Books by Geoffrey Durrant

Most people agree that Wordsworth is 'great'; it is not easy to say why. Professor Durrant sets out to show this with detailed reference to particular poems. He accepts that the great creative period of Wordsworth's life was from 1798 to 1805; that in those few years he produced the poems in which his genius was realised; that these poems express a particular vision, which later faded.

Professor Durrant has two aims in his book, First, he shows that Wordsworth was less hostile to the world-view of the scientist than has been supposed. Second, examination of individual poems reveals a poetic language in which that system is translated into images.