2. About the Poet - William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was an English poet, born on \(7\) April \(1770\) in Cockermouth, England. His father was a lawyer and died when he was thirteen years old. He had to depend on the generosity of his uncles to attend a school at Hawkshead, near Lake Windermere. He went to Cambridge, entering St. John's College in \(1787\). His work at the University was quite undistinguished, and having graduated in \(1791\), he left with no fixed career over to France. His stay in France influenced his personality as he got involved in the French Revolution.

 

 

He settled in Dorset, England, with his sister Dorothy, after which his meeting with the great poet Coleridge influenced him to become a poet. Although he had an interest in poetry from a young age, his travel and accomplices shaped him as a poet. His earliest verses were written at school. At the University, he composed some poetry which appeared as An Evening Walk and DescriptiveSketches. In style, these poems have little originality, but they serve as examples of the budding poet in him. His genius was revealed only after the publication of Lyrical Ballads in \(1798\), in which he worked along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This book acted as the prelude to the Romantic Movement in Literature. The Romantic period began roughly around \(1798\) and lasted through \(1837\). The writers found inspiration in Nature and identified themselves with it. It was a movement against the materialistic industrialisation happening in England. They captured the emotions and tenderness of man through writing.

 

Wordsworth is also known for his volume of fourteen books called The Prelude, which was published only after his death in \(1850\). It is a record of his development as a poet. He also describes the influence of Nature and his emotions when confronted by Nature. He also used the blank verse in most of his poetry, which is poetry that does not rhyme.

 

Famous works by Wordsworth: