Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, here i am going to write a blog on very well known English Romantic poet William Wordsworth, as a part of Thinking activity about Romantic poets. Here i discuss about his life, his literary career, some interesting facts about him. And some of his important poems is in brief.
William Wordsworth was one of the most important figure of the Romantic Age. He was an English Romantic Poet, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he launched the Romantic age in English literature, with their combined publication of Lyrical Ballads. He was born on 7 April 1770, in cocker mouth, united Kingdom. He was the second of five children of a modestly prosperous estate manager. He lost his mother when he was 7 and his father when he was 13, upon which the orphan boys were sent off by guardian uncles to a grammar school at Hawkshead, a village in the heart of the Lake District. At Hawkshead Wordsworth received an excellent education in classics, literature, and mathematics.
Also Wordsworth attended Hawkshead Grammar School, where his love of poetry was firmly established and, it is believed, he made his first attempts at verse. While he was at Hawkshead, Wordsworth's father died leaving him and his four siblings orphans. After Hawkshead, Wordsworth studied at St. John's College in Cambridge and before his final semester, he set out on a walking tour of Europe, an experience that influenced both his poetry and his political sensibilities. While touring Europe, Wordsworth came into contact with the French Revolution. This experience as well as a subsequent period living in France, brought about Wordsworth's interest and sympathy for the life, troubles, and speech of the "common man." These issues proved to be of the utmost importance to Wordsworth's work.
Wordsworth's marriage life and literary life :-
Now let us discuss something about Wordsworth's literary career. He was a great poet of nature. Nature and its objects get reflection in many of his works. 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. And his literary life starts.
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 Prelude, 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.
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.
Death :-
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.He was died from an aggravated case of pleurisy, and was buried at St Oswald's Church, Grasmere.
This are the graves of William Wordsworth and his Family, in St Oswald's Church, Grasmere.
Interesting facts about Wordsworth :-
Here let me mentioned some interesting facts about Wordsworth's life.
1) Wordsworth was separated from his sister, Dorothy :-
After the death of their mother in 1778, William and Dorothy were torn apart by their father, who sent them to live with different relatives and Wordsworth ended up in Penrith. They didn’t see each other for the next nine years, despite having been so close as children.
After being reunited, they made up for lost time by spending many of the next few decades living and travelling together, even taking trips to France and Germany.
2) ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ wasn’t entirely written by Wordsworth :-
More commonly known as ‘Daffodils’, Wordsworth’s most famous poem is considered to be ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’. This lyric poem was inspired by a walk Wordsworth took with his sister Dorothy where they came across a field of yellow daffodils on the shores of Glencoyne Bay at Ullswater.
The poem itself was written two years after the fact, but what you didn’t know was two of its famous lines, often mentioned in the school curriculum, weren’t in fact written by Wordsworth.
‘They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude’
The lines above were added by Wordsworth’s childhood friend and future wife, Mary Hutchinson.
3) Wordsworth was inspired by her sisters journals :-
interestingly, Wordsworth often found inspiration for his poetry by reading from Dorothy’s journal, in which she kept detailed accounts of her explorations through nature. Dorothy is now considered to be a writer herself because of this and many of her journals can be read at Dove Cottage.
4) William Wordsworth as a poet laureate for seven years :-
he maintained the title of poet laureate, until his death despite not writing a single verse during that time.
Considering himself too old for the title and responsibility, Wordsworth initially declined the offer to be Poet Laureate but was assured by the Prime Minister at the time, Robert Peel, that there would be no expectation of him to write further.
William Wordsworth’s Poet Laureate status was taken entirely on his previous merit as a writer. Wordsworth did continue to write personally, but no further work of his was ever published and he officially gave it up in 1847, after the death of his daughter.
5)Mike Myers is a descendant of William Wordsworth :-
Mike Myers Hollywood Star, famous actor is actually related to Wordsworth. the Canadian-born actor, best known for his iconic portrayal of Austin Powers, is in fact Wordsworth’s first cousin, seven times removed.
Some of his Famous Poems :-
1] The Prelude :-
“The Prelude” is an autobiographical poem in black verse by William Wordsworth, which he started writing at the age of 28 in 1798 and continued writing it throughout his life. Published posthumously in 1850, the poem was first intended as an introduction to his philosophical poem “The Recluse”, which Wordsworth never did finish.
2] Tintern Abbey :-
“Tintern Abbey” is William Wordsworth’s most famous poems, published in 1798. It is a conversational poem that contains elements of an Ode and dramatic monologue. The poem is based on a small place situated in the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye. Wordsworth, through this poem, helps his readers understand his philosophies on nature and its beauty.
3] Ode: Intimations of Immortality :-
Referred to as Wordsworth’s greatest ode, the poem explores the narrator’s divine relationship with nature. The poem compares the deep connection between a child and the nature, which is lost when the child grows and loses his divine vision. However, the narrator’s recollections of the past allows him to relive his relationship with the nature
4] The Solitary Reaper :-
Published in 1807, “Solitary Reaper” is a beautiful ballad about a young girl, who is reaping in the fields and whose song captivates the attention of the narrator. He is so mesmerized by the song’s tone, expression and lyrical composition that he asks passers-by to wait and listen to the reaper’s song. The ballad is one of Wordsworth best known works.
5] Daffodils :-
One of the classics in English Romantic poetry, “Daffodils” tells a tale about a poet discovering a field of the beautiful flowers while wandering around a village. Published in 1807, the poem was inspired by Wordsworth’s encounter with a long belt of daffodils while taking a walk with his sister Dorothy in April 1802.
6] Ode to Duty :-
Another one of Wordsworth’s odes, “Ode to Duty” deals with the poet’s attitude and understanding towards the idea of duty. As much as he appreciates love and joy, he feels there is more grace and significance in the nature of duty. Although stern, he thinks duty is also graceful and divinely beautiful, if performed with a greater purpose.
7] London 1802 :-
Composed in 1802 itself, the poem is a medium that Wordsworth uses to reprimand his fellow English people for becoming selfish and morally stagnant. He eulogises seventeenth-century poet John Milton and explains how Milton could improve the present situation of England if he was alive. Through “London 1802”, Wordsworth shed light upon the deteriorating conditions of the English society while paying homage to Milton.
8] Composed upon Westminster Bridge :-
Written in 1802, the sonnet was composed to depict the beauty of London in the early morning light. While standing on the Westminster Bridge, the poet admires the early morning serenity of his surroundings, which will eventually be destroyed by the industrial activities during the day.
9] Strange Fits of Passion have I known :-
Written in 1798, the poem was one of the most famous amongst Wordsworth’s ‘Lucy Poems’. After the poet’s death, many critics and publisher came together and created a collection of five poems by Wordsworth written between 1798 and 1801 and named it the ‘Lucy Poems’. “Strange Fits of Passion have I known” is also a part of the collection and revolves around the fantasy of Lucy’s death.
10] Resolution and Independence :-
Composed in 1802, “Resolution and Independence” is a beautiful lyric poem by William Wordsworth published in 1807 in ‘Poems, in Two Volumes’. The poem is based on Wordsworth’s actual encounter with a leech-gatherers near his home at Dove Cottage in Grasmere.
Thus to conclude, we can able to say that William Wordsworth is one of the major romantic poet. People also concider him nature poet. He was the Father of Romantic Movement. Here we discussed about his life, some of the interesting facts about him, and some of his major works.
Words :- 1817
Paragraphs :-19
Images :- Nine
Videos :- Three
References :-
1) Brittanica.com
2) poets.org
3) biography.com
4) sykescottage.com
5) timesofindia.com
