An Eco-Stylistic Analysis of Wordsworth’s The World Is Too Much with Us

Abstract

This study was an attempt to conduct an eco-stylistics analysis of Wordsworth's The World is Too Much with Us (1807). The basic aim of this study was to foreground the ecological elements through metaphors, deviations and parallelisms. The current study was qualitative and based on an interpretivist paradigm. The text was used as a primary source of data for the analysis. The data was analyzed through closed reading and textual analysis. The present study used Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar (1985) and Zurru’s (2017) approach as a theoretical framework. The analysis highlighted that through his poetic language, Wordsworth enable readers to see nature speak for itself using symbols that demonstrate its strength and generosity. The poem showed how the Industrial Revolution made people more focused on human needs while highlighting nature's life force and unique existence. Today, we still feel the power of Wordsworth's Romantic vision, which rejects excessive greed and pushes us to reconnect with our natural environment.