William Wordsworth and David Malouf offer views on humanity's relationship with the natural world that have many similarities in some areas, and contrast in other areas. David Malouf, in his novel "An Imaginary Life" emphasises the importance of being at one and in harmony with the natural world, the wild. He believes that by finding our identity in nature, we devolve back to a state of childhood innocence and in this state only can we find true happiness. Wordsworth goes to the next level. He agrees with Malouf that nature is a universal teacher, but believes also that nature is deified. The natural world that he speaks of is the tamed wild of the English countryside whereas Malouf writes about Ovid's journey to Tomis which is a much wilder, harsher and untamed natural world. It is therefore through a deep understanding of the composer's perspectives, we gain an insight into the values and attitudes the composers see as important in life.
             The are four main areas that have to be dealt with in order to understand the similarities and differences in the composer's mentalities. The context in which they deal is important, but also leads on to the comparison between their views on nature and the wild. The catalysts that Malouf and Wordsworth employ are somewhat varied but their values a reinforced in their ideas of fate and destiny in our lives. There is a direct link between the ways they believe we should interact with nature and what our fate or destiny is. It is through the way we live our lives that our fate or destiny can often be determined.
             Malouf attempts to warn us not to be too materialistic and is creating awareness about the beauty of being at one with nature. His audience is that of a more mature age who are seeking fulfillment in their lives. The contexts dealt with include the personal enlightenment of Ovid, the social context of the people in the village in Tomis, the cultural context is the juxtaposition o...