16 pages • 32 minutes read
William WordsworthTo the Skylark
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1825A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“To a Skylark” by William Wordsworth (1815)
An earlier poem by Wordsworth in honor of a skylark, from the 1815 collection Poems, in Two Volumes. In this poem, Wordsworth celebrates both the skylark’s song and the kinship he feels with the bird, but with a greater emphasis on the speaker’s perspective and how the skylark’s song elevates his own mood.
“To a Skylark” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1820)
One of Shelley’s most famous poems, also on the theme of admiring the skylark. In Shelley’s poem, the skylark becomes a symbol of freedom and joy, leading the speaker to compare the skylark’s situation and spirit with that of the speaker and human beings more generally. It may have served as inspiration for the Wordsworth poem featured in this guide.
“The Skylark” by John Clare (1835)
Although far less famous than Wordsworth in his own lifetime, John Clare (1793-1864) is one of English Romanticism’s most respected nature poets, sharing many similar themes with Wordsworth in terms of his love for the natural world and his valorization of a more traditional, agrarian way of life. In “The Skylark,” Clare depicts a group of schoolboys charmed by the beauty of the skylark’s singing and its apparent freedom, while out walking together in nature.
Further Literary Resources
“William Wordsworth: English Author” by Encyclopedia Britannica
A relatively straightforward and reasonably brisk overview of Wordsworth’s life and work, written with authority by the online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Recommended as a good starting point for readers wishing to understand the main events of Wordsworth’s life, as well as those seeking some basic information about his most influential poetic works.
Wordsworth.org by Wordsworth: Grasmere
A website focused on celebrating Wordsworth’s life, work, and enduring legacy in England’s Lake District, featuring information regarding historical attractions the reader can visit (in particular Dove Cottage, where Wordsworth lived and worked for nearly a decade), facts about Wordsworth’s life and work, and online collections open for browsing.
“An Introduction to British Romanticism” by the Editors at Poetry Foundation
A brief overview of the Romantic literary movement offered by the Poetry Foundation, in which Wordsworth was an enormously important figure. There is a curated list of the major Romantics beneath the main article, with direct links to the pages dedicated to their biographies and the texts of some of their major works.
“The Romantics” by Stephanie Forward (2014)
Featured on pages 8 to 12 of the linked pdf, this resource offers a lengthier and more detailed overview of the major figures, themes, and events that made up Romanticism as a movement, with opportunities for the reader to browse the British Library’s online collection of items related to the Romantics, including items associated with William Wordsworth.
Listen to Poem
This is a slow and clearly articulated audio version of the poem, which may aid the comprehension of some readers. Note that this reading is of a version of the text that omits the second stanza of the poem.
Related Titles
By William Wordsworth
