Wordsworth's vagrant muse

Description:

William Wordsworth's poems are inhabited by beggars, vagrants, peddlers, and paupers. This book analyzes how a few key poems from Wordsworth's early years constitute a direct engagement with and intervention into the politics of poverty and reform that swept the social, political, and cultural landscape in England during the 1790s. Harrison brilliantly demonstrates the socio-political significance of Wordsworth's poetry as a critical force in the debate over the Poor Laws, offering evidence that nineteenth-century readers recognized both the reactionary and utopian potentials of his work, depending upon their political orientation.

subjects: English Political poetry,  History,  History and criticism,  Literature and society,  Poetry,  Political and social views,  Political poetry, English,  Politics and literature,  Poverty in literature,  Power (Social sciences) in literature,  Social aspects,  Social aspects of Poetry,  Wordsworth, william, 1770-1850,  Political poetry, history and criticism

People: William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

Places: England,  Great Britain

Times: 19th century