William Wordsworth

by Stephen Hebron

Poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was the leader of the Romantic movement in British literature. He was strongly influenced by the ideology of the French Revolution and by the landscape of Britain's Lake Country, where he lived for most of his life. Among his most famous poems are "Tintern
Abbey" (published in Lyrical Ballads , which he wrote with his friend and colleague Samuel Taylor Coleridge), " Intimations of Immortality," "The Solitary Reaper," "Daffodils," and numerous sonnets. Wordsworth's poetry is a staple of the U.S. high school English curriculum, and his home, Dove
Cottage, is a much-visited tourist site in Britain's Lake District.

About the
The British Library is in a unique position when it comes to biographical research, especially concerning British authors. This revered institution boasts the world's largest collection of original manuscripts, as well as an outstanding collection of letters, personal diaries, first editions, and
other literary treasures. The titles in this series take full advantage of this vast source of documentary evidence by illustrating each of these lively writers' biographies with state-of-the-art facsimiles of pertinent documents and reproductions of art from the period. Penned by expert
biographers, each of these books also contains an index, further reading list, and a chronology of the writer's life.

Genres: Biography

120 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Steve Dewey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew little about Wordsworth, so this was a useful introduction. Very short, so spends little time on criticism, analysis, speculation, and has little scholarly apparatus. Simply a succinct intro for a newbie like me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mix of pictures, poetry, and biographical information.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating life and man. This is a wonderful introduction level to the whole of Wordsworth's life. Nice and easy to read with good accompanying pictures. It definitely inspires me to go and read more in-depth work.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read biography for the non-academic. Informative and nicely illustrated, this is best read while on holiday in the Lake District and visiting the several Wordsworth properties up there!