Abstract
THE pre-eminence of Wordsworth as a poet of Nature has long been recognised, but there is another aspect of his originality which has not yet received adequate recognition. Wordsworth wrote “A Guide through the District of the Lakes in the North of England with a Description of the Scenery,” which appeared in several editions between 1810 and 1835. The “Guide” proper is brief, the author regarding this portion of his task as “humble and tedious,” and he soon plunges into his description of the scenery. Here at once we find scientific originality, for he not only records physical appearances, but also, whenever they give keen enjoyment, seeks the source of the impression, investigating both the objective conditions and the mental qualities concerned in their appreciation. Moreover, he writes in the hope that his essay may lead to habits of “more considerate observation than have been hitherto applied to local scenery.”
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CORNISH, V. Wordsworth as a Pioneer in the Science of Scenery1. Nature 122, 553–554 (1928). https://doi.org/10.1038/122553a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/122553a0