Chuhan Jiang

Alexander Pope is the representative poet of Neoclassicism in the 18th century, while William Wordsworth is the pioneer of Romanticism in the early 19th century. Their artistic achievements have had an immeasurable influence on the literature of Britain and the world. However, due to differing historical contexts and personal experiences, their creative philosophies and work styles reveal significant distinctions, particularly in their interpretations of nature. Through close reading of the texts and historical contextualized analysis, this article systematically explores their divergent understandings of nature and conducts comparative discussions from two dimensions: conceptual connotations and aesthetic expressions. Alexander Pope regards nature as an embodiment of rational order, and advocates that artistic creation should follow the path of “imitating nature”. William Wordsworth, on the other hand, puts forward the romantic proposition that “nature as the mentor”, arguing that poetry should be rooted in the direct experience of personal emotions towards nature, thereby achieving a spiritual resonance between humanity and nature. These differences in natural philosophy not only reflects the paradigm shift in English literary thought between the 18th and 19th centuries, but also provides crucial insights into the intrinsic development of English literary traditions.

View of Nature; Alexander Pope; William Wordsworth; Neoclassicism; Romanticism

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