This book does not find its starting point in a theory but in the recognition that the word "Wanderer," and other forms based on the common root of the verbs to "wander" and "wandern," recur with conspicuous frequency in the writings of Goethe and English Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth and Lord Byron. A notable scholar, Professor L. A. Willoughby sought an explanation for this phenomnon in Carl G. Jung's theory of the unconscious but Willoughby's sole ambit of reference was what he termed "Goethe's poetry." This restriction could not allow the scope necessary for the study of the collective aspect of the mind's power and influence. This study poses the attempt to widen the survey of "wandering" to a comparison of texts found in a wide variety of authors including Milton, Shakespeare and William Blake.

Normally we consider only one context to establish the sense of a word to which a dictionary applies more than one definition. The reader of poetry can consider many more contexts, such as those supplied by his or her familiarity with other works by the same author and with literary tradition. The theoretical basis of this study resides in an analysis of Ferdinand de Saussure's distinction between "langue" and "parole" and approaches to textual criticism predicated on this distinction, which is most clearly evident in the theoretical studies of the Russian Formalists. On the firm basis of an understanding of the difference between poetry and nonliterary prose this study unravels the issues which surround the prominence of words derived from the verbs "wandern" and "to wander" in German nd English respectively in such celebrated poems as "Wandrers Nachtlied," "I wandered lonely as a cloud" and William Blake's "London.:

Sometimes scholars and critics of literature tend to impose a pre-determined theory on their interpretation of subject matter. This book is predicated on a reversal of this trend by letting generalizations follow impressions that a close reading of certain literary texts instill in a reader's mind.

Thomas De Quincey (1785-1859) is considered one of the most important English prose writers of the early-19th century. This is the first part of a 21-volume set presenting De Quincey's work, also including previously unpublished material.