The Nature of ‘Perception’ in Wordsworth’s Poetry
Deeksha Suri
Publication: Volume 1 Issue 1
Abstract:
During Eighteenth century Enlightenment, the terminology of perception and the discourse around it has been the central aspect of philosophy. The conceptual framework of the period can be divided into Critical Rationalism and Empiricism. Rationalists, such as Descartes, initiated a new stage in philosophical thought by establishing doubt within human mind as the sole agent of self-perception and understanding of the world. On the other hand, beginning from Locke, the empirical tradition focused on sensory perception as the basis of human knowledge. In An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Locke describes ‘experience’ as key in the process of ‘sensation’ and ‘reflection.’ While sensation is responsible for the experience gained from external encounters, reflection is an internal process of reflecting on the data received through sensations. Thus, this single term ‘experience’ represents mind as the knower and the object of knowledge. The immediate object of perception is not then the physical object but rather the ideas germinating from experience. This paper is an attempt to analyze perception in Locke to further develop a discourse on the nature of perception in William Wordsworth. Wordsworth’s poetry highlights perception as a process of putting faith in nature and then moving towards self-understanding. But certain poetic moments hint at a probable absence of a logical bridge between sensation and perception, essentially required for reflecting on experience and the knowledge acquired. It thus impels the reader to revisit Locke and question the validity or the meaning of experience itself. Building on this idea, this paper analyzes the perception in Wordsworth as a move beyond Locke, as his poetry adds new dimensions to the process of perception, reflection as well as the curve from perception to reflection. The study will include a critical gaze on ‘Resolution and Independence’ and Book 1 and Book 2 of The Prelude by Wordsworth.
Keywords: Perception, Enlightenment, Decartes, Locke, Wordsworth
Deeksha Suri, (deekshasuri11@gmail.com) M.Phil. in English from University of Delhi, India, Deeksha Suri is a research scholar. Her research interests include English Romanticism, Critical Theory, Literary Theory, and Visual Arts.