The Prelude, or, Growth of a Poet’s Mind

1928

Brasch PR5864 1928

London: J. M. Dent

Perhaps these spiritual moments originated in what William Wordsworth calls ‘spots of time.’ In his semi-autobiographical poem The Prelude (1850), Wordsworth reflects on his developing vocation as a poet, recapturing memories and re-experiencing past feelings. He describes how formative moments shape our identities and character. These moments give ‘profoundest knowledge’ and have a ‘renovating virtue.’ They continue to lift us up and nourish and repair ‘our minds.’