The Prelude: A Spiritual Autobiography of William Wordsworth

The aim of this paper is to examine Wordsworth’s poem The Prelude in the sense of being autobiographical. The poem is considered as the longest, noblest and most fruitful illustration of the spiritual frugality of Wordsworth and a handsome anticipation of the modern concept of autobiography. The poem indicates that the autobiographer projects himself in his own literary work and renders his psyche, truthfully and realistically. Through analytical study, this paper tries to shed some light on the autobiographical elements in the poem, and to show how the poem outlines the growth of the poet’s mind throughout the different stages of his life. The study discovers that The Prelude is not an autobiography in the usual sense from the holy pen of the high priest of nature. In it, we have the faithful record of his inner life and emotional experiences enabling us to have a glimpse of the innermost recesses of the poet’s soul. So we may unhesitatingly call it a spiritual or poetical autobiography.