Mr Thelwalls Ear; or, Hearing The Excursion

Richard Gravil’s essay, "Mr Thelwall’s Ear; or, Hearing The Excursion," offers a detailed examination of how John Thelwall, a contemporary of Wordsworth, engaged with Wordsworth's poem "The Excursion." Gravil delves into Thelwall’s intricate analysis of the poem’s prosody, highlighting the differences in their approaches to poetry and rhythm. The essay reveals Thelwall's meticulous method of marking cadences and pauses to uncover the musicality and emotional depth in Wordsworth’s lines. By exploring the relationship between these two figures, Gravil provides insights into the broader literary and cultural context of the time, making this essay a valuable resource for those interested in Romantic poetry, prosody, and literary criticism.

author

Richard Gravil was Secretary of the Wordsworth Conference Foundation and Director of the Summer Conference 2007-2010, and of the Wordsworth Winter School. He wrote Romantic Dialogues: Anglo-American Continuities, 1776-1862 (2000), of Wordsworth's Bardic Vocation, 1787-1842 (2003), and of Wordsworth and Helen Maria Williams; or, the Perils of Sensibility (2010). He edited or co-edited nine books, including collections of essays on Coleridge, Swift, Wordsworth, Anglo-American Poetry and Nineteenth Century Fiction.