Journals of Dorothy Wordsworth : The Alfoxden Journal 1798. The Grasmere Journals 1800-1803

by Dorothy Wordsworth, Mary Moorman (Editor)

Wordsworth's "exquisite sister", as Coleridge described her, was not only the cherished companion of the two poets, but also a writer who possessed a geniune poetic imagination in her own right. The journals she kept at Alfoxden, in 1798, where her brother and Coleridge were composing theLyrical Ballads and at Grasmere from 1800 to 1803, when she and Wordsworth were living at Dove Cottage are printed here for the first time as Dorothy wrote them. Two of Dorothy's poems are included in the appendix, along with thirty-three poems by Wordsworth, which are referred to in thejournals.

Genres: Classics, Nonfiction, 19th Century, Poetry, Romanticism, Literature, Memoir

232 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 15, 1971

About the author

Dorothy Mae Ann Wordsworth was an English poet and diarist. She was the sister of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and the two were close for all of their lives. Dorothy Wordsworth did not set out to be an author, and her writings comprise a series of letters, diary entries, and short stories.

She also edited much of William’s work. She was one of two people he attributed to the development of his intellect. Without her he would never have achieved such poetic heights.

Reviews

[John Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am perplexed how to explain my inordinate love of Dorothy Wordsworth's journals. There are innumerable mundane details that would bore many, but if you've ever found beauty and purpose in any domestic task, you'll realize that hers was a magnificent life full of love and activity. I read this very slowly, usually in the morning, and I would often stumble upon passages of such beautiful and simple wisdom that I was grateful I didn't have pressing business to call me away from the reveries her words inspired. Not for everyone, but a treasure for me.

[Eddie Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothy Wordworth (William's sister) was the secret spinster heart (and eyes and ears) of the Wordsworth/Coleridge branch of English Romanticism. She had no literary ambitions of her own, other than, obviously, to write well, and it didn't bother that William and Samuel often plucked images and observations directly from her journals to use in their own poetry.

These journals cover just a few years, and were not published until forty some years after her death, but they are sufficient to create a complete world, an easy-going ageless world of natural enchantments. Even her little depressions and illnesses and megrims become enchanted in her diaries (at least to her readers). Perhaps it was her total lack of any literay ambition and her ceding nature and general passivity that allowed her to find a way into one of the deeper hearts of poetry. For me these journals are one of the purer representations of what the old English landscape and its residents' daily lives were like (at least in my imagination)- simple household tasks undertaken with loving care and attention, windows opening out to a round of mild seasons. And though she was there at the birth of English Romanticism, there's nothing romantic about journal, and nothing general about her descriptions, just naturally poetic detail after detail to create a living daily world.

[Grace Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have been reading this book as part of my preparation for writing an essay on the myth of the Romantic solitary genius and just how collaborative the work of the Romantic poets was (at all stages; from composition to completion).

But I just love Dorothy's voice, she's just this wonderfully observant, detailed, poetic soul who is at times downright hilarious. Sometimes when I was reading it I couldn't help thinking, how did we go from this wonderfully funny and wry young woman to the stereotypical Victorian lady in a few decades?

Dorothy's descriptions of her walks and her everyday life with her brother paints such a vivid picture of their community, the colourful people in it- she even captures their dialect!

Also, if you read this after reading some of Wordsworth's poetry, or Coleridge's, (or even go on to read them afterwards) you will find a lot of little details and descriptions very familiar.

Honestly, there's not a lot more I can say about this lovely little journal about domestic life in the Wordsworth household, it's just soo worth your time. Plus Dorothy is infinitely more interesting that William or Samuel!!

[Ape · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not into poetry whatsoever, so I come to this book with no interest in poetry and William Wordsworth. But I am interested in people who write diaries/journals, history and the 1800s so this has appeal. The Alfoxden journals are very short, both in total length and length of entry per day, so you'd really read this for the Grasmere journals. I found them fascinating. Yes, if you need page turning thrillers, this isn't going to be for you, but to read about a woman's life at the start of the 1800s, life in the Lake District, and simply put, another human being from the past, it is wonderful. Dorothy Wordsworth spends her days keeping house (a bit, they did have a maid), reading, writing up William's poems, going on walks, fussing about the garden and just saturating herself in the environment where she lives. And the walks aren't a quick bimble down the road, although she may make it sound like that. She is walking miles. Just to fetch the post (well, I feel for her in a keeness for the post, ha ha!), and I love walking myself. For instance, at one point they travel across into Yorkshire, and get to Thirsk by coach. From there they walk to Rievaulx Terrace (she spells it differently) and then to Helmsley by dusk. For those not familiar with the area, this includes getting yourself up Sutton Bank, and the total isn't just an afternoon stroll, we're talking about 15 miles.

Dorothy was William's sister. There is some hero worship going on here, because it's William, William, William, and she's lost when he goes off on trips. Dorothy never married, in fact she stayed living with her brother even when he was married. I suppose she was so full of her brother that she could see no other man. In the introduction and notes there was mention of someone who had once theorised incest between the two. I suppose it depends on your definition, it's not always dodgy sex and curly tailed children, but there is definately a dependency coming through that is like a life partner. A few years ago I went to an evening's talk/discussion led by a woman who worked at Dove Cottage in the Lakes and had come over to York. It was about journals, real and fictional, thoughts on do we even have a right to read them when they were never meant for publication etc, and obviously Dorothy's work was discussed at length, which is another reason I've wanted to read this. She mentioned that the day before William was married, Dorothy had written a long entry which was then scribbled out. Everything in the diary is pleasant about the wife, Mary, although she does mention a couple of times that Mary is getting fat! With technology they were able to look under the scribbles and read what she'd written - it's not in this book unfortunately, but I'm sure she'd said it was full of woe and paranoia. Should we have even peeked if it had been scribbled out?

As well as describing her life, she describes people they come across, and we also see some of the social conditions for people, because there are a lot of poor people travelling through the area who have to resort to begging. Some with sad tales or starved looking children. One guy talking about his travels on the sea and the tragedy he'd seen. One on a ship and a lad being left with the pigs and being half eaten (heck!). But the descriptions about the poor are honest. There's none of this Victorian moralising -oh the poor are poor because they're lazy/stupid/thieves etc etc... There is empathy in Dorothy; she can see that they are victims of circumstance, at one point she even mentions how lucky they are that they're in reasonable circumstances and not pushed to such a life. I liked that in her. In turn I think we don't know we're born these days. Without central heating they suffered with the cold, if people couldn't earn they really suffered and had to beg. And illness... man. They have a lot of crippling headaches and colds, and she mentions toothache which doesn't bare thinking about. They didn't have modern dentistry, often it was a case of take laudenum and hope it goes away or go visit the blacksmith (shudder).

[Naomi Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read. Dorothy Wordsworth seemed like such a kind woman. I love how much she appreciated nature & other simple pleasures. It was very interesting to read about her relationship with her brother William Wordsworth and how she influenced his poetry. RIP Dorothy Wordsworth, you’d have loved the cottagecore aesthetic!

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd read. It consists of two journals: a long one from Grasmere and a shorter one from Alfoxden. They're not journals that reveal a great deal about the writing process of Wordsworth, except that it seemed to take a lot out of him physically and mentally.

It is more like a way of recording memories to be reflected on at another time. Wordsworth certainly based poems on events outlined in these journals. What you do get is a lot of walking, a lot of headaches, and some absolutely brilliant writing on nature and people. Dorothy has an eye for details, for colour and an ear too. You get the impression she'd have made a good poet of her own if the opportunity had arisen. But she seems to have found herself - happily? - functioning as Wordsworth's companion. They are incredibly close. She seems to have had a high levels of empathy and feeling to the point of making herself ill. This is most noticeable in her reaction to letters, especially Coleridge's.

Indeed Coleridge is the other major presence in these journals, even when he's not there. You get the feeling Dorothy cares for him almost as much as she does her brothers. Coleridge, of course, has issues. This is not the place to examine them.

She is ill a lot - as is William. She has headaches and stomach problems.

I enjoyed most the early pages of the Alfoxden Journal when she really lets rip her ability to write about nature. Some of that writing verges on poetry itself.

This edition comes with an excellent introduction and copious notes. I think it could be organised better because I felt it was user unfriendly, but that's probably just me.

Oh, and you if you don't find yourself wishing that you could sit down in one of their ideal spots in the Lake District and then go for tea with Dorothy by the end of this then, Sir, I don't wish to know you.

[Bree Pye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for a graduate seminar on Romantic Period women writers at CU Boulder.

This one was about as dull as they come, for me. I’m sure poets will probably love reading about the stories and daily occurrences that inspired Wordsworth’s most celebrated works –but I am neither a poet, nor a Wordsworth fanatic.
If long walks backwards and forwards, constant sickness, and an odd fear of cows is your thing – off you go. If not – I’d recommend skipping this one.

[Afeefah]

uni read - alfoxden journals - her constant writing about walks and trees was lovely

[Bobby Boelhouwer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dé cottagecoredroom. Heerlijk. Neem een shot elke keer dat Dorothy naar het postkantoor loopt.

[Jane]

It's hard to rate this book, because it's not written to be read by the wider public. It's a journal, so in many ways it's repetitive. I found it an interesting view into another time.

[Sophie]

It's quite incredible that things like these journals have survived over 200 years, they give an amazing view into life during a different time. I loved Dorothy's descriptions of the Lake District countryside and the notes in this edition were interesting as well.

[Emilyhht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takes one back to another time and place, experienced through Dorothy's senses.

[lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was asked to read Dorothy Wordsworth's journals for my Victorian Lit Masters course. I was excited to read more of her journal entries - I only briefly looked at them when studying my Wordsworth course online. I remember them being quite interesting, but very mundane and monotonous in tone.

They were still interesting, and still mundane and monotonous in tone. Dorothy, when she wanted to, could be so poetical. She wrote so beautifully if she put the effort in, and it was these entries I most enjoyed reading. However, many of the entries were quite boring and it made it difficult to enjoy the book.

I did like how she spoke so often of nature. As a nature lover myself, I appreciated the detailed insight into her daily walks and commutes. The Lake District is a place I'm very familiar with, so I could easily imagine the places she was describing - I think this added to my enjoyment.

Overall, a very average read. I can understand how some may not enjoy this - at times I didn't, yet at other times I liked it. It was an interesting insight to Dorothy and William's lives, their relationship with Coleridge, the Hutchinsons and, more importantly, nature.

[My Little Forest]

Delightful imagery, exemplary of the beatus ille ideal.

Journals that chronicle an intense devotion for her brother William ('Wm.') not without showing a sharp eye for the appreciation of beauty in nature through delicately nuanced descriptions.

It's Wordsworth noticing the fact that the Alfoxden Journal was written during her stay at – yes, you've guessed it – Alfoxden, Sommersetshire; whereas The Grasmere – surprise – at Grasmere, Cumbria. You're very welcome! Jokes aside, knowing the places she was surrounding and surrounded by enhances the sensorial experience of reading her entries.

Shared Similarities: S. T. Coleridge and W. Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads.

If you're in your twenties (particularly late twenties or even thirties), do not turn a blind eye to this straightforward sign for you to find a copy of Dorothy's journals and read it!

PS: No rating because it's a personal journal. (Also, new fav genre unlocked: nonfic written in the nineteenth century and earlier.)

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 48 hours for a uni seminar, and I was both surprised and incredibly pleased by how funny Dorothy Wordsworth is. I love her dry disapproval of the hungover priest at their small town funeral, her criticism of Lamb's play for almost everything but the character Margaret, and her recurring fear of cows.

The text itself jumps between mundane details of daily life, to beautifully evocative imagery of the Lake District, and recorded tales from servants, sailors, and beggars (with dialects preserved).

Burrowed in the walks and fireside evenings are glimpses of Dorothy Wordsworth as an editor & creative collaborator, alongside details familiar to readers of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor-Coleridge's work.

But no matter how limited her journal audience was intended to be, I have to wonder how many little 'I have forgotten' entries are purely performative.

I guess we will never know.

[Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad I read these as deeply as I did -- reading a journal is such an interestingly different activity than reading anything intended for publication; I had a sensation of trying to peer 'through' it into something of their 'real' life, while also recognizing all the ways in which the words on the page were not there to assist with anything like that task, but were instead prompts for memory and incidental traces of that lived life. The footnotes are voluminous and generally interesting, though often when I found myself facing a question of fact, the notes were silent.

[Abbie O'Hara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Virginia Woolf notes: her writings are so controlled and even tempered. Almost never does she allow romanticism or emotion to break her careful, prosaic observations of the landscape. She simply describes her environment- so carefully that we see it ourselves - and after a painstaking account of the most minute details (recalled from memory) she bursts forth in a shimmering poetic example still confined to a naturalistic tone, never straying far from her assets of style. Nothing seems out of place in her writing.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps not a book for everyone, but I savored it—read it slowly and felt transported to another time and place, the daily life of Dorothy Wordsworth. It’s her language, the images, her observations interspersed with the ordinary stuff of life that held me to the page. What an extraordinary gift she had—the sheer liveliness of her writing! And then being there at that time—the walking, the change of seasons and light in the trees, the going to get eggs or being sick, the reading, a letter, friendship, all of it—living inside it for a time….

[Lydia Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my university course. Adored the collaborative creation of Dorothy and William, her prose rendered in a symbiotic parallel of his poetry. Both richly and immersive and descriptive, and intimately domestic, these texts provide invaluable insight into the life and landscape of the Romantic triad of William, Dorothy, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. A treat for any lover of the Romantics, or even someone who simply loves the Lakes (and William’s poetic expression of its scenery) as much as myself and Dorothy.

[Katherine Spruce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since this book is a diary, there was no climax which made for a slower read and I got bored really easily… hence why it took me forever to finish. But, the book did give me great insight on Wordsworth, his writing style, and the life events that contributed to his work. Dorothy, Wordsworth’s sister, did a lot of the physical writing for William because it made him ill, which you can see through the journal entries. It was cool to read about and recognize places that I had just visited, such a Dove Cottage, Rydal Mount, helm crag, etc.

[emilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I can see how Virginia Woolf's diaries are influenced by these... Also, Dorothy was the powerhouse behind so much of William Wordsworth! And Coleridge! But actually what is compelling about these diaries is their indication of collaboration and companionship, shifting from small-scale domestic details (gathering eggs, cooking gooseberry pie, starching linen), to the vast landscapes sweeping/roaring/glittering, and then to poetry and art. I'm glad I read this before delving into William. Must read him too now (for my course).

[Maite Lama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro escrito sin pretensión de ser publicado. Relata la cotidianidad de dar paseos, subir montañas, hacer pan, regar las plantas, ir a buscar el correo, pasar a limpio poemas... nada parece especialmente interesante pero a mí me enganchó colarme por esa ventanita que eran los diarios de la hermana del poeta.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

After visiting the Lake District of England in the Spring of 2023, I learned of a few of its famous former residents, Dorothy & William Wordsworth, in the early 19th century. In London I was lucky enough to be waited on by a young employee at Foyle's bookstore who recommended this book. I especially liked the appendix I & II of poetry written by these siblings.

[al3xa · Rating 3 out of 5]

FINALLY! (Read this for school)

Ms. girl does the same every freaking day. Pls, I need something, GIVE ME SOMETHING!

Her nature descriptions are really good. There were way too many names. Interesting to see that she was indeed in love with her brother. Brother that GOT MARRIED?? TF? I really thought they were together together and had kids already, idk, everything is so confusing.

[Itzé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantó! Me llegó al cora el uso de las palabras al describir la naturaleza. Sus emociones eran notarias al elegir las palabras para describir el día y los paisajes. A pesar de que una parte fue lenta, siguió pareciéndome enternecedor el día a día de esta bella mujer. Para los amantes de la naturaleza este es un gran libro que te hará suspirar. 5 estrellas!

[Nigel Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given this a 4. As a document of historical importance, it warrants a 5.
As a casual read, probably less than 3 as it's very disjointed and dry.
It really does depend what you want to get out of this book.

[Little BigGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read while staying in the lake District in the same area as Dorothy lived. Was a fascinating insight into life 222 years ago, which mainly consisted of going for letters, writing or receiving letters, drinking tea and walking. Lots of walking. Went on many of the same walks as she did.

[Lucie Peigné · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirant, plein de légèreté. Nous apprends à apprécier les petits moments, à observer le ciel, à lever la tête et apprécier la beauté des choses simples. Parfaite lecture durant l'hiver, pour remonter le moral et voir le bon côté de la saison.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

How relaxing to read the simple pleasures of the late 1700s/early 1800s. Dorothy is brilliant in her own right. These journals reflect nature and life, even the frustrating parts like "ironed all day" have a simple charm.

[G.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A journal. Not the most "exciting" of books, but it helps create a decent picture of life in Lake Country at there turn of the 18th century.