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

28 Péter Dolmányos the Alps and to experience majestic feelings underway

—the overwrought expectations divert the attention of Wordsworth from the scene and the experience ends in a spectacular failure. The Snowdon episode is somewhat more successful though the original aim of Wordsworth is to see the sunrise from the top

—and the sudden appearance of the Moon above the clouds on a foggy and dark night surprises him to such an extent that he never returns to his initial concern. Nevertheless, the frontiers axe crossed and Wordsworth is rewarded by visions on both occasions. It is during the descent from the Simplon Pass that Wordsworth confronts the "workings of one mind", and the vision is so profound that he uses four more phrases to complete his thought due to the inadequacy of the language (Rehder 155). The passage is memorable however strong the disappointment was that preceded it. The Snowdon experience is different: it is during the ascent that the vision spreads out in front of him

—there axe no references in the text as to the relation of the place of observation to the peak of the mountain, the reader only learns that it occurs during their upward walk. The vision is once again haunting and intriguing, leading to the interpretative passage in which Wordsworth identifies the sight with the manifestation of the divine and expands the scope to include "higher minds" as well. The visions are somewhat different as well. In the passage devoted to the imagination in the Alps episode Wordsworth favours the word 'soul'. Imagination is mentioned only once and Wordsworth excuses himself: the inadequacy of language leaves him no other choice than the word 'imagination'. However, he soon disposes of this word and its context, and substitutes 'soid' for it in the rest of the passage, changing the focus of attention. It is the immortal soul that has its home with "infinitude" and it is the soul which seems to have the essential ability of receiving those flashes of the "invisible world". It is more of a passive recipient though, its activity seems to consist in recognising the moments of divine vision, as "it cannot will itself to power" (Hartmann, 16) to prove its creative force. The Snowdon passage uses the word 'mind' while 'soul' is not mentioned in the relevant context in this passage, nor is the word 'imagination' used. The only term which may build up a connection between the two scenes is the word 'Power'

—"That awful Power" is the expression in the Alps passage, and "For they [minds] are Powers" is the one in the Snowdon text. The 'mind' is active and creative as well as recipient, and the glory of man is transferred over to it from the soul of the earlier part. What may provide a more profound link between the two episodes is the idea of the mind as an abyss, a dark chasm, which is all the more interesting as a contrast with the positive forms of mountains. In the Alps scene the