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Rating: 
Summary: Great edition, well worth buying.
Review: 'We are Seven' is based on an actual encounter Wordsworth had with a child near the River Wye in 1793.To say he idolises an imaginary idea of Nature that doesn't exist except in Disney Land is not right. The kind of Nature he writes about exists in the Lake District. Wordsworth writes about the harsh side of Nature as much as the unambiguously positive sides of it. This book is most recommended and readers should dispell all those cliches that are stated about the 'Romantic' poets. The term 'Romantic' wasn't used until a long time after most of these poems were written.
Rating:
Summary: Wordsworth often mis-represented
Review: Those readers of poetry who discount Wordsworth as merely a poet who "worships" Nature and holds emotion over rational thought are giving him only a shallow reading and relying on the obvious. When Wordsworth's work is read as a whole, and in context with his contemporaries and historical events, then one can begin to appreciate the depth and significance of the philosophical thought behind his poetry.
His reliance on Nature comes not from a worship of it, rather from the belief that philosophical and social issues can be found and answered in Nature. This does not contradict modern scientific thought, which relies upon the observation of the natural world through experimentation. It also eliminates the need for a rigid religious structure, because divinity can be found in Nature. Wordsworth teaches us that we learn, and grow, once we accept that we are part of the natural world, and that Nature does not exist to be conquered.
The feeling and emotion is a "natural" reaction, and therefore should not be discounted and inhibited. His poetry is an expression of this. It is not an attack on rational thought--it is a belief that one can learn through observation of the natural universe, not merely the reading of books and "dead forms."
Wordsworth was a master poet and a genius. he is well-worth the time it takes to study him.
Rating: 
Summary: ROMANTICISM: An infectous excuse for not thinking!!!
Review: Two hundred years ago, a revolution hit the literature world. This revolution was a reformation movement against the predominating belief in science and the power of mankind. This movement was coined as period of Romanticism and chief among the romantic leaders was the poet William Wordsworth. Wordsworth's was inspired by his overwhelming love for nature and his belief that following the heart was the most important decision making skill a person could possess.
In the poem "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey", William Wordsworth reveals his unfathomable love for nature. He has elevated nature to a stage beyond his mere aesthetic appreciation to one of total devotion. He even informs the reader that he has become "a worshiper of Nature" and how nature to him was "his all in all." He also gives constant reference of his love through explicit descriptions and metaphors of Nature's beautiful features. However, beyond that he shows evidence that he has developed this love to the point of blind sightedness. As I read further into the poem, I noticed that Wordsworth is extremely biased just as he berates the civilized world for the evils it has brought upon mankind; he then extols Nature for being perfect and for "never betray[ing] the heart that loved her." Wordsworth aspires to a cult of aesthetics where beauty alone is holy.
As a critical reader, I thought to myself, has Wordsworth ever been in a natural catastrophe before or ever really spent any significant time in outdoors? Because I have, and I know that nature is not quite as loving as Wordsworth makes it to be. Typhoons, tornados, earthquakes, large predators preying upon weaker life forms are just a few of the many hazards of nature which reveal another side to nature's bubbling brooks that Wordsworth sees.
In my opinion the nature Wordsworth speaks of only exists in Walt Disney's creations and federal funded national parks. Therefore, I do not believe that nature is such a venerable force to be worshiped. It is very impressive, true, but it should not be held in reverence in of its own self. I don't wish to criticize Wordsworth. However, I also believe that this form of thinking, which he made popular through his poetry, has affected our view of nature even today. For example many people automatically and ignorantly assume that because a healthcare product is "all natural" or "made from all natural ingredients" the product is completely harmless and likely to be very beneficial to the consumer. However, most poisons used to murder people are also all natural or made from natural ingredients. I am not saying that Wordsworth is wrong in having a love for nature. I just believe that the romantic ideal of total adulation has severe adverse effects upon society.
In the poem "We Are Seven," Wordsworth's narrator has a dialogue with a pretty little girl who has lost two of her siblings. The narrator asks her how many siblings she has and the girl tells him over and over that she has seven (including herself.) No matter how many times the girl is told that she only has five siblings since two are dead, she refuses to repudiate and declares that there are still seven. This poem does a very good job of illustrating another romantic principle. The thesis of the poem is imagination equals reality. Wordsworth makes her the hero of the poem because she is young, noble, and refuses to let go of the past. Though her brother and sister are buried, she still believes that they are with her and will not recant because somehow by believing she is able to make them alive again. The girl also has an unbreakable will which is strengthened by her innocent demeanor and makes her even more appealing to the romantic reader.
Upon reading this poem, I came to the conclusion that Wordsworth was a man who lived in the past and lost someone dear to him. This poem has a very touching atmosphere where the reader wants to believe that the girl is right that because she is holding on to the memories of her siblings they are still with her. However, no matter how much you believe, when people are dead they are gone and no amount of belief will erase that fact. I also noticed that this poem is almost a debate between the classical and romantic humanist points of view. The narrator in a way represents the classical humanism of thought and is counting the number of siblings and rationalizing through the numbers. The girl, however, is a champion for the romantic humanism of feelings and by her beliefs shrugs off the rationality of the narrator. I believe that Wordsworth believes that through the girl in the poem he has won this debate. However, I want to know how you can argue feelings over rational thought, because it is impossible to counter a point using rational thinking over a feeling in the heart. You cannot debate the two. I can imagine that if the dialogue in the poem took place in actuality, the narrator would leave shaking his head in disgust and the girl would gloat in victory because the narrator could not break her indomitable will.
William Wordsworth was a superior poet and the imagery in his poetry is astonishingly vivid. In many ways, his verse helped to change and deepen mankind's appreciation for the beauty of nature. However, there is a problem when you take Wordsworth too far and make a religion out of nature and feelings. A person who uses only his heart to view the world is seeing only half the picture. Just the same, a person who uses only his brain to analyze everything is every bit as blind sighted. Therefore, classical and romantic humanism are both incomplete approaches to life. To understand and really appreciate life in reality a well rounded person thinks with his mind, but also feels with his heart.
Rating:
Summary: A Giant with flaws
Review: Wordsworth's poem "Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" is one of the master works of the English linguage. It is a poem which gives great pleasure and will greatly assist the reader in his or her own writing. Coleridge
writes in his famous literary biography that Wordsworth did not take seriously the Platonic philosophical heart of the poem. I
cannot know how accurate Coleridge's evaluation is. I, personally, do not really like "The Prelude". It has informative points and tells something of Wordsworth's attitude. He seems quite pleased about the presence of "Negro Ladies" (his words) in London which may say something of his attitude toward race. If the poem were shorter, I should like it more I believe. Keats has a lot, usually unflattering, about Wordsworth's use of the first person in his poems. The "Lucy" poems do not rank with "Intimations of Immortality". I find them works of great craftmanship rather than the genius that flows over in "Intimations of Immortality". Coleridge goes into who wrote what lines in the Coleridge poem
of the Ancient Mariner, but the Wordsworth contribution is substantial. "We Are Seven" is a look into the heart of a young child. It is
in keeping with "Intimations of Immortality" in that respect. "Intimations" is without doubt the finer poem. Anyone who loves the English language or would master the language should read Wordsworth at his very best. "Intimations" in quality of language rises to the level of Shakespeare. Better can be said of no poetry. But, unlike Shakespeare, Wordsworth wrote a great deal of second or third rate poetry. If you would see the English language at or near its best, read "Intimations". It may give you as it has given many lovers of poetry thoughts "too deep for tears".
Rating:
Summary: A Giant with flaws
Review: Wordsworth's poem "Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" is one of the master works of the English linguage. It is a poem which gives great pleasure and will greatly assist the reader in his or her own writing. Coleridge
writes in his famous literary biography that Wordsworth did not take seriously the Platonic philosophical heart of the poem. I
cannot know how accurate Coleridge's evaluation is. I, personally, do not really like "The Prelude". It has informative points and tells something of Wordsworth's attitude. He seems quite pleased about the presence of "Negro Ladies" (his words) in London which may say something of his attitude toward race. If the poem were shorter, I should like it more I believe. Keats has a lot, usually unflattering, about Wordsworth's use of the first person in his poems. The "Lucy" poems do not rank with "Intimations of Immortality". I find them works of great craftmanship rather than the genius that flows over in "Intimations of Immortality". Coleridge goes into who wrote what lines in the Coleridge poem
of the Ancient Mariner, but the Wordsworth contribution is substantial. "We Are Seven" is a look into the heart of a young child. It is
in keeping with "Intimations of Immortality" in that respect. "Intimations" is without doubt the finer poem. Anyone who loves the English language or would master the language should read Wordsworth at his very best. "Intimations" in quality of language rises to the level of Shakespeare. Better can be said of no poetry. But, unlike Shakespeare, Wordsworth wrote a great deal of second or third rate poetry. If you would see the English language at or near its best, read "Intimations". It may give you as it has given many lovers of poetry thoughts "too deep for tears".
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