The Prelude - 1805 Book Third (Post by Chris Kotecki)

In “Book Third” of William Wordsworth’s The Prelude, he discusses the years in his life in which he lived in Cambridge and attended school. This poem has a much different topic area than the first two books. While the first two books focused on nature and the many ways in which he interacted with it throughout his entire life, this section of the book focuses on his life in a city. While in the city, his main goal is to describe his interaction with the many different people living and studying in the city, and the relationships that he develops with them.

Although this part of the poem is about a very different subject matter than the first two books, it does have some similarities. Most importantly is the tone that Wordsworth maintains in the poem. Just like in Book Second, the poem begins with much more concrete language as he describes the physical attributes of the city and the people that he meets. As the poem progresses, Wordsworth’s philosophical side begins to reveal itself as he becomes more comfortable within the city. He begins to deeply analyze his relationships with others and his time at school in the same way that he analyzed nature.

Yet, no matter how comfortable he may seem while in the city, it is still apparent that he is most comfortable with Nature. It is almost as if he never becomes a true resident of Cambridge. Instead, he is simply staying there for an extended visit, counting down until the day that he will return to nature. Although he is excited to eventually be back home, though, he still made sure to enjoy his stay. This is most seen in the final four lines of the poem in which he says, “Thus in submissive idleness, my friend, the laboring time of autumn, winter, spring – nine months – rolled pleasingly away, the tenth returned to my native hills again.” He considers his stay a time for work, yet he was able to get the best out of his time, and acknowledges how much quicker time can fly in the busy life of the city, as opposed to the quiet life in nature. In a way, the ending almost seems bittersweet. One feels as if Wordsworth is really going to miss Cambridge, despite the fact that he is going to thoroughly enjoy being back in his “native hills.”