Reviews
William Wordsworth defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings," rooted in "emotion recollected in tranquility." This view shaped Wordsworth’s prolific output. At his best, as in "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey," he channeled raw emotion into transcendent verse.
However, Wordsworth’s self-assurance could translate to self-absorption. When dining with the poet in 1818, John Keats offered his perspective on poetry, only to be shushed by Wordsworth's wife Mary: "Mr. Wordsworth is never interrupted." Though supremely self-secure in his talents, Wordsworth had little tolerance for criticism or challenges to his ideals.
Meanwhile, the youthful Keats would soon produce his own legacy of emotional verse, from odes to tragic epics. But he quickly learned that in the brooding, genius-led Wordsworth household, there was little room for debate.