The work of William Gilpin is a good addition to the Lyrical Ballads. The text entitled From Observation on the River Wye shows an absolute contradiction of the message which Wordsworth is trying to put forth in his work. Gilpin uses a lot of words which are meant to create an opinion in the mind of a reader. " Elegant", "vulgar", "beautiful" are only few of the manipulative adjectives which kill the whole purpose of experiencing nature for oneself. This, sort of, guide created by Gilpin creates a barrier for the potential traveler. A barrier which separates man from nature. The irregular shapes, vastness, beauty of nature along with sensetions of thetouch of wind, the smell of air, should be the primary factors which should arise feelings and emotions in the traveler's own mind. While reading the "guide" one can clearly see what Wordsworth didn't like about the way it is written and the way it serves the traveler. Author, with his colorful, but subjective descriptions ruins the notion of intimacy of the traveler's encounter with nature. Instead of directing to a perfect place where one can develop his own unforgettable emotions from observing nature, Gilpin dictates the emotions. Such dictatorship crates an invisible barrier between the traveler and the natural. Instead of harmony the traveler will feel frustration in the pursuit of the feelings described by the author. Indirectly the "guide" takes the eyes of the wanderer off of the well of emotions, nature, and focuses the traveler on the book,creating a mental blindfold. It is fascinating, yet very sad how easily people can drawn in the sea of our own ignorance and lock ourselves out from something far greater the the human being and its creations.
This is a very effective reading of how Gilpin might have struck Wordsworth. This could have used one more proofreading to catch a couple of small things. (In actual fact, Gilpin was a big influence on Wordsworth, by the way--which doesn't mean you're wrong to contrast them the way you do.)
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