During the Romantic era in England, a change was taking place in literature. Poets of the time believed that a personal relationship with God or the Universe was more important than a larger collective religious or political relationship. The introduction to the Romantic period in the Norton Anthology of British Literature states: "And the omnipresence of nature poetry in this period can be attributed to a determination to idealize the natural scene as a site where the individual could free itself from social laws (Greenblatt). , 1377). Poets of the time also believed that one could maintain this personal relationship through the natural world. Literature focused on the individual, large or small, and was much more personal than in the past. In keeping with the importance of the individual, Romantic poets expressed the importance and love of nature in their poetry. Poets William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley use their interpretations of nature, although different, to express the Romantic idea of ​​individualism. These poets used nature to express their feelings towards the individual and the importance they placed on a personal relationship with their inner self as well as with God. William Wordsworth loved nature and lived in isolated natural areas of England for much of his life. He had a relationship with the natural world he lived in and around, and this is evident in his writings. His poetry describes how he learns more about himself and his relationship with God through learning and becoming more familiar with nature. This principle is described in this passage from Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey. He says: “For I have learned/ To look upon nature, not as at the time/ Of thoughtless youth; but I often hear... middle of paper... she Shelley. Wordsworth suggested that the individual mind gains power and understanding through the influence of nature. Shelley believed that the mind and imagination of the individual give nature the power it has over the individual. Although the method they used to establish individualism through nature was different, both of their works embody this principle and embody the romantic view of individualism. Works Cited Greenblatt, Stephen. The romantic period. The Norton Anthology English Literature. Greenblatt et al. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2006. Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “Mont Blanc”. The Norton Anthology English Literature. Greenblatt et al. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2006. Wordsworth, William. “Tintern Abbey”. The Norton Anthology English Literature. Greenblatt et al. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2006.