Tag Archives: Tintern Abbey

Returning to the Misty Past

John Gatta’s “Spirits of Place” is helping me understand why I have chosen to retire in my home town. Wordsworth, Stowe, Homer, and Frost help out as well.

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Coping with Aging through Poetry

Wordsworth has written some of the world’s great poems for coping with aging.

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Wordsworth and a Depressed Philosopher

When utilitarian John Stuart Mill’s philosophy led him into despair, Wordsworth’s poetry saved him.

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Transfiguration: I Saw a Tree inside a Tree

Here’s a Christian Wiman poem for Transfiguration Poem that gets at those moments when the veil is momentarily lifted and we see into the life of things.

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Commencement à la Wordsworth

Tomorrow our students graduate and they will sing a school song that draws heavily on Wordsworth. The song also has an unexpected twist not intended by the author that always gets a laugh.

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Reconnecting with My Dead Son

Thursday I had a shock of recognition while teaching Stephen King’s IT in my American Fantasy class yesterday. The approach to life that saves the day for the protagonist is the approach that got my eldest son killed 16 years ago. Yet I don’t think King is wrong. In fact, I was comforted once I saw the […]

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The Mental Benefits of Forest Walking

Recent brain research notes that walking amongst trees is a powerful antidote to depression. Wordsworth knew this long ago.

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All Which We Behold Is Full of Blessings

Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” provides us with passage that functions as a Thanksgiving poem.

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The Moment Kindheartedness Walks In

Sometimes when I get depressed about the state of the world, I do two things. First, I remind myself that too often I allow myself to be stampeded into fear by media headlines, which use adrenaline to hook us. Second, I recollect the many generous and kind people in my life and in the world. […]

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