The Prelude

Wordsworth's autobiographical epic, tracing the growth of a poet's mind from the Lakes to the Alps to revolution.

Specifications & Metrics

author

William Wordsworth

type

Autobiographical epic poem

era

Romantic era (1798–1850)

language

English

verse form

Blank verse

cantos count

14

Core Principles & Analysis

• Begun in 1798 and published only after his death in 1850.
• Its final fourteen-book version he called the poem 'on the growth of my own mind'.
• The boat-stealing and Simplon Pass episodes anchor Romantic autobiography.

Sources

• Wikipedia: The Prelude