Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2004. Vol. 4. Eger Journal of English Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 30)

PÉTER DOLMÁNYOS Wordsworth and the Mountains: The Crossing of the Alps and the Ascent to Snowdon

Eger Journal of English Studies IV (2004) 11-30 Wordsworth and the Mountains: The Crossing of the Alps and the Ascent to Snowdon Péter Dolmányos The mere sight of mountains is likely to touch men. The physical beauty is only one aspect of mountains, however: they are associated with perspective as well

—larger areas can be seen from the top of mountains. The conquest of a mountain involves upward movement, directing the climber towards the sky, which is at once a majestic and mysterious experience. For various peoples mountains have mythical significance, for others they represent the sublime. No matter which age, mountains have had a profound influence on the imagination. Mountains seem to possess a special importance for Wordsworth. There are two very significant sections dealing with mountains

—both are to be found in The Prelude

, his poem written as preparation for his great synthesising poem to come, though never to be actually written, The Recluse. The two mountain-passages may indicate something of Wordsworth's original intentions concerning the great poem: his most significant passages on the imagination are elaborated following descriptions of experiences connected with mountains

—the Simplon Pass episode and the ascent to Snowdon. These are examined during the course of this paper, each in its turn and in their relation to each other, revealing similarities and differences at the same time, and a structural connection which may render the Snowdon episode as the successful complementation of the somewhat controversial experience of the crossing of the Alps. The Alps The crossing of the Alps is not intended as a climbing to reach the peak of any mountain; it is not real climbing in the sense that there is no upward and no subsequent downward movement. The very problem of the incident is the unpleasant recognition that Wordsworth misses the Alps

—a rather frustrating discovery for the young and ambitious traveller who is full of sublime expectations. EVom the point of view of the outcome of the venture it may be relevant to point out the fact that the Alpine journey is simply a part of a longer one, it is not primarily a destination in itself. It is a ESZTERHÁZY KÁROLY FŐISKOLA KÖNYVTÁRA-E€ER