Flashcards for Extract from The Prelude

Nature

In the extract from The Prelude, Nature acts as an active, almost divine force that influences the Poet's moral and imaginative growth, rather than just serving as a passive backdrop.

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The Child (Young Wordsworth)

The Child (Young Wordsworth) serves as the reflective subject in this excerpt from The Prelude — the earlier self that the adult Poet recalls and engages with over time.

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The Poet (Wordsworth)

The Poet (Wordsworth) serves as both the narrator and the central consciousness of The Prelude extract, leading the reader through a reflective meditation on the key experiences that shaped his imagination and moral outlook.

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The Shepherd

The Shepherd is a minor yet symbolically rich figure in the extract from The Prelude, appearing as a solitary, almost mythic presence amidst the mountains.

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“And, after I had seen / That spectacle, for many days, my brain / Worked with a dim and undetermined sense / Of unknown modes of being.”

These lines are delivered by poet-narrator William Wordsworth in The Prelude (1805/1850), his autobiographical epic about a poet's mental growth.

William Wordsworth (poet-narrator) · Book I

“Dust as we are, the immortal spirit grows / Like harmony in music.”

This famous line comes from William Wordsworth's autobiographical epic poem The Prelude (full title: The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind), which was first written in the early 1800s and published posthumously in 1850.

William Wordsworth (first-person narrator) · Book I (Introduction – Childhood and School-time)

“Fair seed-time had my soul, and I grew up / Fostered alike by beauty and by fear.”

These lines introduce Book I of William Wordsworth's autobiographical epic poem The Prelude, which he composed from 1798 and published posthumously in 1850.

William Wordsworth (narrator) · Book I

“One summer evening (led by her) I found / A little boat tied to a willow tree.”

This passage is from William Wordsworth's autobiographical epic poem The Prelude (1805/1850), specifically from Book I, often referred to as the "Boat-Stealing" episode.

William Wordsworth (the poet-narrator) · Book I

“The mind of Man is fashioned and built up / Even as a strain of music.”

This line is delivered by the poet-speaker, William Wordsworth himself, using an autobiographical first-person voice in The Prelude, his epic poem about psychological and spiritual self-formation.

William Wordsworth (poet-speaker)

“It was an act of stealth / And troubled pleasure.”

These lines are taken from William Wordsworth's autobiographical epic poem The Prelude (1805/1850), where the poet-narrator reflects on a childhood experience of secretly taking a boat without permission and rowing alone onto a lake at night.

Wordsworth (poet-narrator) · Book I: Introduction — Childhood and School-Time

“There are in our existence spots of time, / That with distinct pre-eminence retain / A renovating virtue.”

This well-known passage is from William Wordsworth's autobiographical epic poem The Prelude (1805/1850).

Wordsworth (poet-narrator) · Book XII (1805 text) / Book XI (1850 text)

“Wisdom and Spirit of the Universe! / Thou Soul that art the Eternity of Thought.”

These opening lines are delivered by the poet-speaker, William Wordsworth, in The Prelude, his epic autobiographical poem that he first started in the late 1790s and continued to revise for many years, eventually published posthumously in 1850.

William Wordsworth (the poet-narrator) · Book I

Ice and Frost

In Wordsworth's The Prelude, ice and frost illustrate the powerful and transformative force of nature.

The Boat

In Wordsworth's The Prelude, the stolen boat symbolizes the moral and psychological influence of the sublime.

The Mountain

In Wordsworth's The Prelude, the mountain symbolizes the incredible natural power that influences human thought and moral character.

The River

In The Prelude, Wordsworth's river — especially the Derwent that runs close to his childhood home in Cockermouth — represents the nurturing power of Nature on a growing mind.

The Wind

In The Prelude, Wordsworth's wind symbolizes the invisible yet powerful force of Nature that fuels and cultivates the poet's imagination.

Blank Verse

The Prelude is written entirely in unrhymed iambic pentameter, known as blank verse.

Extended Metaphor

Wordsworth maintains the metaphor of Nature as a living teacher or 'foster-mother' throughout this extract and the entire poem.

Personification

Throughout the extract, natural forces are depicted as having agency and intention.

Imagery

Wordsworth's sensory imagery is both precise and immersive.

Motif

The 'spots of time' — those key moments that leave an emotional imprint into adulthood — act as a recurring theme that ties together the extract's otherwise disjointed structure.

Enjambment

Wordsworth employs enjambment to capture the overflow of emotion he portrays.

Allusion

The poem's epic ambition is indicated by its allusion to Milton.

Apostrophe

Wordsworth speaks to Nature, Imagination, and abstract powers as if they are actual beings engaging in conversation.

Pathetic Fallacy

Weather and landscape consistently reflect or enhance the speaker's inner feelings.

Narrative Poem

Despite its lyrical and philosophical elements, this extract is primarily a narrative: it tells stories.

Paradox

The Prelude is centered around an intriguing contradiction: the experiences that most unsettle or scare the child are the very ones that enrich the adult poet.

Symbolism

The mountain in the boat-stealing episode serves as a symbol of moral conscience and the sublime.