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William Wordsworth

(1770-1850)

Who Was William Wordsworth?

Poet William Wordsworth worked with Samuel Taylor Coleridge on Lyrical Ballads (1798). The collection, which contained Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey," introduced Romanticism to English poetry. Wordsworth also showed his affinity for nature with the famous poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." He became England's poet laureate in 1843, a role he held until his death in 1850.

Poet William Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. Wordsworth’s mother died when he was 7, and he was an orphan at 13. Despite these losses, he did well at Hawkshead Grammar School — where he wrote his first poetry — and went on to study at Cambridge University. He did not excel there, but managed to graduate in 1791.

Wordsworth had visited France in 1790 — in the midst of the French Revolution — and was a supporter of the new government’s republican ideals. On a return trip to France the next year, he fell in love with Annette Vallon, who became pregnant. However, the declaration of war between England and France in 1793 separated the two. Left adrift and without income in England, Wordsworth was influenced by radicals such as William Godwin.

In 1795, Wordsworth received an inheritance that allowed him to live with his sister, Dorothy. That same year, Wordsworth met Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The two became friends, and together worked on Lyrical Ballads (1798). The volume contained poems such as Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey," and helped Romanticism take hold in English poetry.

The same year that Lyrical Ballads was published, Wordsworth began writing The Prelude , an epic autobiographical poem that he would revise throughout his life (it was published posthumously in 1850). While working on The Prelud e, Wordsworth produced other poetry, such as "Lucy." He also wrote a preface for the second edition of Lyrical Ballads ; it described his poetry as being inspired by powerful emotions and would come to be seen as a declaration of Romantic principles.

"Though nothing can bring back the hour, Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower." -- from Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood

In 1802, a temporary lull in fighting between England and France meant that Wordsworth was able to see Vallon and their daughter, Caroline. After returning to England, he wed Mary Hutchinson, who gave birth to the first of their five children in 1803. Wordsworth was also still writing poetry, including the famous "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" and "Ode: Intimations of Immortality." These pieces were published in another Wordsworth collection, Poems, in Two Volumes (1807).

Evolving Poetry and Philosophy

As he grew older, Wordsworth began to reject radicalism. In 1813, he was named as a distributor of stamps and moved his family to a new home in the Lake District. By 1818, Wordsworth was an ardent supporter of the conservative Tories.

Though Wordsworth continued to produce poetry — including moving work that mourned the deaths of two of his children in 1812 — he had reached a zenith of creativity between 1798 and 1808. It was this early work that cemented his reputation as an acclaimed literary figure.

In 1843, Wordsworth became England's poet laureate, a position he held for the rest of his life. At the age of 80, he died on April 23, 1850, at his home in Rydal Mount, Westmorland, England.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: William Wordsworth
• Birth Year: 1770
• Birth date: April 7, 1770
• Birth City: Cockermouth, Cumberland, England
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: At the end of the 18th century, poet William Wordsworth helped found the Romantic movement in English literature. He also wrote "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud."
• Fiction and Poetry
• Astrological Sign: Aries
• Cambridge University
• Death Year: 1850
• Death date: April 23, 1850
• Death City: Rydal Mount, Westmorland, England
• Death Country: United Kingdom

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: William Wordsworth Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
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• Last Updated: October 27, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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William Wordsworth Biography

Early life – William Wordsworth

Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth, in north-west England. His father, John Wordsworth, introduced the young William to the great poetry of Milton and Shakespeare , but he was frequently absent during William’s childhood. Instead, Wordsworth was brought up by his mother’s parents in Penrith, but this was not a happy period. He frequently felt in conflict with his relations and at times contemplated ending his life. However, as a child, he developed a great love of nature, spending many hours walking in the fells of the Lake District. He also became very close to his sister, Dorothy, who would later become a poet in her own right.

In 1778, William was sent to Hawkshead Grammar School in Lancashire; this separated him from his beloved sister for nearly nine years. In 1787, he entered St. John’s College, Cambridge. It was in this year that he had his first published work, a sonnet in the European Magazine . While still a student at Cambridge, in 1790, he travelled to revolutionary France. He was deeply impressed by the revolutionary spirit and the principles of liberty and egalite. He also fell in love with a French woman, Annette Vallon; together they had an illegitimate daughter, Anne Caroline.

Friendship with Samuel Taylor Coleridge

After graduating, Wordsworth was fortunate to receive a legacy of £900 from Raisley Calvert to pursue a career in literature. He was able to publish his first collection of poems, An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches . That year he was also to meet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in Somerset. They became close friends and collaborated on poetic ideas. They later published a joint work – Lyrical Ballards (1798), and Wordsworth greatest work ‘ The Prelude ‘ was initially called by Wordsworth ‘ To Coleridge ‘

This period was important for Wordsworth and also the direction of English poetry. With Coleridge , Keats and Shelley , Wordsworth helped create a much more spontaneous and emotional poetry. It sought to depict the beauty of nature and the quintessential depth of human emotion. In the preface to Lyrical Ballards , Wordsworth writes of poetry:

“The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.”

Lyrical Ballards includes some of his best-known poems, such as, “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey”, “A Slumber Did my Spirit Seal”.

A SLUMBER did my spirit seal; I had no human fears: She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years. No motion has she now, no force; She neither hears nor sees; Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course, With rocks, and stones, and trees.

– W. Wordsworth 1799.

In 1802, after returning from a brief visit to see his daughter, Wordsworth married a childhood friend, Mary Hutchinson. Dorothy continued to live with the couple, and she became close to Mary as well as her brother. William and Mary had five children, though three died early.

Lake District, North Windermere, near Grasmere.

In 1807, he published another important volume of poetry “ Poems, in Two Volumes “, this included famous poems such as; “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, “My Heart Leaps Up”, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality.”

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;

– W. Wordsworth – I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

In 1813, he received an appointment as Distributor of Stamps for Westmorland; this annual income of £400 gave him greater financial security and enabled him to devote his spare time to poetry. In 1813, he family also moved into Rydal Mount, Grasmere; a picturesque location, which inspired his later poetry.

“My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!”

Poet Laureate

By the 1820s, the critical acclaim for Wordsworth was growing, though ironically critics note that, from this period, his poetry began losing some of its vigour and emotional intensity. His poetry was perhaps a reflection of his own ideas. The 1790s had been a period of emotional turmoil and faith in the revolutionary ideal. Towards the end of his life, his disillusionment with the French Revolution had made him more conservative in outlook. In 1839 he received an honorary degree from Oxford University and received a civil pension of £300 a year from the government. In 1843, he was persuaded to become the nation’s Poet Laureate, despite saying he wouldn’t write any poetry as Poet Laureate. Wordsworth is the only Poet Laureate who never wrote poetry during his official time in the job.

Wordsworth died of pleurisy on 23 April 1850. He was buried in St Oswald’s Church Grasmere. After his death, his widow Mary published his autobiographical ‘Poem to Coleridge’ under the title “The Prelude”.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Biography of William Wordsworth” , Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net , 22nd Jan. 2010. Last updated 6th March 2018

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William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth (1770-1850), an early leader of romanticism in English poetry, ranks as one of the greatest lyric poets in the history of English literature .

William Wordsworth was born in Cookermouth, Cumberland, on April 7, 1770, the second child of an attorney. Unlike the other major English romantic poets, he enjoyed a happy childhood under the loving care of his mother and in close intimacy with his younger sister Dorothy (1771-1855). As a child, he wandered exuberantly through the lovely natural scenery of Cumberland. At Hawkshead Grammar School , Wordsworth showed keen and precociously discriminating interest in poetry. He was fascinated by "the divine John Milton ," impressed by George Crabbe 's descriptions of poverty, and repelled by the "falsehood" and "spurious imagery" in Ossian's nature poetry.

From 1787 to 1790 Wordsworth attended St. John's College, Cambridge, always returning with breathless delight to the north and to nature during his summer vacations. Before graduating from Cambridge, he took a walking tour through France, Switzerland, and Italy in 1790. The Alps gave him an ecstatic impression that he was not to recognize until 14 years later as a mystical "sense of usurpation, when the light of sense/ Goes out, but with a flash that has revealed/ The invisible world"—the world of "infinitude" that is "our beings's heart and home."

Sojourn in France

Revolutionary fervor in France made a powerful impact on the young idealist, who returned there in November 1791 allegedly to improve his knowledge of the French language . Wordsworth's stay in Paris, Orléans, and Blois proved decisive in three important respects. First, his understanding of politics at the time was slight, but his French experience was a powerful factor in turning his inbred sympathy for plain common people, among whom he had spent the happiest years of his life, into articulate radicalism. Second, in 1792 Wordsworth composed his most ambitious poem to date, the Descriptive Sketches. An admittedly juvenile, derivative work, it was in fact less descriptive of nature than the earlier An Evening Walk, composed at Cambridge. But it better illustrated his vein of protest and his belief in political freedom.

Finally, while Wordsworth's political ideas and poetic talent were thus beginning to take shape, he fell passionately in love with a French girl, Annette Vallon. She gave birth to their daughter in December 1792. Having exhausted his meager funds, he was obliged to return home. The separation left him with a sense of guilt that deepened his poetic inspiration and that accounted for the prominence of the theme of derelict womanhood in much of his work.

Publication of First Poems

Descriptive Sketches and An Evening Walk were printed in 1793. By then, Wordsworth's wretchedness over Annette and their child had been aggravated by a tragic sense of torn loyalties as war broke out between England and the French Republic. This conflict precipitated his republicanism, which he expounded with almost religious zeal and eloquence in A Letter to the Bishop of Llandaff, while his new imaginative insight into human sorrow and fortitude found poetic expression in "Salisbury Plain." The influence of William Godwin 's ideas in Political Justice prompted Wordsworth to write "Guilt and Sorrow," and this influence is also perceptible in his unactable drama, The Borderers (1796). This Sturm und Drang composition, however, also testified to the poet's humanitarian disappointment with the French Revolution , which had lately engaged in the terrorist regime of Maximilien de Robespierre.

The year 1797 marked the beginning of Wordsworth's long and mutually enriching friendship with Samuel Taylor Coleridge , the first fruit of which was their joint publication of Lyrical Ballads (1798). Wordsworth's main share in the volume was conceived as a daring experiment to challenge "the gaudiness and inane phraseology of many modern writers" in the name of precision in psychology and realism in diction. Most of his poems in this collection centered on the simple yet deeply human feelings of ordinary people, phrased in their own language. His views on this new kind of poetry were more fully described in the important "Preface" that he wrote for the second edition (1800).

"Tintern Abbey"

Wordsworth's most memorable contribution to this volume was "Tintern Abbey," which he wrote just in time for inclusion in it. This poem is the first major piece to illustrate his original talent at its best. A lyrical summing up of the poet's experiences and expectations, it skillfully combines matter-of-factness in natural description with a genuinely mystical sense of infinity, joining self-exploration to philosophical speculation. While tracing the poet's ascent from unthinking enjoyment of nature to the most exalted perception of cosmic oneness, it also voices his gnawing perplexity as the writer—prophetically, as it turned out— wonders whether his exhilarating vision of universal harmony may not be a transient delusion. The poem closes on a subdued but confident reassertion of nature's healing power, even though mystical insight may be withdrawn from the poet.

In its successful blending of inner and outer experience, of sense perception, feeling, and thought, "Tintern Abbey" is a poem in which the writer's self becomes an adequate symbol of mankind; undisguisedly subjective reminiscences lead to imaginative speculations about man and the universe. This cosmic outlook rooted in egocentricity is a central feature of romanticism, and Wordsworth's poetry is undoubtedly the most impressive exponent of this view in English literature .

The writing of "Tintern Abbey" anticipated the later spiritual evolution of Wordsworth; it clarified the direction that his best work took in the next few years; and it heralded the period in which he made his imperishable contribution to the development of English romanticism. Significantly, this period was also the time of his closest intimacy with Dorothy—who kept the records of their experiences and thus supplied him with an unceasing flow of motifs, characters, and incidents on which to base his poetry—and with Coleridge, whose constant encouragement and criticism provided the incentive to ever deeper searching and to more articulate thinking. The three lived at Nether Stowey, Somerset, in 1797-1798; took a trip to Germany in 1798-1799, which left little impression on Wordsworth's mind; and then settled in Grasmere in the Lake District .

Poems of the Middle Period

Even while writing his contributions to the Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth had been feeling his way toward more ambitious schemes. He had embarked on a long poem in blank verse, "The Ruined Cottage," later referred to as "The Peddlar"; it was intended to form part of a vast philosophical poem that was to bear the painfully explicit title "The Recluse, or Views of Man, Nature and Society." In it the poet hoped to "assume the station of a man in mental repose, one whose principles were made up, and so prepared to deliver upon authority a system of philosophy." This grand project, in which Coleridge had a considerable share of responsibility, never materialized as originally contemplated; its materials were later incorporated into The Excursion (1815), which centers on the poet's own problems and conflicts under a thin disguise of objectivity. This distortion is significant. Abstract impersonal speculation was not congenial to Wordsworth; he could handle experiences in the philosophical-lyrical manner that was truly his own only insofar as they were closely related to himself and therefore genuinely aroused his creative feelings and imagination. During the winter months that he spent in Germany, he started work on his magnum opus , the "poem on his own mind," which was to be published posthumously as The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind.

As yet, however, such an achievement was still beyond Wordsworth's scope, and it was back to the shorter poetic forms that he turned during the most productive season of his long literary life, the spring of 1802, when the great loss anticipated in "Tintern Abbey" came over him. The output of these fertile months, however, mostly derived from his earlier, twofold inspiration: nature and the common people. In "To a Butterfly," "I wandered lonely as a cloud," "To the Cuckoo," "The Rainbow," and other poems, Wordsworth went on to express his inexhaustible delight and participation in nature's "beauteous forms." Such poems as "The Sailor's Mother" and "Alice Fell, or the Beggar-Woman" were in the Lyrical Ballads vein, voicing "the still, sad music of humanity" and exhibiting once more his unfailing understanding of and compassion for the sufferings and moral resilience of the poor.

Changes in Philosophy

The crucial event of this period was Wordsworth's loss of the sense of mystical oneness, which had sustained his highest imaginative flights. Indeed, a mood of despondency as acute as Coleridge's in "Dejection" at times descended over Wordsworth, now 32 years old, as life compelled him to outgrow the joyful, irresponsible gladness of youth. He became engaged to Mary Hutchinson, a girl he had known since childhood. Marriage in 1802 entailed new cares and responsibilities. One was to secure some sort of financial stability, and another was somehow to wind up the Annette Vallon episode.

In the summer of 1802 Wordsworth spent a few weeks in Calais with Dorothy, where he arranged a friendly separation with Annette and their child. Napoleon Bonaparte had just been elected first consul for life, and Wordsworth's renewed contact with France only confirmed his disillusionment with the French Revolution and its aftermath. During this period he had become increasingly concerned with Coleridge, who by now was almost totally dependent upon opium for relief from his physical sufferings. Both friends were thus brought face to face with the unpalatable fact that the realities of life were in stark contradiction to the visionary expectations of their youth. But whereas Coleridge recognized this and gave up poetry for abstruse pursuits that were more congenial to him, Wordsworth characteristically sought to redefine his own identity in ways that would allow him a measure of continuity in purposefulness. The new turn that his life took in 1802 resulted in an inner change that set the new course that his poetry henceforth followed.

In earlier days, Wordsworth's interest in the common people, whom he knew and loved and admired, had prompted him to assume a revolutionary stance. He now relinquished this stance, his attachment to his "dear native regions" extending to his native country and its institutions, which he now envisioned as a more suitable emblem of genuine freedom and harmony than France's revolutionary turmoils and republican imperialism. Poems about England and Scotland began pouring forth from his pen, while France and Napoleon soon became Wordsworth's favorite symbols of cruelty and oppression. His nationalistic inspiration led him to produce the two "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland" (1803, 1814) and the group entitled "Poems Dedicated to National Independence and Liberty."

Poems of 1802

The best poems of 1802, however, deal with a deeper level of inner change: with Wordsworth's awareness of his loss and with his manly determination to find moral and poetic compensation for it. In his ode "Intimations of Immortality" (March-April), he plainly recognized that "The things which I have seen I now can see no more"; yet he emphasized that although the "visionary gleam" had fled, the memory remained, and although the "celestial light" had vanished, the "common sight" of "meadow, grove and stream" was still a potent source of delight and solace. And in "Resolution and Independence" (May), he in fact admonished himself to welcome his loss in a spirit of stoic acceptance and of humble gratefulness to God.

Thus Wordsworth shed his earlier tendency to a pantheistic idealization of nature and turned to a more sedate doctrine of orthodox Christianity. Younger poets and critics soon blamed him for this "recantation," which they equated with his change of mind about the French Revolution. While it is true that lyrical outbursts about duty and religion are apt to sound conventional and sanctimonious to modern ears, one cannot doubt the sincerity of Wordsworth's belief, expressed in 1815, that "poetry is most just to its own divine origin when it administers the comforts and breathes the spirit of religion." His Ecclesiastical Sonnets (1822), which purport to describe "the introduction, progress, and operation of the Church of England , both previous and subsequent to the Reformation," are clear evidence of the way in which love of freedom, of nature, and of the Church came to coincide in his mind.

The Prelude

Nevertheless, it was the direction suggested in "Intimations of Immortality" that, in the view of later criticism, enabled Wordsworth to produce perhaps the most outstanding achievement of English romanticism: The Prelude. He worked on it, on and off, for several years and completed the first version in May 1805. The Prelude can claim to be the only true romantic epic because it deals in narrative terms with the spiritual growth of the only true romantic hero, the poet. Thus Wordsworth evolved a new genre peculiarly suited to his temperament. In this poem as in most of his best poetry—but here on a larger scale—the egocentricity for which he has often been rebuked was validated through symbolism. The inward odyssey of the poet was not described for its own sake but as a sample and as an adequate image of man at his most sensitive.

Wordsworth shared the general romantic notion that personal experience is the only way to gain living knowledge. The purpose of The Prelude was to recapture and interpret, with detailed thoroughness, the whole range of experiences that had contributed to the shaping of his own mind. Such a procedure enabled him to rekindle the dying embers of his earlier vision; it also enabled him to reassess the transient truth and the lasting value of his earlier glorious insights in the light of mature wisdom. It lies in the nature of such an extended process of reminiscence and revaluation that only death can end it, and Wordsworth wisely refrained from publishing the poem in his lifetime, revising it continuously. The posthumously printed version differs in several ways from the text he read to Coleridge in 1807. It is surprising, however, that the changes from the early version should not be more radical than they are. Most of them are improvements in style and structure. Wordsworth's youthful enthusiasm for the French Revolution has been slightly toned down. Most important and, perhaps, most to be regretted, the poet also tried to give a more orthodox tinge to his early mystical faith in nature.

Later Years

This type of modification toward orthodoxy had already been introduced in 1804, by which time the basic features of Wordsworth's mature personality had begun to stabilize. Of his later life, indeed, little needs to be said. He was much affected by the death of his brother John in 1805, an event that strengthened his adherence to the consolations of the Church. But he was by no means reduced to utter conformity, as his tract On the Convention of Cintra (1808), a strongly worded protest against the English betrayal of Portuguese and Spanish allies to Napoleon, shows. Important passages in The Excursion, in which he criticizes the new industrial forms of man's inhumanity to man, witness this also.

Wordsworth's estrangement from Coleridge in 1810 deprived him of a powerful incentive to imaginative and intellectual alertness. Wordsworth's appointment to the office of distributor of stamps for Westmoreland in 1813 relieved him of financial care, but it also dissipated his suspicion of the aristocracy and helped him to become a confirmed Tory and a devout member of the Anglican Church. Wordsworth's unabating love for nature made him view the emergent industrial society with undisguished diffidence, but although he opposed the Reform Bill of 1832, which, in his view, merely transferred political power from the landed to the manufacturing class, he never stopped pleading in favor of the victims of the factory system. In 1843 he was appointed poet laureate . He died on April 23, 1850.

Further Reading

Mary Moorman, William Wordsworth: A Biography (2 vols., 1957, 1965), is the standard work. On the poet's personality, Herbert Read, Wordsworth (1930), and Wallace W. Douglas, Wordsworth: The Construction of a Personality (1968), are of interest.

General introductions to the poetry include Peter Burra, Wordsworth (1936); James C. Smith, A Study of Wordsworth (1944); Helen Darbishire, The Poet Wordsworth (1950); John F. Danby, The Simple Wordsworth (1960); Frederick W. Bateson, Wordsworth: A Re-interpretation (2d ed. 1963); and Carl Woodring, Wordsworth (1965). More specialized studies include David Ferry, The Limits of Mortality (1959); Colin C. Clarke, Romantic Paradox: An Essay on the Poetry of Wordsworth (1963); Geoffrey H. Hartman, Wordsworth's Poetry, 1787-1814 (1964); David Perkins, Wordsworth and the Poetry of Sincerity (1965); Bernard Groom, The Unity of Wordsworth's Poetry (1966); and James Scoggins, Imagination and Fancy: Complementary Modes in the Poetry of Wordsworth (1966).

Important discussions of Wordsworth's philosophy are Arthur Beatty, William Wordsworth: His Doctrine and Art in Their Historical Relation (1922); Raymond D. Havens, The Mind of a Poet (1941); Newton P. Stallknecht, Strange Seas of Thought: Studies in William Wordsworth's Philosophy of Man and Nature (1945; 2d ed. 1958); Enid Welsford, Salisbury Plain: A Study in the Development of Wordsworth's Mind and Art (1966); and Melvin Rader, Wordsworth: A Philosophical Approach (1967).

The poet's literary theories are discussed in Marjorie Greenbie, Wordsworth's Theory of Poetic Diction (1966), and his political outlook in Francis M. Todd, Politics and the Poet: A Study of Wordsworth (1957), and in Amanda M. Ellis, Rebels and Conservatives: Dorothy and William Wordsworth and Their Circle (1968). Analyses of individual works include Judson S. Lyon, The Excursion: A Study (1950); Abbie F. Potts, Wordsworth's Prelude: A Study of Its Literary Form (1953); Herbert Lindenberger, On Wordsworth's Prelude (1963); John F. Danby, Wordsworth: The Prelude (1963); and Roger N. Murray, Wordsworth's Style: Figures and Themes in the 'Lyrical Ballads' of 1800 (1967). □

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Wordsworth, William

BORN: 1770, Cockermouth, Cumberland, England

DIED: 1850, Ambleside, England

NATIONALITY: English

GENRE: Poetry, nonfiction

MAJOR WORKS: Lyrical Ballads (1798) Poems (1807) The Sonnets of William Wordsworth (1838) The Prelude (1850)

Asserting in the preface to his Lyrical Ballads that poetry should comprise “language really used by men,” William Wordsworth challenged the prevailing eighteenth-century notion of formal poetic diction and thereby profoundly affected the course of modern poetry. His major work, The Prelude , a study of the role of the imagination and memory in the formation of poetic sensibility, is now viewed as one of the most seminal long poems of the nineteenth century. The freshness and emotional power of Wordsworth's poetry, the keen psychological depth of his characterizations, and the urgency of his social commentary make him one of the most important writers in English.

Works in Biographical and Historical Context

Tranquility, Tragedy, and Revolution William Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth, England, the second son of John and Anne Cookson Wordsworth. An attorney for a prominent local aristocrat, John Wordsworth provided a secure and comfortable living for his family. But with his wife's death in 1778, the family became dispersed: The boys were enrolled at a boarding school in Hawkeshead, and Wordsworth's sister, Dorothy, was sent to live with cousins in Halifax. In the rural surroundings of Hawkeshead, situated in the lush Lake District , Wordsworth early learned to love nature, including the pleasures of walking and outdoor play. He equally enjoyed his formal education, demonstrating a talent for writing poetry. The tranquility of his years at Hawkeshead was marred by the death of his father in 1783. Left homeless, the Wordsworth children spent their school vacations with various relatives, many of whom regarded them as nothing more than a financial burden. Biographers have pointed out that Wordsworth's frequently unhappy early life contrasts sharply with the idealized portrait of childhood he presented in his poetry.

After graduating from St. John's College in Cambridge in 1791, Wordsworth lived for a short time in London and Wales and then traveled to France. The French Revolution was in its third year, and although he previously had shown little interest in politics, he quickly came to advocate the goals of the revolution. Along with a heightened political consciousness, he experienced a passionate affair, the details of which were kept a family secret until the early twentieth century. During his stay in France, he fell in love with a French woman, Annette Vallon, and in 1792, they had a child, Anne-Caroline. Too poor to marry and forced by the outbreak of civil war to flee France, Wordsworth reluctantly returned alone to England in 1793.

Writing Habits and Lifelong Friends Following a brief sojourn in London, Wordsworth settled with his sister at Racedown in 1795. Living modestly but contentedly, he now spent much of his time reading contemporary European literature and writing verse. An immensely important contribution to Wordsworth's success was Dorothy's lifelong devotion: She encouraged his efforts at composition and looked after the details of their daily life. During the first year at Racedown, Wordsworth wrote The Borderers , a verse drama based on the ideas of William Godwin and the German Sturm und Drang writers, who emphasized emotional expression in their work. The single most important event of his literary apprenticeship occurred in 1797 when he met the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge . The two had corresponded for several years, and when Coleridge came to visit Wordsworth at Racedown, their rapport and mutual admiration were immediate. Many critics view their friendship as one of the most extraordinary in English literature . The Wordsworths soon moved to Nether Stowey in order to be near Coleridge. In the intellectually stimulating environment he and Coleridge created there, Wordsworth embarked on a period of remarkable creativity.

In 1802, Wordsworth married Mary Hutchinson. Realizing that Wordsworth now required a more steady source of income, Coleridge introduced him to Sir George Beaumont, a wealthy art patron who became Wordsworth's benefactor and friend. Beaumont facilitated the publication of the Poems of 1807; in that collection, Wordsworth once again displayed his extraordinary talent for nature description and infusing an element of mysticism into ordinary experience. Always fascinated by human psychology, he also stressed the influence of childhood. Most reviewers singled out “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections ofEarly Childhood” as perhaps Wordsworth's greatest production.

Later Life The remaining years of Wordsworth's career are generally viewed as a decline from the revolutionary and experimental fervor of his youth. He condemned French imperialism in the period after the revolution, and his nationalism became more pronounced. The pantheism of his early nature poetry, too—which celebrated a pervasive divine force in all things—gave way to orthodox religious sentiment in the later works. Such admirers as Percy Bysshe Shelley , who formerly had respected Wordsworth as a reformer of poetic diction, now regarded him with scorn and a sense of betrayal. Whether because of professional jealousy or because of alterations to his personality caused by prolonged drug use, Coleridge grew estranged from Wordsworth after 1810. Two works, Yarrow Revisited and Other Poems (1835) and The Sonnets of William Wordsworth (1838), received critical accolades upon their publication and evoked comparisons of Wordsworth's sonnets with those of William Shakespeare and John Milton . In 1843 he won the distinction of being named poet laureate . After receiving a government pension in 1842, he retired to Rydal. When he died in 1850, he was one of England's best-loved poets.

Works in Literary Context

Romantic Movement Wordsworth was a quintessential Romantic poet. The Romantic Movement in literature, which began in the late eighteenth century, was a reaction against what was seen as the cold rationality of the Enlightenment period. During the Enlightenment, developments in science and technology ushered in the massive social changes in western society. The Industrial Revolution brought about population explosions in European cities while the works of political scientists and philosophers laid the groundwork for the American and French Revolutions. The Romantics viewed science and technology skeptically, and stressed the beauty of nature and individual emotion in their work.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL CONTEMPORARIES

Wordsworth's famous contemporaries include:

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827): German composer and virtuoso pianist who, despite his eventual loss of hearing, became famous for his concertos, symphonies, and chamber music . Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821): Famous general during the French Revolution who eventually became ruler of France. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834): Wordsworth's longtime friend and author of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Kubla Khan.” Jane Austen (1775–1817): English realist novelist famous for Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility .

Works in Critical Context

Critics of Wordsworth's works have made his treatment of nature, his use of diction, and his critical theories the central focus of their studies. Early response to his poetry begins with Francis Jeffrey's concerted campaign to thwart Wordsworth's poetic career. His reviews of the works of the Lake poets —Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Robert Southey —and of Wordsworth's poetry in particular, were so vitriolic that they stalled public acceptance of the poet for some twenty years but brought many critics to his defense. To Jeffrey, Wordsworth's poetic innovations were in “open violation of the established laws of poetry.” He described Wordsworth's stylistic simplicity as affectation. Like Jeffrey, many readers may have believed Wordsworth “descended too low” in his writing, as an advertisement printed with the Lyrical Ballads in 1798 warns. The advertisement recognizes that the familiar tone Wordsworth uses may not be what poetry readers prefer and tries to frame Wordsworth's poetic inclusion of ordinary language as an “experiment” that attempts “to ascertain how far the language of conversation in the middle and lower classes of society is adapted to the purposes of poetic pleasure.” Despite this public hesitation, Wordsworth's poetry eventually gained acceptance. By the 1830s, Wordsworth was England's preeminent poet.

The Excursion In 1978, Annabel Patterson wrote in a journal called The Wordsworth Circle that The Excursion “has a history of disappointing its readers.” Patterson goes on to describe how Wordsworth's literary contemporaries reacted negatively to the volume and expected far more. Yet other critics have viewed The Excursion like other Wordsworth works, as poetic song or even a “song of daily life,” in the words of scholar Brian Bartlett. Bartlett remarks on Wordworth's distinct combination of “man's music and nature's music.” William Wordsworth is considered the preeminent poet of nature, though he claimed his main subject was “the Mind of Man—/ My haunt, and the main region of my song.” Wordsworth portrays suffering humanity in many of his poems, showing a variety of causes: poverty, separation, bereavement, neglect. As Geoffrey Hartman has written, “those famous misreaders of Wordsworth who say he advocates rural nature as a panacea should be condemned to read The Excursion once a day.”

The Prelude Wordsworth's The Prelude was published shortly after his death. Begun some fifty years earlier, the poem was completed in 1805 and then drastically revised over time. Greeted with uneven praise at its first appearance, the poem is now hailed as Wordsworth's greatest work. Scholar Alan Richardson notes that because of the work's autobiographical slant, many literary critics view The Prelude through a variety of lenses, particularly psychoanalytic. Wordsworth, or the poet, becomes the subject, while the critic becomes amateur analyst. At the same time, some critics tend to explore the poem through historical criticism, preferring, as David Miall suggests, to see how “Wordsworth engages with contemporary events … at the local level and … on a broader canvas.” In this vein, scholars like to analyze the way Wordsworth may “position himself as a historical figure.” In general, critics laud The Prelude's blending of autobiography, history, and epic, its theme of loss and gain, its mythologizing of childhood experience, and its affirmation of the value of the imagination.

Responses to Literature

• Wordsworth was good friends with the poet Samuel Coleridge. Write a one- to two-page essay that describes their friendship as illustrated in Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads .
• Read a selection of Wordsworth's early poems. Write an essay on how these poems demonstrate how Wordsworth was influenced by the French Revolution.
• Research the literary movements of naturalism, realism, romanticism, and transcendentalism. Make a chart that describes each movement in detail. Then write a paragraph about which literary style you think Wordsworth followed and why.
• One of Wordsworth's most quoted lines is “The world is too much with us.” In an informal essay written from a first-person point of view, explain how the title statement might apply to today's world.
• Compare Wordsworth's “My Heart Leaps Up” with Walt Whitman 's “Leaves of Grass.” With a classmate, discuss how the language and imagery might reveal that one poet is from England and one from America.

COMMON HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Wordsworth was keenly interested in depicting idealized portraits of rural people. Here are some other works that champion or examine “common” rural, hardworking lives:

So Big! (1924), a novel by Edna Ferber . Ferber's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel shows a moral contrast between the hardworking farm woman and her city-dwelling architect son. The Grapes of Wrath (1939), a novel by John Steinbeck . This novel set during the Great Depression follows Tom Joad and his family on their journey to the promised land of California. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men (1941), a book by James Agee with photographs by Walker Evans . Agee and Evans photographed and detailed the real lives of sharecropper families in the U.S. South. Their portraits are a far cry from Wordsworth's idealized visions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abrams, M. H., ed. Wordsworth: A Collection of Critical Essays . Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1972.

Batho, Edith. The Later Wordsworth . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1933.

Bewell, Alan J. Wordsworth and the Enlightenment: Nature, Man, and Society in the Experimental Poetry. New Haven , Conn.: Yale University Press, 1989.

Hartman, Geoffrey. Wordsworth's Poetry: 1787–1814. New Haven , Conn.: Yale University Press, 1964.

Jones, John. The Egotistical Sublime: A Study of Wordsworth's Imagination. London: Chatto & Windus, 1954.

Onorato, Richard. The Character of the Poet: Wordsworth in “The Prelude” . Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1971.

Perkins, David. Wordsworth and the Poetry of Sincerity . Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1964.

Roe, Nicholas. Wordsworth and Coleridge: The Radical Years . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Simpson, David. Wordsworth's Historical Imagination . New York : Methuen, 1987.

Woodring, Carl. Wordsworth . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965.

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Born: April 7, 1770 Cookermouth, Cumberland, England Died: April 23, 1850 Rydal Mount, Westmorland, England English poet

William Wordsworth was an early leader of romanticism (a literary movement that celebrated nature and concentrated on human emotions) in English poetry and ranks as one of the greatest lyric poets in the history of English literature .

His early years

William Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cookermouth, Cumberland, England, the second child of an attorney. Unlike the other major English romantic poets, he enjoyed a happy childhood under the loving care of his mother and was very close to his sister Dorothy. As a child he wandered happily through the lovely natural scenery of Cumberland. In grammar school, Wordsworth showed a keen interest in poetry. He was fascinated by the epic poet John Milton (1608 – 1674).

From 1787 to 1790 Wordsworth attended St. John's College at Cambridge University . He always returned to his home and to nature during his summer vacations. Before graduating from Cambridge, he took a walking tour through France , Switzerland , and Italy in 1790. The Alps made an impression on him that he did not recognize until fourteen years later.

Stay in France

Revolutionary passion in France made a powerful impact on Wordsworth, who returned there in November 1791. He wanted to improve his knowledge of the French language . His experience in France just after the French Revolution (1789; the French overthrew the ruling monarchy) reinforced his sympathy for common people and his belief in political freedom.

Wordsworth fell passionately in love with a French girl, Annette Vallon. She gave birth to their daughter in December 1792. However, Wordsworth had spent his limited funds and was forced to return home. The separation left him with a sense of guilt that deepened his poetic inspiration and resulted in an important theme in his work of abandoned women.

Publication of first poems

Wordsworth's first poems, Descriptive Sketches and An Evening Walk, were printed in 1793. He wrote several pieces over the next several years. The year 1797 marked the beginning of Wordsworth's long friendship with Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834). Together they published Lyrical Ballads in 1798. Wordsworth wanted to challenge "the gaudiness [unnecessarily flashy] and inane [foolish] phraseology [wording] of many modern writers." Most of his poems in this collection centered on the simple yet deeply human feelings of ordinary people, phrased in their own language. His views on this new kind of poetry were more fully described in the important "Preface" that he wrote for the second edition (1800).

Wordsworth's most memorable contribution to this volume was "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," which he wrote just in time to include it. This poem is the first major piece to illustrate his original talent at its best. It skillfully combines matter-of-factness in natural description with a genuinely mystical (magical) sense of infinity, joining self-exploration to philosophical speculation (questioning). The poem closes on a subdued but confident reassertion of nature's healing power, even though mystical insight may be obtained from the poet.

In its successful blending of inner and outer experience, of sense perception, feeling, and thought, "Tintern Abbey" is a poem in which the writer becomes a symbol of mankind. The poem leads to imaginative thoughts about man and the universe. This cosmic outlook rooted in the self is a central feature of romanticism. Wordsworth's poetry is undoubtedly the most impressive example of this view in English literature .

Poems of the middle period

Wordsworth, even while writing his contributions to the Lyrical Ballads, had been feeling his way toward more ambitious schemes. He had embarked on a long poem in unrhymed verse, "The Ruined Cottage," later referred to as "The Peddlar." It was intended to form part of a vast philosophical poem with the title "The Recluse, or Views of Man, Nature and Society." This grand project never materialized as originally planned.

Abstract, impersonal speculation was not comfortable for Wordsworth. He could handle experiences in the philosophical-lyrical manner only if they were closely related to himself and could arouse his creative feelings and imagination. During the winter months he spent in Germany , he started work on his magnum opus (greatest work), The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind. It was published after his death.

However, such a large achievement was still beyond Wordsworth's scope (area of capabilities) at this time. It was back to the shorter poetic forms that he turned during the most productive season of his long literary life, the spring of 1802. The output of these fertile (creative) months mostly came from his earlier inspirations: nature and the common people. During this time he wrote "To a Butterfly," "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," "To the Cuckoo," "The Rainbow," and other poems.

Changes in philosophy

The crucial event of this period was Wordsworth's loss of the sense of mystical oneness, which had sustained (lasted throughout) his highest imaginative flights. Indeed, a mood of despondency (depression) descended over Wordsworth, who was then thirty-two years old.

In the summer of 1802 Wordsworth spent a few weeks in Calais, France, with his sister Dorothy. Wordsworth's renewed contact with France only confirmed his disillusionment (disappointment) with the French Revolution and its aftermath.

During this period Wordsworth had become increasingly concerned with Coleridge, who by now was almost totally dependent upon opium (a highly addictive drug) for relief from his physical sufferings. Both friends came to believe that the realities of life were in stark contradiction (disagreement) to the visionary expectations of their youth. Wordsworth characteristically sought to redefine his own identity in ways that would allow him a measure of meaning. The new turn his life took in 1802 resulted in an inner change that set the new course his poetry followed from then on.

Poems about England and Scotland began pouring forth from Wordsworth's pen, while France and Napoleon (1769 – 1821) soon became Wordsworth's favorite symbols of cruelty and oppression. His nationalistic (intense pride in one's own country) inspiration led him to produce the two "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland" (1803, 1814) and the group entitled "Poems Dedicated to National Independence and Liberty."

The best poems of 1802, however, deal with a deeper level of inner change. In Wordsworth's poem "Intimations of Immortality" (March – April), he plainly recognized that "The things which I have seen I now can see no more"; yet he emphasized that although the "visionary gleam" had fled, the memory remained, and although the "celestial light" had vanished, the "common sight" of "meadow, grove and stream" was still a potent (strong) source of delight and solace (comfort).

Thus Wordsworth shed his earlier tendency to idealize nature and turned to a more sedate (calm) doctrine (set of beliefs) of orthodox Christianity . Younger poets and critics soon blamed him for this "recantation" (renouncing), which they equated with his change of mind about the French Revolution . His Ecclesiastical Sonnets (1822) are clear evidence of the way in which love of freedom, nature, and the Church came to coincide (come together at the same time) in his mind.

Nevertheless, it was the direction suggested in "Intimations of Immortality" that, in the view of later criticism, enabled Wordsworth to produce perhaps the most outstanding achievement of English romanticism: The Prelude. He worked on it, on and off, for several years and completed the first version in May 1805. The Prelude can claim to be the only true romantic epic (long, often heroic work) because it deals in narrative terms with the spiritual growth of the only true romantic hero, the poet. The inward odyssey (journey) of the poet was described not for its own sake but as a sample and as an adequate image of man at his most sensitive.

Wordsworth shared the general romantic notion that personal experience is the only way to gain living knowledge. The purpose of The Prelude was to recapture and interpret, with detailed thoroughness, the whole range of experiences that had contributed to the shaping of his own mind. Wordsworth refrained from publishing the poem in his lifetime, revising it continuously. Most important and, perhaps, most to be regretted, the poet also tried to give a more orthodox tinge to his early mystical faith in nature.

Later years

Wordsworth's estrangement (growing apart) from Coleridge in 1810 deprived him of a powerful incentive to imaginative and intellectual alertness. Wordsworth's appointment to a government position in 1813 relieved him of financial care.

Wordsworth's undiminished love for nature made him view the emergent (just appearing) industrial society with undisguised reserve. He opposed the Reform Bill of 1832, which, in his view, merely transferred political power from the land owners to the manufacturing class, but he never stopped pleading in favor of the victims of the factory system.

In 1843 Wordsworth was appointed poet laureate (official poet of a country). He died on April 23, 1850.

For More Information

Davies, Hunter. William Wordsworth: A Biography. New York : Atheneum, 1980.

Gill, Stephen. William Wordsworth: A Life. New York : Oxford University Press, 1989.

Johnston, Kenneth R. The Hidden Wordsworth: Poet, Lover, Rebel, Spy. New York : W. W. Norton, 1998.

Negrotta, Rosanna. William Wordsworth: A Biography with Selected Poems. London: Brockhampton, 1999.

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WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM

WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM (1770–1850), British Romantic poet.

William Wordsworth is so synonymous with "Romanticism" that the period used to be called "The Age of Wordsworth." Born 7 April 1770, Wordsworth lived into the middle of the next century, when Victoria (r. 1837–1901) was Queen and Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892) and Robert Browning (1812–1889) the celebrated new poets. It is often said that Wordsworth "the poet" died in 1807, survived by stodgy didactic work, minor new verse, repackaged older work, and a belated Poet Laureateship in 1843, yet his influence was considerable. Amid the encroachments of modern life, Wordsworth provided an enduring image of the poet as disciple of "Nature" and representative voice of feeling, whether of quiet sentiment, troubled passion, or moral severity. No less in life than in verse, he embodied "plain living and high thinking," at home in the Lake District in Northwest England, a region marked by natural beauty that he made famous. He was happy in his family life, yet often withdrew into meditation and depths of emotion.

Born in the Lake District , Wordsworth was one of five children. His father was a steward for a powerful local landlord, and the poet's boyhood was enjoyed in the market town of Cockermouth, with adventures in the nearby outdoors. The death of his mother when he was eight changed everything: his father, frequently away on business, sent William's sister Dorothy off to relatives and the brothers to school in distant Hawkshead. Five years later, his father died, and legal wrangling prevented the estate from being settled until 1802. In 1787 Wordsworth entered St John's College, Cambridge, to prepare for a living in the Church but Cambridge seemed an alien world to this native of the Lakelands. Vacationing in Europe in the summer of 1790, one year after the French Revolution , he caught the enchantment of millenarian hopes. He took his degree in 1791; that summer he toured Wales (climbing Mount Snow-don) and then returned to France in November 1791. Wordsworth was at once excited and troubled by the new politics of France. He found love with Annette Vallon, who bore their daughter, Caroline, in December 1792. But by then, depleted funds and a looming Terror had forced Wordsworth home, and, because of the ensuing war between England and France, it was not until 1802 (the Peace of Amiens) that he would see Annette and Caroline, just once more, prior to marrying a childhood sweetheart, Mary Hutchinson.

Across the turmoil of the 1790s Wordsworth grew "Sick, wearied out with contrarieties," and relinquished "moral questions in despair" ( Prelude 10.900–01). The record of Wordsworth's activities from 1792 to 1795 is obscure. He may have become involved with radical politics at home and may have ventured to France. In 1795 a legacy of £900 enabled him to devote himself to poetry and reunite with his sister Dorothy (1771–1855), who was always to be his encourager, companion, scribe, and housekeeper. A new friend, the poet and journalist Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834), inspired Wordsworth with a fresh sense of mission and power. In 1797, he and Dorothy moved to Somerset to be near Coleridge, and the poets were soon collaborating on Lyrical Ballads . Regarded today as a landmark of Romanticism, this volume was published anonymously in 1798 to mixed reviews. When local political anxieties put the group under suspicion, the Wordsworths' lease was not renewed, and the trio decided to go to Germany for winter, to soak up the language, culture, and philosophy.

With more financial resources, Coleridge enjoyed the university towns, while the Wordsworths spent a miserable winter in the remote village of Goslar. It was here that Wordsworth drafted new poems for Lyrical Ballads and his first fragments of autobiography. Coleridge was urging him to write a major philosophical epic, and could abide the auto-biographical turn only as preparatory, but for Wordsworth "the story of my life" (1.668) would become compelling epic in its own right. Returning to the Lake District in late 1799, the Wordsworths settled in Grasmere, their home for the rest of their lives. In 1800 a two-volume Lyrical Ballads, now signed as Wordsworth's, appeared with a controversial Preface declaring such principles as inspiration from "emotion recollected in tranquillity," the equation of "all good poetry" with "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings," and the tuning of poetic language to ordinary conversation, rooted in "nature" and "rural society." This manifesto was in part an exercise in mythmaking; but it also marked, said the critic William Hazlitt (1778–1830) in retrospect, "a new style and a new spirit." It set the terms of Wordsworth's fame, even as it focused the charges of his critics for decades on.

The steadily expanding household finally settled at Rydal Mount in 1813, when Wordsworth received a patronage position from the Tory government. The decade prior had been pained by several losses: his brother John, a sea captain, perished in a shipwreck in 1805; two of his and Mary's five children died in 1812; and by 1810 Coleridge's opium addiction and truancy from his own family led to strains in his relationship with Wordsworth. This resulted in a bitter alienation that was not mended until the late 1820s. Leading reviewers ridiculed Poems in Two Volumes (1807), and would be no kinder to The Excursion (1814), a nine-book epic "On Man, On Nature, and On Human Life." Yet the attention, and the advent of a collected Poems (in which the poems were arranged by conceptual category rather than by date) in 1815, confirmed Wordsworth's fame and importance, and he continued to write and publish in every decade of his long life.

During this life, The Excursion was regarded as his major work. The story of a ruined cottage in its first book was widely admired, and overall Wordsworth was prized for poems filled with pathos, such as "Michael" and "The Brothers" (in which, as he said in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads , the feeling gives importance to the action and situation); odes of crisis and troubled consolation, such as "Tintern Abbey" and "Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood"; and a wealth of exquisite sonnets, songs, and lyrics ("The Solitary Reaper" was among the most famous). Victorians revered the poet whose love of "Nature" could heal their "iron age," whose images of childhood and youth evoked simple joys, whose mature poetry gave unembarrassed voice to feeling. The poet John Keats (1795–1821) preferred the "dark passages" and "the burden of the mystery"—the poetry also of most interest to twentieth-century readers, for whom The Prelude (that preparatory autobiography) is the recognized major work. Just weeks after Wordsworth's death, this fourteen-book epic, composed across fifty years, appeared in print. Prelude it was: another version completed in 1805 was published in 1926, and then, further into the twentieth century, a two-book version from 1798–1799, and a five-book version from 1804. In this array of narrative forms and ceaseless revisions, of multiple selves, of writing reflexively as a poet about becoming a poet, The Prelude seems a venture of prescient modernism, but it also endures as a vivid imaginative reckoning with a life animated by the contradictory currents of its age.

See also Coleridge, Samuel Taylor ; Great Britain ; Romanticism ; Shelley, Percy Bysshe .

bibliography

Primary sources.

The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth , ed. Ernest de Selincourt, revised by Helen Darbishire. Oxford, U.K., 1949–1959.

Wordsworth, William. Poems. Edited by John O. Hayden. Harmondsworth, U.K., 1977.

——. The Prelude, 1798, 1805, 1850: Authoritative Texts, Context and Reception; Recent critical essays . Edited by Jonathan Wordsworth, M. H. Abrams, and Stephen Gill. New York , 1979.

——. The Prose Works of William Wordsworth. Edited by W. J. B. Owen and Jane Worthington Smyser. Oxford, U.K., 1974.

Wordsworth, William, and Dorothy Wordsworth. The Letters of William and Dorothy Wordsworth . Edited and arranged by Ernest de Selincourt and revised by Chester L. Shaver, Mary Moorman, and Alan G. Hill. Oxford, U.K., 1967–1993.

Secondary Sources

Chandler, James K. Wordsworth's Second Nature: A Study of the Poetry and Politics . Chicago, 1981.

Ferguson, Frances. Wordsworth: Language as Counter-Spirit. New Haven , Conn., 1977.

Ferry, David. The Limits of Mortality: An Essay on Wordsworth's Major Poems. Middletown, Conn., 1959.

Gill, Stephen. William Wordsworth: A Life. Oxford, U.K. and New York , 1989.

Johnston, Kenneth R.. The Hidden Wordsworth: Poet, Lover, Spy. New York, 1998.

Jones, John. The Egotistical Sublime: A History of Wordsworth's Imagination. London, 1954.

Mahoney, John L. William Wordsworth: A Poetic Life . New York, 1997.

Onorato, Richard J. The Character of the Poet: Wordsworth in "The Prelude." Princeton, N.J., 1971.

Wolfson, Susan J. The Questioning Presence: Wordsworth, Keats, and the Interrogative Mode in Romantic Poetry. Ithaca, N.Y., 1987.

Wordsworth, Jonathan. William Wordsworth : The Borders of Vision. Oxford, U.K., 1982.

Susan J. Wolfson

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Wordsworth, William (Brocklesby)

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE " Wordsworth, William (Brocklesby) . " The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music . . Encyclopedia.com. 17 Dec. 2024 < https://www.encyclopedia.com > .

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John Saunders

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Biography Of William Wordsworth

Early life and family background.

Biography of William Wordsworth was the second child among 5 children of John Wordsworth and Ann Cookson Wordsworth. Because of his siblings, William Wordsworth spent his early life in a close-knit family environment. William Wordsworth’s father, John Wordsworth, worked as a legal agent for James Lowther. James Lowther was the 1st Earl 1 of Lonsdale. William Wordsworth’s mother Ann Cookson Wordsworth came from a well-established family.

Despite being on a higher post of Earl which provided financial stability, John Wordsworth 2 family had to go through hardships. Specially after the untimely death of Ann Cookson 3 in 1778, when William was just eight years old.

Death of Ann Cookson was a turning point in William Wordsworth’s early life. The loss of his mother resulted in loneliness, which was at times was filled by the deep bandings with his siblings. Especially his sister, Dorothy Wordsworth 4 . Dorothy played an important role in William’s life. She not only supported William as a family member but also acted as an intellectual companion. Her support gave William a confidence and we know that Dorothy through her journals, provided a valuable insight on William’s literary creations.

Wiilliam Wordsworth received his primary education at Hawkshead Grammar School, located in the Lake District 5 . This significantly shaped his primary years, and it was the place where he developed his love for literature and poetry. It was the natural beauty of the Lake district which served as a continuous source of inspiration for Wordsworth. It is not a wonder why William Wordsworh’s poems appreciates the nature throughout his poetry. The idyllic surroundings of rolling hills, serene lakes, and verdant valleys left an indelible imprint on his young mind, embedding themes of natural beauty and pastoral life in his future literary works.

William Wordworth’s poem “ I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud ” is a great example of expressing the natural beauty in his poetry and another one is: Lines Left Upon A Seat In A Yew-Tree Which Stands Near The Lake Of Esthawaite

Thus, the combination of a supportive family environment, a robust education, and the natural beauty of the Lake District collectively shaped the early life of William Wordsworth. These elements laid the foundational stones for his later achievements, influencing both his personal life and his enduring legacy in English literature.

Table of Contents

Education and early influences.

William Wordsworth’s academic journey began at St John’s College, Cambridge. He matriculated in 1787. However, his time at Cambridge was filled with a sense of disappointment with the rigid academic structure, which he often found difficult. Despite this, the intellectual environment of the university played an important role in shaping his early literary aspirations. Wordsworth’s academic tenure was characterized by a growing fascination with nature and a growing interest in the revolutionary ideas that were spreading across Europe during this period.

In 1790, Wordsworth went on a transformative trip to France. That was the time when France was undergoing the French Revolution. The trip proved to be a turning point in his life. He was introduced to radical political ideologies and a rousing spirit of change. The French Revolution’s ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity resonated deeply with Wordsworth. Deeply influencing his poetic voice and political views. His exposure to these revolutionary ideas is evident in his early works, which often reflect a deep sense of social justice and a desire for political reform.

Wordsworth’s early attempts at poetry were further nurtured by his friendship with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whom he met in 1795. This relationship was instrumental in Wordsworth’s literary development, as Coleridge’s intellectual companionship provided both inspiration and critical feedback. Their collaboration culminated in the seminal work, “ Lyrical Ballads ” (1798), which is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the Romantic movement. This collection of poems, characterized by its emphasis on emotion, nature, and the common man, marked a departure from the classical conventions of poetry, signaling a new era in English literature.

The interplay of Wordsworth’s academic background, his exposure to revolutionary France, and his collaborative efforts with Coleridge collectively fostered his growth as a poet. These early influences not only shaped his literary trajectory but also solidified his position as a monumental figure in the Romantic movement.

Major Works and Literary Achievements

William Wordsworth’s contributions to English literature are monumental, establishing him as a pivotal figure in the Romantic Movement. Among his most significant works is the seminal collection Lyrical Ballads (1798) , co-authored with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This collection is often credited with marking the beginning of the English Romantic Movement. Wordsworth’s emphasis on ordinary subjects and the use of everyday language were revolutionary at the time, steering poetry away from the grandeur of the neoclassical tradition. His preface to the second edition of Lyrical Ballads is considered a manifesto for Romantic poetry, where he articulated his poetic principles and the importance of emotion and imagination in literature.

The Prelude (1850), another of Wordsworth’s major works, is an autobiographical epic poem that he worked on for most of his life. Published posthumously, it chronicles Wordsworth’s own development as a poet and his philosophical musings on the relationship between the human mind and nature. The poem’s introspective and reflective tone, combined with its exploration of personal growth and natural beauty, showcases Wordsworth’s innovative approach to poetry. By integrating his personal experiences with broader existential themes, Wordsworth created a work that remains deeply influential in literary circles.

Another notable work, Ode: Intimations of Immortality (1807), exemplifies Wordsworth’s ability to weave profound philosophical insights into lyrical and emotive poetry. This ode reflects on the theme of lost childhood innocence and the enduring sense of wonder that persists into adulthood. Wordsworth’s use of nostalgic and contemplative imagery in this poem has been celebrated for its emotional depth and lyrical beauty, further cementing his reputation as a master poet.

Wordsworth’s literary achievements are characterized by their innovative use of language, profound emotional depth, and a deep connection to nature. These elements not only define his work but also had a lasting impact on the evolution of English literature, influencing countless poets and writers who followed in his footsteps.

Themes and Styles in Wordsworth’s Poetry

William Wordsworth’s poetry is renowned for its profound engagement with nature, a recurring theme that serves as a cornerstone of his literary works. Wordsworth’s reverence for the natural world is evident in poems such as “Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” and “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” In these works, nature is not merely a backdrop but an active participant that shapes the human experience, offering solace, inspiration, and a sense of continuity.

Another prominent theme in Wordsworth’s poetry is the emphasis on emotion and individual experience. Rooted in the Romantic tradition, Wordsworth believed that poetry should be a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” This is particularly evident in his autobiographical poem “The Prelude,” where he delves into his own emotional journey and personal reflections. By foregrounding the individual’s emotional response to the world, Wordsworth’s poetry seeks to connect with readers on a deeply personal level.

Philosophical reflections on human life also feature prominently in Wordsworth’s work. His poetry often contemplates the transient nature of existence and the passage of time, as seen in “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Early Childhood.” Here, Wordsworth grapples with the loss of youthful innocence and the inevitable march of time, yet he also finds a redemptive quality in the wisdom gained through life’s experiences.

Wordsworth’s stylistic approach is characterized by the use of simple language and everyday subjects to convey profound ideas. This is a hallmark of his poetic style, aligning with his belief that poetry should be accessible to all. In his Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth argues for the use of “the real language of men,” eschewing the ornate diction and classical allusions that were prevalent in the poetry of his time. This stylistic choice not only democratizes his poetry but also enhances its emotional resonance and relatability.

In sum, the themes and stylistic elements in Wordsworth’s poetry reflect his deep connection to nature, his focus on emotion and individual experience, and his philosophical musings on human life. Through his use of simple language and everyday subjects, Wordsworth’s poetry continues to resonate with readers, offering timeless insights into the human condition.

Wordsworth’s Role in the Romantic Movement

William Wordsworth’s contribution to the Romantic movement stands as a cornerstone in the evolution of English literature. Departing from the rigid structures and rationalism of the neoclassical era, Wordsworth championed a return to nature and emotional sincerity in poetry. His belief that poetry should be a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings was a radical shift from the intellectualism that characterized the preceding literary norms. This advocacy for nature and emotion redefined the purpose and approach of poetry, encouraging a deeper connection with the natural world and human experience.

Wordsworth’s collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge was particularly significant in the Romantic movement. Their joint publication, “Lyrical Ballads,” is often credited with marking the beginning of Romanticism in English literature . The preface to the second edition of “Lyrical Ballads,” penned by Wordsworth, serves as a manifesto for the Romantic poets, outlining their departure from conventional poetic forms and themes. Wordsworth’s emphasis on simplicity, the beauty of the ordinary, and the importance of personal emotion resonated with his contemporaries and set the stage for future literary explorations.

In addition to Coleridge, Wordsworth’s interactions with Robert Southey and other Romantic writers helped to further his influence. Together, these poets formed the core of what is often referred to as the “Lake Poets,” named after the Lake District where they resided and from which they drew much of their inspiration. Wordsworth’s poetry, characterized by its profound appreciation for nature and introspective depth, served as a guiding light for his peers and successors. His works, such as “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” and “Ode: Intimations of Immortality,” continue to be celebrated for their lyrical beauty and philosophical insight.

Ultimately, William Wordsworth’s role in the Romantic movement was pivotal. His poetic vision and collaborative efforts not only shaped the trajectory of Romantic literature but also left an enduring legacy that continues to inspire and resonate with readers and poets alike.

Recognition and Awards

Throughout his illustrious career, William Wordsworth received numerous recognitions and awards that acknowledged his profound contributions to literature. One of the most significant honors bestowed upon him was his appointment as the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom in 1843. This prestigious position not only celebrated his literary achievements but also solidified his status as a central figure in English poetry. Wordsworth’s elevation to Poet Laureate marked a seminal moment in his career, highlighting the widespread appreciation of his work by both the public and the literary community.

In addition to this national honor, Wordsworth was also the recipient of several honorary degrees from esteemed universities. Notably, he received an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree from Durham University in 1838 and another from the University of Oxford in 1839. These accolades were further testament to his intellectual influence and the high regard in which he was held by academic institutions. Such recognitions underscored the breadth of his impact on both literary and educational spheres, affirming his role as a pivotal literary figure.

Wordsworth’s reputation, however, was not always uniformly celebrated. Early in his career, his work received criticism from some quarters, particularly for its departure from the classical conventions of poetry. Critics initially derided his emphasis on nature and emotion, which diverged from the then-prevailing neoclassical ideals. Despite this initial skepticism, Wordsworth’s innovative approach eventually gained widespread acceptance and admiration. His poetry, characterized by its profound connection to nature and exploration of human emotion, came to be revered as a cornerstone of the Romantic movement.

Over time, Wordsworth’s legacy has continued to grow, with his works being studied and cherished by successive generations. His transformation from a poet who faced early criticism to one who was venerated as a literary icon illustrates the evolving appreciation of his contributions. Today, William Wordsworth is celebrated as one of the most influential poets in English literature, with his recognitions and awards serving as enduring testaments to his lasting impact.

Personal Life and Later Years

William Wordsworth’s personal life was marked by deep familial bonds and enduring friendships, which significantly influenced his literary career. In 1802, Wordsworth married Mary Hutchinson, a childhood friend, and their union proved to be a cornerstone of his personal stability. Together, they had five children: John, Dora, Thomas, Catherine, and William. The family settled in the Lake District, a region that had a profound impact on Wordsworth’s poetic imagination. Their home, Dove Cottage in Grasmere, became a hub for literary and intellectual gatherings, frequented by notable figures such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey.

Despite the tranquility of his surroundings, Wordsworth’s later years were marred by personal tragedies. The death of his brother John in 1805, followed by the loss of two of his children, Catherine and Thomas, in 1812, cast long shadows over his life. Nevertheless, Wordsworth continued to write, drawing strength from his close-knit family and the natural beauty that surrounded him. He assumed the role of Poet Laureate in 1843, a position he held until his death, further cementing his place in the annals of English literature.

Wordsworth’s later poetry, while often reflecting a more somber and introspective tone, maintained the lyrical quality that characterized his earlier works. His deep connection to nature continued to be a central theme, as he sought solace and understanding in the natural world amidst his personal losses. The Lake District, with its serene landscapes, remained both his muse and refuge.

William Wordsworth passed away on April 23, 1850, at the age of 80. His death marked the end of an era, but his legacy endures through his profound contributions to the Romantic movement. Wordsworth’s poetry, with its emphasis on the sublime beauty of nature and the depth of human emotion, continues to resonate with readers worldwide. His life and work remain a testament to the enduring power of poetic expression and the timeless connection between humanity and the natural world.

Top 10 Iconic Poems by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth, a pivotal figure in English literature, has left an indelible mark with his profound and evocative poetry. His works resonate with themes of nature, human emotion, and philosophical introspection. Among his vast repertoire, ten poems stand out as particularly iconic, each contributing to his esteemed legacy.

“Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” is a reflective piece that captures Wordsworth’s return to a beloved landscape. The poem delves into themes of memory, nature’s restorative powers, and the passage of time. Its blank verse structure and meditative tone underscore the deep connection between the poet and the natural world.

“ I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud “ , often referred to as “Daffodils,” is celebrated for its vivid imagery and emotional resonance. The poem portrays the transformative power of nature, as the sight of a field of daffodils lifts the poet’s spirits. Its lyrical quality and rhythmic flow make it one of Wordsworth’s most beloved works.

“Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Early Childhood” explores the theme of lost innocence and the spiritual insights of childhood. The ode’s complex structure and profound philosophical musings reveal Wordsworth’s deep contemplation of life’s transient nature and the enduring essence of the human soul.

“The Prelude” is an autobiographical epic that chronicles Wordsworth’s personal and poetic development. This extensive work, composed in blank verse, provides a comprehensive insight into the poet’s life, aspirations, and the pivotal moments that shaped his worldview.

“Tintern Abbey” revisits the themes of nature and memory, emphasizing the spiritual and emotional sustenance derived from the natural world. The poem’s reflective tone and intricate descriptions highlight Wordsworth’s reverence for the pastoral landscape.

“The Solitary Reaper” depicts a poignant encounter with a Highland lass. The poem’s evocative imagery and melodic quality capture the beauty of the reaper’s song, which resonates with universal themes of human experience and emotion.

“Ode to Duty” is a philosophical exploration of moral obligation and the virtues of living a principled life. The poem’s formal structure and contemplative tone reflect Wordsworth’s reverence for duty and ethical conduct.

“The World Is Too Much with Us” is a sonnet that critiques the materialism and disconnect from nature prevalent in modern society. Its powerful language and impassioned plea for a return to nature underscore Wordsworth’s environmental consciousness.

“London, 1802” is a sonnet lamenting the moral decay of England and calling for the return of virtuous leadership. Wordsworth’s use of classical imagery and impassioned rhetoric highlights his concern for societal well-being.

“My Heart Leaps Up” is a succinct yet profound meditation on the continuity of joy and the enduring wonder of nature. The poem’s simplicity and heartfelt expression encapsulate Wordsworth’s deep appreciation for the natural world.

10 Lesser Known Yet Remarkable Poems by William Wordsworth

While William Wordsworth is widely known for his celebrated works such as “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” and “Tintern Abbey,” his extensive body of work includes numerous lesser-known yet remarkable poems. These hidden gems offer a deeper insight into his poetic genius, showcasing his ability to capture the essence of nature and human experience with profound simplicity and grace.

“The Reverie of Poor Susan” is a poignant reflection on memory and longing. The poem explores the thoughts of a woman who, despite her urban surroundings, reminisces about her rural past. Wordsworth’s adept use of imagery creates a vivid contrast between the bustling city and the serene countryside.

“The Green Linnet” embodies Wordsworth’s fascination with nature. Through the depiction of a green linnet, the poet celebrates the beauty and vitality of the natural world. The poem’s joyful tone and rhythmic flow mirror the lively movements of the bird.

“The Fountain” delves into themes of friendship and reflection. The narrative revolves around two friends who find solace and inspiration in the presence of a natural fountain. Wordsworth’s evocative language captures the tranquil ambiance and the deep bond between the companions.

“Star-Gazers” offers a contemplative look at humanity’s relationship with the cosmos. Wordsworth muses on the awe and wonder that the stars inspire, highlighting the universal human desire to seek meaning beyond the earthly realm.

“The Small Celandine” is a tribute to the resilience and beauty of the small celandine flower. Wordsworth’s keen observation and appreciation of this modest bloom reflect his broader reverence for nature’s overlooked wonders.

“To the Daisy” and “To the Same Flower” are companion pieces that praise the humble daisy. Through these poems, Wordsworth emphasizes the inherent worth and beauty of all elements of nature, no matter how commonplace they may seem.

“The Sparrow’s Nest” captures a moment of discovery and wonder as the poet describes finding a sparrow’s nest. The poem’s simplicity and attention to detail exemplify Wordsworth’s skill in finding extraordinary significance in ordinary moments.

“Lines Written in Early Spring” reflects on the harmony between nature and humanity. Wordsworth contrasts the purity of the natural world with the complexities and conflicts of human life, urging a return to simplicity and peace.

“The Pet-Lamb: A Pastoral” tells the touching story of a young girl and her pet lamb. This pastoral poem highlights the innocence and joy of childhood, set against the backdrop of the rural landscape.

These lesser-known poems by William Wordsworth reveal the depth and diversity of his poetic vision. They offer readers a chance to explore the nuances of his work and appreciate the subtle beauty of his lesser-celebrated creations.

Legacy and Influence on Modern Literature

William Wordsworth’s legacy in literature is monumental, extending far beyond the Romantic era in which he wrote. His poetic vision, characterized by a profound appreciation of nature and an exploration of human emotion, has continued to influence generations of poets, writers, and artists. Wordsworth’s emphasis on the natural world as a source of inspiration and solace resonates with contemporary environmental and nature writers. His works, such as “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” and “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” are frequently cited for their vivid imagery and emotional depth.

Modern literary criticism often revisits Wordsworth’s themes and styles, exploring their relevance in today’s context. His concept of the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” has shaped modern understandings of poetic expression. This idea, along with his focus on personal reflection and the sublime, is evident in the works of many contemporary poets who seek to capture the intensity of human experience. Furthermore, Wordsworth’s stylistic innovations, including his use of everyday language and simple, yet profound, subject matter, have paved the way for modernist and postmodernist experiments in poetry.

Wordsworth’s influence extends into popular culture as well. His poetry has been referenced in various forms of media, including film, music, and visual arts, demonstrating the timelessness of his themes. The Romantic ideal of finding beauty and truth in nature continues to inspire artists and writers who grapple with the complexities of modern life. The philosophical underpinnings of his work, particularly his reflections on the human condition and our relationship with the natural world, have found new interpretations and applications in contemporary discourse on environmental ethics and psychology.

In conclusion, William Wordsworth’s contributions to literature and culture are enduring. His innovative approaches to poetry and profound thematic concerns remain relevant, continually inspiring new generations to explore the depths of human experience and the beauty of the natural world.

• What is an Earl? A member of the British nobility is called an earl. An earl is a peer in contemporary Britain, standing beneath a marquess and above a viscount. ↩︎
• John Wordsworth Father of William Wordsworth and 1st Earl of Lonsdale ↩︎
• Ann Cookson Mother of William Wordsworth ↩︎
• Dorothy Wordsworth Sister of William Wordsworth and she had a great impact on William Wordworth, after the death of his mother. ↩︎
• The Lake District, which is a mountainous area and national park in Cumbria, North West England, is sometimes referred to as the Lakes or Lakeland. ↩︎

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