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The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 1 (of 8) — Key Ideas to Explore

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Authors: Wordsworth, William, 1770-1850, Knight, William Angus, 1836-1916 [Editor] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2003 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: English poetry -- 19th century; English poetry -- 18th century Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 105,245

Reading time 458 min

Text sections 29

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #10219

This editorial note examines the shifting narrative voice in Wordsworth's early poems, from the descriptive calm of 'An Evening Walk' to the dramatic tension of 'The Borderers', highlighting how the editor's chronological arrangement reveals changes in pace and emotional register.

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Imagination were predominant in the class, it was not indispensable that it should pervade every poem which it contained. Limiting the class as I had done before, seemed to imply, and to the uncandid or observing did so, that the faculty, which is the 'primum mobile' in poetry, had little to do, in the estimation of the author, with pieces not arranged under that head. I therefore feel much obliged to you for suggesting by your practice the plan which I have adopted."

Could anything show more explicitly than this that Wordsworth was not perfectly satisfied with his own artificial groups? Professor Reed, in his American edition of 1837, however, acted on Wordsworth's expressed intention of distributing the contents of "Yarrow Revisited, and Other Poems" amongst the classes. He tells us that he "interspersed the contents of this volume among the Poems already arranged" by Wordsworth. [6]

It may also be mentioned that not only members of his own household, but many of Wordsworth's friends--notably Charles Lamb--expressed a preference for a different arrangement of his Poems from that which he had adopted.

SECOND The various Readings, or variations of text, made by Wordsworth during his lifetime, or written by him on copies of his Poems, or discovered in MS. letters, from himself, or his sister, or his wife, are given in footnotes in this edition. Few English poets changed their text more frequently, or with more fastidiousness, than Wordsworth did. He did not always alter it for the better. Every alteration however, which has been discovered by me, whether for the better or for the worse, is here printed in full. We have thus a record of the fluctuations of his own mind as to the form in which he wished his Poems to appear; and this record casts considerable light on the development of his genius. [7]

A knowledge of these changes of text can only be obtained in one or other of two ways. Either the reader must have access to all the thirty-two editions of Poems, the publication of which Wordsworth personally supervised; or, he must have all the changes in the successive editions, exhibited in the form of footnotes, and appended to the particular text that is selected and printed in the body of the work. It is extremely difficult--in some cases quite impossible--to obtain the early editions. The great public libraries of the country do not possess them all.[8] It is therefore necessary to fall back upon the latter plan, which seems the only one by which a knowledge of the changes of the text can be made accessible, either to the general reader, or to the special student of English Poetry.

The text which--after much consideration--I have resolved to place throughout, in the body of the work, is Wordsworth's own final 'textus receptus', i.e. the text of 1849-50, reproduced in the posthumous edition of 1857; [9] and since opinion will doubtless differ as to the wisdom of this selection, it may be desirable to state at some length the reasons which have led me to adopt it.

There are only three possible courses open to an editor, who wishes to give--along with the text selected--all the various readings chronologically arranged as footnotes. Either, 1st, the earliest text may be taken, or 2nd, the latest may be chosen, or 3rd, the text may be selected from different editions, so as to present each poem in its best state (according to the judgment of the editor), in whatever edition it is found. A composite text, made up from two or more editions, would be inadmissible.

Now, most persons who have studied the subject know that Wordsworth's best text is to be found, in one poem in its earliest edition, in another in its latest, and in a third in some intermediate edition. I cannot agree either with the statement that he always altered for the worse, or that he always altered for the better. His critical judgment was not nearly so unerring in this respect as Coleridge's was, or as Tennyson's has been. It may be difficult, therefore, to assign an altogether satisfactory reason for adopting either the earliest or the latest text; and at first sight, the remaining alternative plan may seem the wisest of the three. There are indeed difficulties in the way of the adoption of any one of the methods suggested; and as I adopt the latest text--not because it is always intrinsically the best, but on other grounds to be immediately stated--it may clear the way, if reference be made in the first instance to the others, and to the reasons for abandoning them.

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The first volume of William Angus Knight's eight-volume edition of Wordsworth's poetical works arranges the poems by date of composition rather than publication, a decision that foregrounds the poet's evolving narrative strategies. In the early pieces, such as 'An Evening Walk' and 'Descriptive Sketches', the voice is meditative and unhurried, with long, flowing lines that mirror the landscapes they describe. The editor's notes on textual variants show Wordsworth repeatedly refining these passages, often slowing the pace further by adding descriptive detail.

By the time we reach 'The Borderers', a dramatic poem from 1795-96, the tempo shifts sharply. The dialogue is clipped, the lines broken by stage directions and interruptions. The excerpt shows Marmaduke and Oswald speaking in short, urgent bursts, while Idonea's speech is more measured but laden with emotional weight. This volume thus offers a unique opportunity to trace how Wordsworth's narrative voice adapted to different genres and moods.

From Descriptive Calm to Dramatic Urgency

The opening poems in this volume, such as 'An Evening Walk' and 'Written in Very Early Youth', establish a voice of serene observation. The lines are predominantly iambic pentameter, with few enjambments, creating a steady, almost hypnotic rhythm. In 'An Evening Walk', the speaker describes the landscape with a painterly eye: 'the sun has sunk, and the horizon line / Is marked with purple.' The pace is leisurely, allowing the reader to dwell on each image.

Contrast this with 'The Borderers', where the verse becomes fragmented. The dialogue is peppered with dashes and exclamations: 'A strange letter this!—You saw her write it?' The characters interrupt each other, and the lines are shorter, often with abrupt stops. The editor's chronological placement shows that this shift was not gradual but a deliberate experiment in dramatic form. The change in pace is not merely stylistic; it reflects a move from solitary reflection to interpersonal conflict.

The Editor's Role in Shaping Narrative Tempo

Knight's editorial apparatus—the prefaces, appendices, and notes—does more than correct errors; it actively shapes how we perceive the poems' pace. In the preface, he explains that he has revised the chronological order 'in the light of fresh evidence,' meaning that the sequence itself is an editorial argument. For instance, placing 'Guilt and Sorrow; or, Incidents upon Salisbury Plain' (1791-94) before 'The Borderers' highlights a progression from narrative ballad to dramatic dialogue.

The notes on textual variants reveal Wordsworth's own adjustments to tempo. In 'The Thorn', for example, the poet added repetitions and exclamations in later editions, slowing the narrative to heighten the superstitious tone. Knight records these changes, allowing the reader to see how Wordsworth fine-tuned the rhythm of his verse. The appendices, which include early drafts and rejected passages, further illuminate the poet's process of speeding up or slowing down his lines.

Voice and Setting in the Lake District Poems

Several poems in this volume are set in the Lake District, and the narrative voice often mirrors the landscape's mood. In 'Lines left upon a Seat in a Yew-tree', the speaker adopts a contemplative, almost elegiac tone, with long, winding sentences that mimic the tree's gnarled branches. The setting is 'a desolate part of the shore', and the voice is solitary, reflective.

In contrast, 'The Idiot Boy' uses a jaunty, colloquial voice with short lines and repeated refrains: 'And thus to Betty did he say.' The pace is brisk, almost comic, matching the poem's rustic setting and simple plot. The editor's notes show that Wordsworth revised this poem extensively, often cutting lines to quicken the tempo. By reading these poems in chronological order, one can see how the poet adjusted his voice to suit different settings—from the sublime Alps in 'Descriptive Sketches' to the domestic interiors of 'The Reverie of Poor Susan'.

This volume rewards readers who attend to the interplay between editorial choices and poetic voice. Knight's chronological arrangement and detailed notes invite us to hear Wordsworth experimenting with pace—from the slow, descriptive unfolding of early nature poems to the sharp, dramatic exchanges of his later work. Rather than a static collection, it presents a dynamic record of a poet refining his craft, line by line.

Reading the editor's thoughts on Wordsworth's shifting pace, from calm description to dramatic tension, I remembered an older volume on my shelf. There is a certain quiet gravity in that editorial care, a patient tracing of intellectual currents. It feels akin to the philosophical notes I once lingered over in The Temple of Nature; or, the Origin of Society: A Poem, with Philosophical Notes — Reading Notes. Both are company for slow evenings.