms a decisive part of Wordsworth's claim on us." --Book Jacket.