Rhyme and Revolution

Abstract

William Wordsworth’s poetry stands as a reflection of the sociopolitical landscape of his time. His focus on the natural landscape instead of the sculpted is one of the best examples of artistic revolution in history, as Wordsworth uses his natural landscape focus as a way of protesting the rapidly developing Industrial Revolution in England. Beyond anything Wordsworth could have expected, however, this focus on natural landscapes, combined with his concern with a person’s individuality, turned him into the progenitor of a new era of poetry and literature: the Roman-tic period. Thus, Wordsworth’s poetry and ideals stand as a revolution of both the contemporary poetic style and sociopolitical ideals of his time.