WORDSWORTH

William Wordsworth

Early Life

  • Born in 1770 in Cumberland, English Lake District.

  • Graduated with a B.A. Degree from St John’s College, Cambridge in 1791.

  • Travelled to Revolutionary France in 1791, influenced by the Republican movement.

Personal Life

  • In 1792, had a daughter named Caroline with French aristocrat Annette Vallon.

  • Became estranged from the Republic due to the Reign of Terror and returned to England because of the war.

  • Moved to Dorset in 1795 with his sister Dorothy, his faithful companion.

Collaborations and Family

  • Made friends with Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1795; collaborated on Lyrical Ballads (1797-1799).

  • Moved to the Lake District in 1799 with Dorothy.

  • Married Mary Hutchinson and had five children.

  • Became Poet Laureate in 1843 and died in 1850.

Main Works

  • Lyrical Ballads (1798);

  • Lyrical Ballads (2nd edition, 1800) featuring the famous ‘Preface’, a manifesto of English Romanticism;

  • Poems, in Two Volumes (1807);

  • The Prelude (1805);

  • The Excursion (1814).

The Object of Poetry

  • According to the ‘Preface’ to Lyrical Ballads, the aim is to choose incidents from common life and make them interesting by tracing primary laws of nature.

The Language of Poetry

  • Wordsworth emphasized using the language of common men, highlighting that simplicity leads to genuine expression, free of social vanity.

Who is the Poet?

  • Defined the poet as a man speaking to men, equipped with a heightened sensibility and deeper understanding of human nature.

What is Poetry?

  • Describes poetry as the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings originating from emotions recollected in tranquillity.

Poetic Composition

  • Successful poetic composition begins in a tranquil emotional state; the process involves enjoyment through describing various passions.

The Poetic Process

  • Poet involves memory as a recollection in tranquility, combining experience, emotions, and sensory perceptions to craft the poem.

Man and Nature

  • Wordsworth believed in the inseparable relationship between man and nature, depicting it as a source of comfort, joy, and moral guidance.

  • Held a pantheistic view, seeing nature as embodying the spirit of the universe.

The Senses and Memory

  • Utilized sensory experiences to recognize nature's beauty; influenced by David Hartley’s ideas on childhood development.

  • Simple sensations lead to thoughts that develop into complex ideas over time.

The Poet’s Task

  • Positioned the poet as a teacher who helps others understand their feelings and improve their moral qualities by focusing on the ordinary aspects of life.

Wordsworth’s Style

  • Abandoned the 18th-century poetic diction, primarily used blank verse, and demonstrated skill in various verse forms, including sonnets and ballads.