As for my opinion on Wordsworth as conservative, the jury remains out, and I remain unpersuaded by the linked article, though I will take some time to more carefully consider the article's argument; I think Wordsworth was disillusioned by the outcome of the French Revolution, but I do not agree that he completely gave up on liberal notions. In any event, his poetry is much more important than his politics. On the other hand, Robert Southey, a Wordsworth contemporary, has absolute credentials as a conservative; my review of W. A. Speck's book on Southey is available through this link.
As for my opinion on Wordsworth as conservative, the jury remains out, and I remain unpersuaded by the linked article, though I will take some time to more carefully consider the article's argument; I think Wordsworth was disillusioned by the outcome of the French Revolution, but I do not agree that he completely gave up on liberal notions. In any event, his poetry is much more important than his politics. On the other hand, Robert Southey, a Wordsworth contemporary, has absolute credentials as a conservative; my review of W. A. Speck's book on Southey is available through this link.
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