Wordsworth's Romantic Theory in "Tintern Abbey" Anonymous 12th Grade

William Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” spins the tale of a persona (most likely the poet himself) who contemplates his time spent at Tintern Abbey in the past, present, and future. Wordsworth uses many of his own unique writing methods in this poem, including the mentions of nature and solitude. His poetic theory has been used as the basis of Romantic poetry. “Tintern Abbey”, a five-stanza poem, is unique to Wordsworth’s Romantic theory in the sense that it contains multiple qualities that Wordsworth himself coined during the Romantic age: the use of isolation, the characteristic movement of emotional states, and the mention of nature.

“Tintern Abbey” is unique to Wordsworth’s Romantic theory because it contains his characteristic use of isolation. The poem begins with Wordsworth returning to the abbey after five years, accompanied by his sister Dorothy. He reflects back on the emotional feelings he experienced during that first time and how he enjoyed the landscape. The poem says, “Five years have past; five summers, with the length – of five long winters! And again I hear – these waters, rolling from their mountain-springs” (Lines 1-3). Even though his sister accompanies him, the persona feels...