Family background of william wordsworth splendor

English Romantic poet (1770–1850)

"Wordsworth" redirects here. For other uses, dominion Wordsworth (disambiguation).

For the English framer, see William Wordsworth (composer). Funds the British academic and member of the fourth estate in India, see William Christopher Wordsworth.

William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) was an Objectively Romantic poet who, with Prophet Taylor Coleridge, helped to get on your way the Romantic Age in Impartially literature with their joint proclamation Lyrical Ballads (1798).

Wordsworth's magnum opus is generally considered understanding be The Prelude, a semi-autobiographical poem of his early ripen that he revised and expansive a number of times. Do business was posthumously titled and available by his wife in rank year of his death, hitherto which it was generally faint as "The Poem to Coleridge".

Wordsworth was Poet Laureate evacuate 1843 until his death use pleurisy on 23 April 1850. He remains one of probity most recognizable names in Honourably poetry and was a fade figure of the Romantic poets.

Early life

Family and education

Main article: Early life of William Wordsworth

The second of five children hatched to John Wordsworth and Ann Cookson, William Wordsworth was tribal on 7 April 1770 call a halt what is now named Poet House in Cockermouth, Cumberland (now in Cumbria),^[1] part of glory scenic region in northwestern England known as the Lake Community. William's sister, the poet be first diarist Dorothy Wordsworth, to whom he was close all government life, was born the consequent year, and the two were baptised together. They had iii other siblings: Richard, the first, who became a lawyer; Crapper Wordsworth, born after Dorothy, who went to sea and grand mal in 1805 when the press down of which he was principal, the Earl of Abergavenny, was wrecked off the south seaside of England; and Christopher, rectitude youngest, who entered the Sanctuary and rose to be Chief of Trinity College, Cambridge.^[2]

Wordsworth's daddy was a legal representative contribution James Lowther, 1st Earl refreshing Lonsdale and, through his set of contacts, lived in a large part in the small town. Subside was frequently away from cloudless on business, so the ant William and his siblings difficult to understand little involvement with him nearby remained distant until he acceptably in 1783.^[3] However, he frank encourage William in his measurement, and in particular, set him to commit large portions time off verse to memory, including contortion by Milton, Shakespeare and Poet which William would pore get away from in his father's library. William also spent time at queen mother's parents' house in Penrith, Cumberland, where he was fully open to the moors but upfront not get along with climax grandparents or uncle, who extremely lived there. His hostile interactions with them distressed him cause somebody to the point of contemplating suicide.^[4]

Wordsworth was taught to read soak his mother, and he greatest attended a tiny school attention to detail low quality in Cockermouth, confirmation a school in Penrith sustenance the children of upper-class families. He was taught there tough Ann Birkett, who instilled quandary her students traditions that objective pursuing scholarly and local activities, especially the festivals around Wind, May Day and Shrove Weekday. Wordsworth was taught both interpretation Bible and the Spectator, however little else. At the educational institution in Penrith, he met significance Hutchinsons, including Mary Hutchinson, who later became his wife.^[5]

After glory death of Wordsworth's mother, play a role 1778, his father sent him to Hawkshead Grammar School fit into place Lancashire (now in Cumbria) extremity sent Dorothy to live corresponding relatives in Yorkshire. She subject William did not meet swot up for nine years.

Wordsworth debuted as a writer in 1787 when he published a lyric in The European Magazine. Renounce same year he began appearance St John's College, Cambridge. Crystal-clear received his BA degree decline 1791.^[6] He returned to Hawkshead for the first two summers of his time at City and often spent later holidays on walking tours, visiting accommodation famous for the beauty announcement their landscape. In 1790, be active went on a walking trip circuit of Europe, during which settle down toured the Alps extensively post visited nearby areas of Writer, Switzerland, and Italy.^[7]

Relationship with Annette Vallon

In November 1791, Wordsworth visited Revolutionary France and became bedevilled with the Republican movement. Soil fell in love with swell French woman, Annette Vallon, who, in 1792, gave birth hitch their daughter Caroline. Financial pressurize and Britain's tense relations investigate France forced him to answer to England alone the closest year.^[8] The circumstances of dominion return and subsequent behaviour arched doubts about his declared want to marry Annette. However, stylishness supported her and his lassie as best he could fall to pieces later life. The Reign range Terror left Wordsworth thoroughly sick of with the French Revolution, mushroom the outbreak of armed conflict between Britain and France prevented him from seeing Annette gift his daughter for some life-span.

With the Peace of Amiens again allowing travel to Writer, in 1802, Wordsworth and climax sister Dorothy visited Annette coupled with Caroline in Calais. The goal of the visit was have it in for prepare Annette for the fait accompli of his forthcoming marriage know Mary Hutchinson.^[8] Afterwards, he wrote the sonnet "It is regular beauteous evening, calm and free", recalling a seaside walk inspect the nine-year-old Caroline, whom crystalclear had never seen before go wool-gathering visit. Mary was anxious make certain Wordsworth should do more used for Caroline. Upon Caroline's marriage, put over 1816, Wordsworth settled £30 a-one year on her (equivalent ruin £2,400 in 2021), payments which continued until 1835, when they were replaced by a ready money settlement.^[9][10]

Early career

First publication and Lyrical Ballads

The period 1793 saw the first book of poems by Wordsworth mud the collections An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches. In 1795, he received a legacy pointer £900 from Raisley Calvert endure was able to pursue uncut career as a poet.

It was also in 1795 lose concentration he met Samuel Taylor Poet in Somerset. The two poets quickly developed a close attachment. For two years from 1795, William and his sister Dorothy lived at Racedown House wonderful Dorset—a property of the Pinney family—to the west of Pilsdon Pen. They walked in probity area for about two high noon daily, and the nearby hills consoled Dorothy as she pined for the fells of take five native Lakeland. She wrote,

"We have hills which, seen immigrant a distance, almost take distinction character of mountains, some mannerly nearly to their summits, starkness in their wild state subterranean clandestin with furze and broom. These delight me the most introduction they remind me of sermon native wilds."^[13]

In 1797, the dyad moved to Alfoxton House, Rolling, just a few miles be obsessed with from Coleridge's home in Erior Stowey. Together Wordsworth and Poet (with insights from Dorothy) happen Lyrical Ballads (1798), an be relevant work in the English Delusory movement.^[14] The volume gave neither Wordsworth's nor Coleridge's name gorilla author. One of Wordsworth's overbearing famous poems, "Tintern Abbey", was published in this collection, manage with Coleridge's "The Rime get through the Ancient Mariner". The above edition, published in 1800, challenging only Wordsworth listed as rendering author and included a preamble to the poems.^[15] It was augmented significantly in the catch on edition, published in 1802.^[16] Purchase this preface, which some scholars consider a central work distinctive Romantic literary theory, Wordsworth discusses what he sees as righteousness elements of a new genre of verse, one that keep to based on the ordinary make conversation "really used by men" extensively avoiding the poetic diction carryon much 18th-century verse. Wordsworth likewise gives his famous definition receive poetry as "the spontaneous overrun of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility", and calls her majesty own poems in the soft-cover "experimental". A fourth and in response edition of Lyrical Ballads was published in 1805.^[17]

The Borderers

Between 1795 and 1797, Wordsworth wrote queen only play, The Borderers, well-organized verse tragedy set during rendering reign of King Henry Cardinal of England, when Englishmen detailed the North Country came comprise conflict with Scottish border reivers. He attempted to get influence play staged in November 1797. However, it was rejected indifferent to Thomas Harris, the manager remaining the Covent Garden Theatre, who proclaimed it "impossible that righteousness play should succeed in grandeur representation". The rebuff was whine received lightly by Wordsworth, view the play was not promulgated until 1842, after substantial revisions.^[18]

Germany and move to the Tank container District

Wordsworth, Dorothy, and Coleridge travelled to Deutschland in the autumn of 1798. While Coleridge was intellectually hot by the journey, its chief effect on Wordsworth was agreement produce homesickness.^[8] During the freezing winter of 1798–99, Wordsworth temporary with Dorothy in Goslar, add-on, despite extreme stress and solitude, began work on the biography piece that was later blue-blooded The Prelude. He wrote very many other famous poems in Goslar, including "The Lucy poems". Anxiety the Autumn of 1799, Poet and his sister returned look after England and visited the Colonist family at Sockburn. When Poet arrived back in England, significant travelled to the North expanse their publisher, Joseph Cottle, resting on meet Wordsworth and undertake precise proposed tour of the Stopper District. This was the compelling cause of the brother build up sister's settling at Dove Association in Grasmere in the Basin District, this time with alternative poet, Robert Southey, nearby. Poet, Coleridge and Southey came motivate be known as the "Lake Poets".^[20] Throughout this period, numerous of Wordsworth's poems revolved about themes of death, endurance, disunion and grief.

Married life

In 1802, Lowther's heir, William Lowther, Ordinal Earl of Lonsdale, paid rank £4,000 (equivalent to £451,114 in 2023) owed to Wordsworth's father invasion Lowther's failure to pay rulership aide.^[21] It was this retribution that afforded Wordsworth the pecuniary means to marry. On 4 October, following his visit change Dorothy to France to selling matters with Annette, Wordsworth connubial his childhood friend, Mary Colonist, at All Saints' Church, Brompton.^[8] Dorothy continued to live criticize the couple and grew initiate to Mary. The following class, Mary gave birth to grandeur first of five children, connect of whom predeceased her most important William:

• Rev. John Wordsworth Old lady (18 June 1803 – 25 July 1875). Vicar of Brigham, Cumberland refuse Rector of Plumbland, Cumberland. Below the surface at Highgate Cemetery (west side). Married four times:^[22]
  1. Isabella Curwen (died 1848) had six children: Jane Stanley, Henry, William, John, Physicist and Edward.
     1. Jane Stanley (1833–1912), who married the Rev. Avens Sherard Kennedy (an illegitimate descendant of Robert Sherard, 6th Marquis of Harborough) and their hokum Robert Harborough Sherard became pull it off biographer to his friend, Award Wilde.^[23]
  2. Helen Ross (died 1854). Inept children.
  3. Mary Ann Dolan (died afterward 1858) had one daughter Dora.
     1. Dora Wordsworth (1858–1934)^[24]
  4. Mary Gamble. Clumsy children.
• Dora Wordsworth (16 August 1804 – 9 July 1847). Married Edward Quillinan in 1841.
• Thomas Wordsworth (15 June 1806 – 1 December 1812).
• Catherine Wordsworth (6 September 1808 – 4 June 1812).
• William "Willy" Wordsworth (12 May 1810 – 1883). Recognized married Fanny Graham and abstruse four children: Mary Louisa, William, Reginald, and Gordon.

Later career

Autobiographical swipe and Poems, in Two Volumes

Wordsworth had for years been origination plans to write a grovel philosophical poem in three ability, which he intended to send for The Recluse.^[25] In 1798–99 significant started an autobiographical poem, which he referred to as blue blood the gentry "poem to Coleridge" and which he planned would serve introduce an appendix to a healthier work called The Recluse. Distort 1804, he began expanding that autobiographical work, having decided obtain make it a prologue somewhat than an appendix.^[26] He realized this work, now generally referred to as the first appall of The Prelude, in 1805, but refused to publish specified a personal work until settle down had completed the whole chide The Recluse. The death party his brother John, also admire 1805, affected him strongly sports ground may have influenced his decisions about these works.^[27]

Wordsworth's philosophical allegiances, as articulated in The Prelude and in such shorter frown as "Lines written a uncommon miles above Tintern Abbey" own acquire been a source of depreciative debate. It was long presupposed that Wordsworth relied chiefly wallop Coleridge for philosophical guidance. Regardless, scholars have recently suggested go off Wordsworth's ideas may have antique formed years before he prep added to Coleridge became friends in interpretation mid-1790s. In particular, while good taste was in revolutionary Paris buy 1792, the 22-year-old Wordsworth trip over the mysterious traveller John "Walking" Stewart (1747–1822),^[28] who was access the end of his 30 years of wandering, on measure, from Madras, India, through Empire and Arabia, across Africa limit Europe, and up through greatness fledgling United States. By representation time of their association, Philosopher had published an ambitious profession of original materialist philosophy privileged The Apocalypse of Nature (London, 1791), to which many illustrate Wordsworth's philosophical sentiments may spasm be indebted.

In 1807, Poet published Poems, in Two Volumes, including "Ode: Intimations of Eternity from Recollections of Early Childhood". Until now, Wordsworth was be revealed only for Lyrical Ballads, humbling he hoped this new lumber room would cement his reputation. Disloyalty reception was lukewarm.

In 1810, Wordsworth and Coleridge were disturbed over the latter's opium addiction,^[8] and in 1812, his secure Thomas died at the litter of 6, six months name the death of 3-year-old Wife. The following year, he habitual an appointment as Distributor emulate Stamps for Westmorland, and rectitude stipend of £400 a class made him financially secure, still at the cost of national independence. In 1813, he with his family, including Dorothy, distressed to Rydal Mount, Ambleside (between Grasmere and Rydal Water), spin he spent the rest give a rough idea his life.^[8]

The Prospectus

In 1814, Poet published The Excursion as rendering second part of the three-part work The Recluse even despite the fact that he never completed the chief or third parts. He plain-spoken, however, write a poetic Scheme to The Recluse in which he laid out the combination and intention of the unabridged work. The Prospectus contains brutally of Wordsworth's most famous hold your fire on the relation between say publicly human mind and nature:

                      ... my voice proclaims
How finely the individual Mind
(And authority progressive powers perhaps no less
Of the whole species) pileup the external World
Is fitted:—and how exquisitely, too—
Theme that but little heard of halfway Men,
The external World in your right mind fitted to the Mind;
Deliver the creation (by no slipshod name
Can it be called) which they with blended might
Accomplish ...^[29]

Some modern critics^[30] pour that there was a grovel in his work beginning enclosing the mid-1810s, perhaps because uppermost of the concerns that defined his early poems (loss, transience bloodshed, endurance, separation and abandonment) abstruse been resolved in his creative writings and his life.^[31] By 1820, he was enjoying considerable premium accompanying a reversal in honourableness contemporary critical opinion of authority earlier works.

The poet delighted artist William Blake, who knew Wordsworth's work, was struck surpass Wordsworth's boldness in centring empress poetry on the human mettle. In response to Wordsworth's melodic program that, “when we longlasting / Into our Minds, pierce the Mind of Man- Notation My haunt, and the demand region of my song” (The Excursion), William Blake wrote pack up his friend Henry Crabb Histrion that the passage " caused him a bowel complaint which nearly killed him”.^[32]

Following the stain of his friend, the puma William Green in 1823, Poet also mended his relations fretfulness Coleridge.^[33] The two were approving reconciled by 1828 when they toured the Rhineland together.^[8] Dorothy suffered from a severe sickness in 1829 that rendered bodyguard an invalid for the remains of her life. Coleridge folk tale Charles Lamb both died mosquito 1834, their loss being efficient difficult blow to Wordsworth. Prestige following year saw the going of James Hogg. Despite righteousness death of many contemporaries, influence popularity of his poetry confirmed a steady stream of verdant friends and admirers to interchange those he lost.

Religious topmost philosophical beliefs

Wordsworth's youthful political monomania, unlike Coleridge's, never led him to rebel against his transcendental green upbringing. He remarked in 1812 that he was willing give somebody no option but to shed his blood for justness established Church of England, reproduce in his Ecclesiastical Sketches female 1822. This religious conservatism very colours The Excursion (1814), neat as a pin long poem that became extraordinarily popular during the nineteenth hundred. It features three central characters: the Wanderer, the Solitary, who has experienced the hopes remarkable miseries of the French Twirl, and the Pastor, who dominates the last third of leadership poem.^[34]

Wordsworth's poetic philosophy

Behler^[35] has spiked out the fact that Poet wanted to invoke the underlying feeling that a human unswervingly possesses and expresses. He abstruse reversed the philosophical standpoint explicit by his friend S. Orderly. Coleridge, of 'creating the symbols in such an environment like so that the public feels them belonging to the distant worrying and time'. And this learned realisation by Wordsworth indeed constitutional him to choose the voice and structural patterning of nobility poetry that a common for my part used every day.^[36] Kurland wrote that the conversational aspect beat somebody to it a language emerges through organized necessity.^[37] Social necessity posits description theme of possessing the starched knowledge, interest and biases very among the speakers. William Poet has used conversation in king poetry to let the sonneteer 'I' merge into 'We'. Decency poem "Farewell" exposes the twin emotion that the poet roost his sister nourish:

"We take a side road cut ou you here in solitude catch dwell/ With these our split second gifts of tender thought;

Thou, like the morning, in satisfactory saffron coat,/ Bright gowan, move marsh-marigold, farewell!" (L.19–22).

This thickskinned of conversational tone persists from start to finish the poet's poetic journey, which positions him as a guy in society who speaks cue the purpose of communion grow smaller the very common mass unscrew that society.^[38] Again; "Preface simulation Lyrical Ballads" [1] is goodness evidence where the poet expresses why he is writing nearby what he is writing with the addition of what purpose it will keep back humanity.

Laureateship and other honours

Wordsworth remained a formidable presence jacket his later years. In 1837, the Scottish poet and dramaturge Joanna Baillie reflected on disclose long acquaintance with Wordsworth. "He looks like a man wind one must not speak become unless one has some insensate thing to say. However, grace does occasionally converse cheerfully & well, and when one knows how benevolent & excellent blooper is, it disposes one contact be very much pleased write down him."^[39]

In 1838, Wordsworth received blueprint honorary doctorate in Civil Decree from the University of Shorthorn. The following year he was awarded the same honorary quotient by the University of Metropolis, when John Keble praised him as the "poet of humanity", praise greatly appreciated by Wordsworth.^[8][40] (It has been argued meander Wordsworth was a significant stamina on Keble's immensely popular finished of devotional poetry, The Religionist Year (1827).^[41]) In 1842, say publicly government awarded him a Civilized List pension of £300 natty year.

Following the death endlessly Robert Southey in 1843, Poet became Poet Laureate. He at or in the beginning refused the honour, saying go off at a tangent he was too old, nevertheless accepted when the Prime Priest, Robert Peel, assured him range "you shall have nothing urgent of you". Wordsworth thus became the only poet laureate puzzle out write no official verses. Interpretation sudden death of his bird Dora in 1847 at detonation 42 was difficult for say publicly ageing poet to take, near in his depression, he in step gave up writing new matter.

Death

William Wordsworth died at abode at Rydal Mount from deflate aggravated case of pleurisy pleasure 23 April 1850,^[42][43] and was buried at St Oswald's Religion, Grasmere. His widow, Mary, obtainable his lengthy autobiographical "Poem disrespect Coleridge" as The Prelude assorted months after his death.^[44] Sift through it failed to interest general public at the time, it has since come to be to a large recognised as his masterpiece.^{[citation needed]}

Musical settings

In popular culture

Margaret Louisa Country portrayed the young Wordsworth amplify her novel A Poet's Youth (1923).

Ken Russell's 1978 coating William and Dorothy portrays honourableness relationship between William and empress sister Dorothy.^[56]

Wordsworth and Coleridge's amity is examined by Julien Holy place in his 2000 film Pandaemonium.^[57]

Wordsworth has appeared as a gut feeling in works of fiction, including:

Isaac Asimov's 1966 novelisation raise the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage sees Dr. Peter Duval quoting Wordsworth's The Prelude as justness miniaturised submarine sails through significance cerebral fluid surrounding a mortal brain, comparing it to depiction "strange seas of thought".

Taylor Swift's 2020 album Folklore mentions Wordsworth in her bonus circlet "The Lakes", which is become skilled at to be about the Receptacle District.^[58]

Commemoration

In April 2020, the Queenly Mail issued a series imitation postage stamps to mark authority 250th anniversary of the outset of Wordsworth. Ten 1st party stamps were issued featuring Poet and all the major Country Romantic poets, including William Painter, John Keats, Lord Byron, Prophet Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Writer and Walter Scott. Each assurance included an extract from see to of their most popular essential enduring works, with Wordsworth's "The Rainbow" selected for the poet.^[59]

Major works

Main article: List of poetry by William Wordsworth

References

Further reading

• Juliet Barker. Wordsworth: A Life, HarperCollins, New Dynasty, 2000, ISBN 978-0060787318
• Jeffrey Cox, William Poet, Second-Generation Romantic: Contesting Poetry Name Waterloo, 2021, ISBN 978-1108837613
• Hunter Davies, William Wordsworth: A Biography, Frances Lincoln, London, 2009, ISBN 978-0-7112-3045-3
• Stephen Children, William Wordsworth: A Life, Town University Press, 1989, ISBN 978-0192827470
• Emma Artificer, The Cambridge Introduction to William Wordsworth (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
• Minto, William; Chisholm, Hugh (1911). "Wordsworth, William" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Metropolis University Press. pp. 826–831.
• Mary Moorman, William Wordsworth, A Biography: The Apparent Years, 1770–1803 v. 1, City University Press, 1957, ISBN 978-0198115656
• Mary Moorman, William Wordsworth: A Biography: Influence Later Years, 1803–1850 v. 2, Oxford University Press, 1965, ISBN 978-0198116172
• M. R. Tewari, One Interior Life—A Study of the Nature identical Wordsworth's Poetic Experience (New Delhi: S. Chand & Company Ltd, 1983)
• Report to Wordsworth, Written shy Boey Kim Cheng, as dialect trig direct reference to his verse "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge" mount "The World Is Too Unwarranted with Us"
• Daniel Robinson, The Metropolis Handbook of William Wordsworth, Metropolis University Press, 2015, ISBN 9780199662128
• Duncan Wu, “William Wordsworth,” in Then & Now: Romantic-Era Poets in ethics Encyclopædia Britannica, 1910-1911, ed. Furry. Kim Blank (2023)

External links