Wordsworth, Freud and the Spots of Time: Interpretation in 'The Prelude'

by David Ellis

Overview

The passages in Wordsworth's Prelude known as the 'spots of time' have always been regarded as important and impressive but have seldom been satisfactorily explained. Whilst there is general agreement about how well they are written, there is none at all about what they might mean. David Ellis sets out to resolve this paradox and, since the passages which concern him deal with very private moments in Wordsworth's life and have an interest which is largely psychological, he considers how far a knowledge of Freud might be relevant to their understanding. His attempt to clarify what is at once the most intriguing and baffling aspect of Wordsworth's great autobiographical poem leads Ellis to make challenging suggestions about how the whole work should be read. This is a book for the student and general reader of Wordsworth as well as for specialists. It should also appeal to those with an interest in the nature of autobiography or the use (and the misuse) of psych-analytic concepts in literary interpretation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521128520
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/04/2010
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

David Ellis's previous novels include In the Company of Liars, Jury of One, Life Sentence, and Line of Vision, for which he won an Edgar Award. An attorney from Chicago, he serves as Counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. The Spots of Time: 1. Fathers and sons; 2. Violence, sex and the misuse of Freud; 3. The discharged soldier; 4. The first spot of time; Part II. The Mind as Lord and Master: 1. Explanations (how); 2. Explanations (why); 3. The drowned man; 4. The role of reading; 5. Drawing death's sting; 6. The Winander boy; 7. Comparisons; Part III. Wordsworthian Optimism: 1. Objections; 2. Wordsworth and the shepherds; 3. Visions; 4. Conclusions; A note on Hartman; Appendix; Notes; Index.