Abstract
This paper looks into some interesting aspects of pre-modern mountaineering in the era of English Romanticism, from the end of the 18th century toward the first half of the 19th century.The essay concerns itself exclusively with the poetry of William Wordsworth (1770-1850), an English romantic poet noted for his avowed love for nature.Unfortunately, literary works, especially poetry, have scarcely been dealt with as a source for any arguments on sport history.The present study uniquely adopts Wordsworth′s poetry as a source for analysis with a hope of bringing new horizons to sport history.Biographical documents show that the poet frequently ascended mountains near his hometown.His poetry, too, express the impressions and feelings he had through the memorable experiences of mountaineering at home and abroad.In the course of textual analysis, some notable aspects of the poet′s attitude to mountaineering will be elucidated:his rather patriotic view of mountains and the resulatant preference for British mountains over the Alps;his adherence to anecdotes of mountains;his emphasis on imagination in climbing, etc.All these may be taken as a mature and deliberate concept of mountaineering.They are precious ideas before the dawn of European modern mountaineering, because it seeks, in the name of alpinism, only to conquer yet unchallenged lofty peaks without ever thinking of the spiritual aspect of mountaineerig.
