Ecological Consciousness in British Romantic Poetry: A Case Study of Wordsworth and Coleridge’s Lyrical Ballads

School of Humanities, Hangzhou Normal University, 311121 Zhejiang, China

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Abstract

Since the 1970s, humanity has gradually begun to develop a more objective comprehension of the dynamic between human beings and the natural environment, moving away from an anthropocentric perspective. Ecological consciousness has since entered the academic discourse across various disciplines. Ecocriticism emerged in response, aiming to explore the interplay between literary works and the broader natural context, while seeking to awaken ecological awareness and a heightened sense of environmental crisis in human society. Taking British Romantic poets as an example, Wordsworth and Coleridge’s Lyrical Ballads advocates an organic view of nature. In Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth reflects on the evolving relationship between the poet and nature through an internal monologue, portraying nature as a source of spiritual solace and proposing the idea of an organic unity between humans and the natural world. In Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the mariner’s killing of the albatross triggers a series of disasters, underscoring the interconnectedness of humans and nature and advocating reverence for all forms of life. It is evident that applying ecocriticism to the analysis of poetry can more effectively reveal the poets’ early reflections on ecological crises, offering a new ethical perspective and social significance to contemporary literary studies.