William Wordsworth

by Hunter Davies

Drawing on published letters & diaries of Wm & Dorothy Wordsworth & of their contemporaries Coleridge & Southey, this biography of the poet's life & times also draws on the author's knowledge of the Lake District, which formed so strong a part in Wordsworth's life. Davies discusses Wordsworth's relationship with his sister, Dorothy; tells the story of his affair with Annette Vallon, the French mother of his child; & describes in detail Wm's life with his wife, Mary, concluding that he fell in love with her only after a decade of marriage. The book portrays family life at Grasmere & Rydal, Wordsworth's politics, the formative meeting with Coleridge & his travels.
Introduction
Prologue
Cockermouth & Penrith: 1770-1779
Hawkshead: 1779-1787
Cambridge: 1787-1790
France: 1791-1792
Mainly London: 1793-1795
West Country: 1795-1798
Germany & Lyrical Ballads: 1798-1799
Dove Cottage: 1800-1802
Dorothy & Wedded Bliss: 1802
Scotland: 1803
A Death in the Family: 1805
Coleridge Returns: 1806-1808
The Great Estrangement: 1808-1813
Fine Folks: 1813-1817
Politics & Poems: 1815-1818
Mary, Dorothy & the Children: 1813-1820
Friends & Relations: 1813-1820
Fame: 1820-1830
Troubles & Triumphs: 1830-1843
Mellow Moods: 1840-1847
Last Days: 1847-1850
The Family Tree of Wm Wordsworth
Appendix
Bibliography
Index

Genres: Biography, Poetry, Nonfiction, History

382 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Edward Hunter Davies OBE is an author, journalist and broadcaster, and a former editor for the Sunday Times of London. He is the author of numerous books, including The Glory Game and the only authorised biography of the Beatles. He was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, to Scottish parents. For four years his family lived in Dumfries until Davies was aged 11.

His family moved to Carlisle in northern England when Davies was 11 and he attended the Creighton School in the city. Davies lived in Carlisle until he moved to study at university. During this time his father, who was a former Royal Air Force pay clerk, developed multiple sclerosis and had to retire on medical grounds from a civil service career.

Davies joined the sixth form at Carlisle Grammar School and was awarded a place at University College, Durham to read for an honours degree in History, but after his first year he switched to a general arts course. He gained his first writing experience as a student, contributing to the university newspaper, Palatinate, where one of his fellow student journalists was the future fashion writer Colin McDowell. After completing his degree course he stayed on at Durham for another year to gain a teaching diploma and avoid National Service.

He lives in London.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd liked the Lake Poets and English Romantics when introduced to them in high school but hadn't read much of them since. In the last few years, however, I have become acquainted with a circle of poets who meet weekly to critically review their own work as well as with an erudite English instructor from the University of Illinois in Chicago. This has caused me to become interested in renewing acquaintanceship with the writers I liked in Mr. Salesky's English course, starting with Wm Wordsworth.

This book is primarily a sympathetic biography, not literary criticism. Wordsworth's poetic productions are considered, but the emphasis is on his lifestyle, material circumstances and friendships. It therefore serves as a window on English culture of the period. I intend to follow it immediately with a life of Coleridge.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to the life of Wordsworth. I really enjoyed Hunter Davies' narrative and the humour he introduces from time to time.

[Peter Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good biography.At first I found Hunter Davies' chatty prose style irritating,such as saying that Wordsworth enjoyed a few jars,but it does pack in a lot of information,some of it quite new about recent letters and new insights,and does make it very interesting.It's also very fair ,never hiding his faults and discussing his change of views.Well worth a read.

[ND · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the "fun" Wordsworth biography, not for scholars but for the general public. It still drags in places, mostly due to the subject, not the writer. Wordsworth seems to have been much less fun as a person than he was as a poet. Highly informative, regardless!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent popular biography of William Wordsworth. I recommend it to fans of the poet and anyone planning a trip to Britain's Lake District, where Wordsworth grew up and later lived. The region inspired his most famous poems and contains houses and museums tourists can visit. The author of this biography lightens the subject matter with personal touches and humour and brings in other authors of the era, such as Coleridge and Sr. Walter Scott, who were friends of Wordsworth. The book is also a portrait of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Wordsworth went to France during the French Revolution, during his young radical phase. He walked from France to Switzerland, since there were no trains, buses and automobiles. Well into his sixties he routinely walked 20 miles or more a day, often just to get from one place to another. I was also intrigued to learn that the critics savaged his published poetry until he was late in life. The author describes his relationships with various women, most notably his sister Dorothy. More than inspiring his poems her journals provided the germs of the actual wordings. Interesting, too, that now over 150 years after his death there might still be mysteries to discover. Researchers only learned of his illegitimate daughter in 1920 and a branch of the Wordsworth family continues in France.

[James Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very easy to read, interesting book on Wordsworth's life. You get a good feel for the man, even if sometimes that's more down to some of the source's Davies quotes, rather than his own observations. Davies' style is conversational, which can be uncanny as he tends to voice - or write - his doubts and questions as he goes along, which is fun when they mirror your own.
There is nothing controversial or groundbreaking here but he does discuss the possible impropriety of Wordsworth's relationship with his sister and you do end the book with a good sense of the poet's life and times.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well done biography.

[Neil Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really want to pay tribute to Hunter Davies whose style of writing kept me hooked to the narrative throughout this book. He conveys a vivid picture of the Wordsworths and friends at each formative stage in their lives, whilst making it clear to the reader the aspects which are still open to interpretation and discourse.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought in the shop on a visit to Wordsworth House, feeling I should know more about the man. Written in Davies' usual very readable style. Each chapter concludes with a poem or extract, giving a flavour of the poetry of this genius of early English nineteenth century verse. A bit dry when dealing with interactions and fallouts with his contemporaries.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really readable, yet detailed biography of Wordsworth, and those closest to him. At points I thought Davies went out on too much of a tangent about Robert Southey and Coleridge, however it was interesting, just not the right place for it. I think this book could of benefited from a tighter edit, and some of the sentences were rather awkward and long winded; but it is all saved because the subject matter is so interesting. I just found myself tutting and moving on, not dwelling on the technical problems this book has. Well worth a read if you are new to Wordsworth.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good bio. Read this whilst reading the Prelude.