In_the_Wild

“In the Wild” Both William Wordsworth and David Malouf express that humanity is inextricably connected to nature. While both texts explore humanity’s relationship to the natural world and the role of the natural world in shaping human development, different perspectives are presented due to changing contexts. Whereas Wordworth’s poetry reflects the period of Romanticism in which he wrote and thus presents an ordered, ‘neat’ landscape in which he acts as an observer and responder, Malouf as a postmodern author, describes a wilder, bleak and desolate landscape where the character of Ovid is both experiencing and interacting within it. Both look at the ways in which individuals commune with the nature, the role nature plays in childhood and adulthood, the function of religion in the natural landscape and the importance of language in interacting with nature. Wordsworth’s poetry and An Imaginary Life convey the transformative power and beneficial qualities of human interaction with the natural environment. Nature provides restoration, allowing for self-growth and the development of identity. In “Lines composed a few miles about Tintern Abbey” the natural world is described in terms of emotion and passion. Wordsworth observes the “beauteous forms” of the natural world and recognises that they have provided him with “sensations sweet felt in the blood and felt along the heart.” Through the use of contrast Writing during the Romantic Movement, Wordsworth sought to express the desire to break away from the world of thought and to embrace the realms of imagination and emotion. Nature is explored and represented in regards to the senses and emotion and the idea that a deep unity can only be achieved through contemplation and meditation in the natural world. In “Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey”, Wordsworth expresses the importance of passion and emotion through an emphasis on the beauty of nature, the senses and the contrast between the natural world and the city. Wordsworth portrays the city as unpleasant and noisy, utilising negative connotations through his choice of language, “din”, “lonely” and “weariness”. In contrast, the “beauteous forms” have provided him with “sensations sweet felt in the blood and felt along the heart”. These memories have influenced him in his little nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love”. Furthermore, the memory and emotion of his relationship with nature will sustain him in the future, “that in this moment there is life and food for future years”, thus conveying that human interaction with the natural world can provide beneficial qualities. In contrast, Malouf presents a different perspective on the transformative power of nature which reflects the postmodern context in which he was writing. Malouf describes a harsh natural landscape ruled by the seasons. Both Wordsworth and Malouf discuss the importance of the role of imagination in humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Wordsworth and the Romantics placed great value on the power of the imagination to lead to profound insights and new perceptions