Wordsworth By William Hazlitt example essay topic

255 words
In the essay Wordsworth, by William Hazlitt, he praises Mr. Wordsworth's ingeniousness. Having succeeded in creating a new approach to writing poetry by combining the "elements of nature and human mind" (Pg. 347), William Hazlitt argues that William Wordsworth has not received due credit for his marvelous work. Disregarding traditional poetry styles, Wordsworth creates his poetry by establishing an "opposition between the spirit of humanity and the spirit of fashion and of the world" (Pg. 348). Having set a precedent in the way nature was to be observed and the description of normal objects in this new profound manner, William Hazlitt wonders why William Wordsworth was not given due respect for his work. While his earlier form of prose focused on spiritual concepts, his later philosophical work was just as satisfying as the work of the great Lord Byron, yet Wordsworth was not esteemed, rather thought mad by his peers.

However great of a writer Wordsworth was, William Hazlitt says that his arrogance damaged his image as a writer. While William Hazlitt agrees with the fact that Wordsworth changed the way poets viewed simple things such as lichens on a rock, he says that had Wordsworth not been such a critic of others, his work would have been received more leniently. William Hazlitt concludes the essay by saying that Wordsworth's originality and his greater sense of feeling should overlook his personality and to have such brilliant works of art neglected is a great offense to a great writer..