Literature is not a static, fixed entity, confined within the parameters of its initial creation. Literary pieces are constantly evolving, adapting to new cultural, historical and social contexts through processes of revision and reinterpretation. The grand scheme of literature is best represented as a vast network of interconnections, where various authors and individual works continue to have reverberating effects beyond their respective literary periods. As new authors remain influenced and moved by their predecessors, works from the past are brought into the present and begin to engage in a kind of back-and-forth relationship with contemporary literature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. Such an intertextual dynamic exists between William Wordsworth's poem, "The World is Too Much with Us," and Denise Levertov's related, "O Taste and See." Both poems examine the question of the individual's connection with nature. Both poet-storytellers aspire to achieve total spiritual communion with their surroundings. Wordsworth, however, argues that his world, at the moment, cannot offer him the spiritual satisfaction, the intimacy with nature, that he so stubbornly seeks. In contrast, Levertov believes that rich stimulation and beauty are abundantly present in his environment. For Levertov, it is not a deficiency of her environment but rather a deficiency of her own self (i.e. her inability to experience the world in a simple, unmediated way by thought) that may leave her spiritually bereft. Exploring the authors' individual views on city life, their use (or non-use) of archaisms, and their particular treatment of the common "Garden of Eden" trope - while highlighting the role of register, meter and form in both works – we begin to discover how “O Taste and See” is a direct and intertextual refutation of “The World Is Too Much With Us.” In “The World is Too Much with Us” (1802-03, 1807) William Wordsworth believes that his ability to achieve harmony with nature has been tarnished and compromised due to urbanization. For Wordsworth, city life is the primary cause of humanity's destruction and purification. In his poetry, he uses the competing registers of the industrialized city and its focus on materialism, with that of the natural world, to argue that his current urban context is somehow “unnatural,” or in direct opposition to the beauty of nature. He evokes this image and conveys his contempt for industrialized society, using terms such as “acquire and spend” and “waste waste” (Norton Anthology, 484, 3) to describe the activities that take place in the material world. This last fragment is particularly damning (and therefore effective) because the word “waste” implies a kind of irresponsible overindulgence, or an inappropriate and immoderate use similar to exploitation. Wordsworth describes the faculties of connecting with and understanding nature, the faculties that his fellow men have sacrificed and allowed to atrophy, as a “sordid boon” (4) or a dirty gift. Thus, Wordsworth compares the act of shamelessly giving up one's ability to be in contact with nature (“We have given away our hearts” [4]) to a vile and failed business transaction, once again using contradictory registers to articulate the his criticism. In contrast to the despicable and anesthetizing city life (as it dulls the active senses), nature is vibrant and pulsating. Wordsworth incorporates the register of motion into his descriptions of the worldnatural to reinforce this point, this vitality of nature. The winds, for example, “howl” and “gather” (6-7). However, despite its life-giving and charging effects, nature still retains its delicate beauty, “like sleeping flowers” ​​(7). “For this, for everything” (8), meaning for all the dimensions and nuances of the dynamic natural world, the urbanized society lacks appreciation. Therefore, according to Wordsworth, city life has made humanity inattentive, ignorant, and pitifully “out of tune” (8) with the divine melody of nature. Denise Levertov, on the other hand, takes a different view of the city and its effects on sensory experience, and this departure frames her discordant intertextual relationship with Wordsworth's poetry. If William Wordsworth believes that urbanization has contaminated or eroded the pure and intimate connection between man and his environment, Levertov sees no such problem in “O Taste and See” (1964). Unlike Wordsworth, Levertov recognizes that all elements of his setting offer possible stimulation, fulfillment, and personal understanding in relation to nature. Making a direct allusion to Wordsworth's poetry, and immediately positioning his piece as a critical counterpoint to his work, Levertov states that “The world is/is not enough with us” (Norton Anthology, 1043, 1-2). In other words, she is not sufficiently involved in all aspects of her rich environment. While Wordsworth's use of registers establishes an exclusive and diametrically opposed relationship between the city and natural life, Levertov makes no such distinction. Its wide variety of registers (or categories) reflects Levertov's more open reception of his setting. For example, while Wordsworth focused his attention on the physical characteristics of nature, Levertov includes in his poetry the discussion of several other environmental components, such as emotions (“pain, mercy” [8]), language, color (“tangerine ” [9]), fruits in nature (“plum, quince…in the orchard…picking the fruit” [13-15], and even scenes of city life (“crossing the road” [13]). In fact, it was during her ride a city subway where she saw the biblical poster that suggested she “taste and see” (3), which in turn triggered her thoughts and reflections on nature. Therefore, in Levertov's poem, the city actually plays an instrumental role in bringing it closer Levertov wishes to be able to absorb all these elements rather than mediate over them, which he suggests with his registers of eating and consumption: “breathing them, biting them, tasting them, chewing them, swallowing them” (9-11 ) happy where he is, while Wordsworth needs to escape his current industrial world. This urgent desire is evident in “The World Is Too Much With Us” as a result of Wordsworth's use of archaisms and in his treatment of the “Garden of Eden.” trope. Through his allusions to Greek mythology and the Christian Garden of Eden, Wordsworth articulates his desire to transcend his modern time, a time that is stifling his ability to connect to the natural world. To convey this sense of timeless feeling, Wordsworth harks back to the ancient world by invoking a series of archaisms. It references mythological figures, for example (Pagan, Proteus, Triton), and uses language that does not reflect everyday speech (as in the way “wreath'd” [14] has an archaic accent). However, Wordsworth is particular in his allusions, as he specifically references Greek mythological figures. Therefore, he aspires to return to the dawn of time, to the cradle of Western civilization, in order to somehow “glimpse” the pure joy of nature (“I would rather be/a pagan nursed in an outworn creed;/Then I could… . Haveglimpses that would make me less desperate" [9-12]). Likewise, Wordsworth lives in a world after the expulsion, but still very much within the Christian frame of mind. So if he cannot remain where he is in contemporary society, and wishes to return to a moment of great historical importance and to new beginnings, Wordsworth must look both to the archaisms of Greek civilization, and to the Garden of Eden of the Old Testament, to find his spiritual realization. He introduces a new register towards the conclusion of the poem, that of birth and nourishment, as evidenced by the use of the verb "to breastfeed" (10). Wordsworth wishes to be reborn in this hypothetical, distant world, from which he will draw spiritual nourishment, that is, the healing milk of a pure, intimate bond with (maternal) nature. Wordsworth's desire to escape to a place of high and important culture is strong, further emphasized by the use of high and traditional form in his poetry. "The world is too much with us" is an Italian sonnet that rather follows the guidelines of this form. strictly. It is composed of fourteen lines, of which the first eight lines form the octet and follow the standard abba abba rhyme scheme. The last six lines, the sextet, vary only slightly from the traditional sonnet. Rather than adhering to the typical cde rhyme scheme, “The World is Too Much with Us” concludes with six lines of alternating rhyme (cdcdcd). The meter is primarily iambic pentameter, with only slight variations, except in those places where Wordsworth wishes to capture the reader's attention. We see such a moment in the opening line of the poem, where there is a reverse iamb in the third foot, so that "very" (1) is underlined. This irregular or unexpected stress highlights the degree to which Wordsworth feels burdened by his urban environment. The other significant change in meter occurs midway through the ninth line, with the phrase “Great God!” (9). Here, both syllables are stressed, creating a spondee and serving as an aural cue to the reader to pay attention. The spondee appears at the turning point of the sonnet, the significant moment in which the poem begins to answer or resolve the dilemma presented in the opening octet. Because Wordsworth uses such a traditional form of high poetics without much variation, he is recapitulating both the importance of his concerns, and the unmistakable certainty that a return to the high culture of the dawn of Western civilization, is the solution to his feeling of disconnection with nature. Since the sonnet “ends” not so much with an “answer” or a realistic resolution, the slight play on the standard form of the Italian sonnet by virtue of the rhyme scheme is entirely appropriate, as it reinforces this slight narrative ambiguity. Wordsworth is sure of the environment or circumstances that would offer him comfort from a climate of cynical overindulgence; but how can it get to this environment which is an artefact of a different time and place? Levertov does not need to grapple with such questions, because he does not agree with Wordsworth that true communion with nature is found only with a return to the classical worlds of Greek mythology and Christianity. As supported by his poetic form and his own interpretation of the “Garden of Eden” trope, Levertov claims that his favorite place of spiritual enlightenment exists right outside his door, in the secular arena. “O Taste and See” is an open form, free verse poem with a very irregular meter. However, due to its non-regularized structure, Levertov's poem reads less like a traditional literary work and more like a casual conversation or series of reflections. While the strictly traditional form of “The world is too much with us” has been crucial in lending truth and meaning to the concerns of,.