Wordsworth Response

My reading experience differed slightly between each printing of Wordsworth’s poem. My preferences are primarily in place due not to the printing of the poem, but the other works on the page surrounding it. For reading’s sake, I prefer the version printed in 1807. My reasoning for this preference is the space between lines and stanzas. The spacing makes for a slower reading, and in reading the piece at a slower pace, it becomes musical, which is what I assume Wordsworth’s intention was. Furthermore, I appreciate that it is the only text on the page. Due to this preference of mine, the version printed in 1815 is another of my preferred versions of this poem. I am guilty of becoming a skimmer, and when a there is only one work to focus on, the stress of making sure I get everything read in a timely manner goes away. The 1815 version comes second to 1807 printing only because I prefer a larger font size. My perception of the medium of the different pages reflects my previous answer about the printed 1807 version, which is my preferred because of the space between the lines and stanzas, as well as it being the only poem on the page. My least favorite version comes from the Stilllinger book written in 1965. I dislike this particular layout because the page feels too cluttered. Historically speaking, my favorite version of the poem is the printer’s manuscript from 1807. Though the text is not especially clear, it can be made out that Wordsworth has written a few notes starting with “to the printer”, that seem to outline how he wants the poem printed. This is an aspect of literature, namely pamphlet era works, which I don’t often think about. It sparks a curiosity that has me questioning why Wordsworth wanted it printed in the specific way he asked, and what his intentions of having it printed that way were. Did he want it to be the only text on the page, as it is in the 1807 version? It’s also visible that he asks for his poems to be printed in a certain order. All of these aspects make me as a reader curious about the process of printing, the authors preferences, and how the two work hand in hand. Over all, my preferences are based heavily upon the size of the text, the material on the page other than the poem at hand, and spacing. I am interested to see my peer’s response.