The Prelude

One summer evening

fairy tale like

tranquil and romancised tone

innocence of narrator

contrasts with later events in the poem

act of stealth and troubled pleasure

emotional conflict in speakers actions

knows what he’s doing is wrong, that he’s taking the boat without permission and there’s a sense of guilt and transgression but ultimately his desires take over

his connection with nature is not pure or innocent

‘troubled pleasure’ - oxymoron, feels both excitement and guilt, reveals deep internal conflict, psychological journey from youth to experience and how emotions shift from innocent to terrorising

sets up moral and emotional struggle that grows throughout the poem

reflects mans desire to control or conquer nature, emphasised by characterising boat as feminine

nature promotes both beauty and fear, reflecting power imbalance between humans and natural world

a huge peak, black and huge

volta

repetition of huge creates a sense of overwhelming size and power, emphasising dominant and terrifying nature of the mountain and how it frightens the narrator

description said in a childlike way highlights how the speaker is struggling to articulate what he sees and he is mentally overwhelmed

‘black’ - dark imagery, threat, contrast to earlier ‘summer’ nature is no longer gentle but instead is sinister and intimidating, always looming

lack of figurative language is almost deliberate, poet strips back the poetic devices to reflect speaker’s emotional response, moment of sublime terror

beauty and fear combine to show how small and powerless humans are in the face of nature and how insignificant man is in comparison to nature

no….

creates sense of emptiness

mental disorientation and fear after his overwhelming encounter with the power of nature

things that once brought him comfort like ‘familiar shapes’ ‘pleasant images’ are now stripped away, leaving only fearsome unfamiliar ‘forms’

nature has shattered his former understanding of the world, repetition of no mimics a break down shock and rejection

he no longer sees the world through a child’s eyes but instead has shifted from innocence to experience and is facing something vast, unknowable and terrifying

sublime don’t always comfort