Childhood Reminiscences in William Wordsworth's and Dylan Thomas's Poetry: A comparative Study
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Department of English
Abstract
This dissertation makes clear the attitude of William Wordsworth and Dylan
Thomas in the treatment of their childhood focusing on some of the poems of both
poets. The main objective of this study is to show how Wordsworth and Thomas look
back at their childhood in their poetry. Beautiful and familiar landscapes, incidents
and experiences become the object around which their nostalgic feelings evolve.
Wordsworth and Thomas idealize their past experiences in their poems through
literary reminiscences. The charming and glorious days of childhood are recalled and
contrasted with darker and sinister world of the adult. But attitude in the treatment of
childhood is different in those two poets. Wordsworth is not so much pessimistic
because he has not yet been disillusioned so he reconciles the loss of childhood
splendor with philosophical vision but Dylan Thomas does not see any possibility of
compensating childhood vision in adult life. His main focus is not on the pain of
knowledge but on the bliss of innocence.