William Wordsworth
1770-1850
Although the life of William Wordsworth may be considered utterly
uneventful by many biographers, the romantic poet lived eighty rich years of great achievement dealing
with the constant dilemna of possessing joy through the trials and disillusions of life.
Born on April 7, 1770 in Cumnberland, Scotland, Wordsworth attended the
well established Grammar School at Hawkshead, where where he spent nine rather pleasant years. He
later attended St John's College in Cambridge, but it was his love of travel that took him many
times to France. These Parisian excursions helped to awaken his self-awarness and political ideas.
However, it was romantic love that revealed to Wordsworth the spirit of joy. Unfortunately, the
bliss was short-lived given the poet's poverty and her family's wealth. In 1792 his spirit sank
furthur under the weight of the revolutionary horrors that filled Paris and Wordsworth returned to
England in hopes of regaining his happiness. The war between France and England left him divided,
but he sided with his home country and what little joy was left soon disappeared.
It was his sister Dorothy who helped to pull the poet out of dispair
with her wisdom and consel. Finally, Wordsworth was able to devote his life to poetry when his
friend Raisley Calvert endowed to him nine hundred pounds in order to protect him from poverty.
From 1795-1850 Wordsworth lived with his wife and children in the company of his sister. For
thirty-seven years he lived in dove cottage in Grasmere, surrounded by England's lush Lake
Districts.
Wordsworth was a lover of spiritual joy, much of which he found in nature. His poetry focuses
on this joy and the enthusiasm of youthful bliss, but it was reality that dissolved his joy. Many
of his poems confront with this dissolution and try to find a recovery of happiness after life's
disillusions.
Poetry and Images
I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud
Images of Grasmere
Links for Word Lovers
Roxanna's Wordsworth Page
The Wordsworth Trust
TSUM William Wordsworth
E-mail me
E-mail the Project Director, Dr. Jeff Powers-Beck
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