Abstract

In his Essay of 1815, Wordsworth asserts that ‘a pure and refined scheme of harmony’ must prevail in all ‘higher poetry’. This idea of a structured and complex form of ‘harmony’ was similarly noted earlier in The Prelude (1805), where Wordsworth famously claimed that the human mind is ‘framed even like the breath / And harmony of music’.

Musical Wordsworth presents an original understanding of Wordsworthian harmony by examining an organised but dynamic sense of musicality that shapes his poetic theory and practice. This book is the first study to draw on music psychology and aesthetics to interpret the function and mechanism of Wordsworth’s aural structure and movement. Engaging with scholarship from the fields of literature and music, it defines Wordsworth’s poetry and the imagination through musical conceptions, and establishes various modes and forms of poetic listening as experiences of musical performance and appreciation.

Table of Contents

Introduction: ‘That voice of unpretending harmony’
1. Lyricism and Musicality
2. Breath and Harmony: Nature and the Romantic Imagination
3. Repetition and Resonance: The Soundscape of Memory
4. Expectation and Surprise: From Disorientation to Sublime Breakthrough
5. Rhythm and Dynamics: Listening to Urban Poetics
6. Rest and Silence: Voices of Collective Memorialisation
Coda: ‘The music in my heart’

Reviews

‘Yimon Lo’s Musical Wordsworth: Romantic Soundscape and Harmony represents a major breakthrough in both Wordsworth and Romantic studies. Her understanding of the poet’s major works through the lens of music aesthetics opens up new possibilities for interpretation while remaining faithful to the spirit of the poet and his times.’ – James Donelan, University of California, Santa Barbara

‘Musical Wordsworth: Romantic Soundscape and Harmony makes a consistently interesting and valuable contribution to the field, not least in its blend of disciplinary technique and the thoroughness and depth of its inquiry. Lo has tackled the challenges involved in articulating both the character and the significance of auricular effect in poetry admirably, which gives the book special interest both within and beyond its focus on Wordsworth.’ – Gregory Leadbetter, Birmingham City University