William Wordsworth Biography
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads. Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England, and was the second of five children of John Wordsworth and Ann Cookson. His mother died when he was eight years old, and he and his four siblings were sent to live with relatives.
Wordsworth was educated at Hawkshead Grammar School and St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he studied classical literature and became interested in poetry. After completing his studies, he travelled extensively in Europe, visiting France, Switzerland, and Italy.
In 1795, Wordsworth returned to England and began writing poetry. He became friends with Coleridge, and the two men collaborated on Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poems that marked the beginning of the Romantic movement in English literature. The collection, which included Wordsworth’s famous poem “Tintern Abbey,” was published in 1798 and was a critical and commercial success.
Wordsworth went on to publish several more volumes of poetry, including The Prelude, a long autobiographical poem that he considered his greatest work. He also wrote several prose works, including An Excursion, a philosophical treatise on the nature of the imagination.
Wordsworth was appointed Poet Laureate in 1843 and served until his death in 1850. He is remembered as one of the greatest poets in the English language and is often considered one of the founders of modern poetry.
William Wordsworth Career
William Wordsworth began his career as a poet in the late 18th century, during the Romantic movement in English literature. He is best known for his collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge on the 1798 publication Lyrical Ballads, which helped launch the Romantic Age in English literature.
Wordsworth published several more volumes of poetry throughout his career, including The Prelude, a long autobiographical poem that he considered his greatest work. He also wrote several prose works, including An Excursion, a philosophical treatise on the nature of the imagination.
In addition to his writing career, Wordsworth held several public positions. He served as Distributor of Stamps for Westmorland from 1813 to 1842, and was appointed Poet Laureate in 1843. He held this position until his death in 1850.
Wordsworth was widely respected and admired during his lifetime, and his work has continued to be widely read and influential in the centuries since his death. He is often considered one of the greatest poets in the English language and is remembered as one of the founders of modern poetry.
William Wordsworth Childhood
William Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. He was the second of five children of John Wordsworth and Ann Cookson. His mother died when he was eight years old, and he and his four siblings were sent to live with relatives.
Wordsworth was educated at Hawkshead Grammar School and later at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he studied classical literature and became interested in poetry. After completing his studies, he travelled extensively in Europe, visiting France, Switzerland, and Italy.
Wordsworth’s early life was marked by loss and hardship. In addition to the death of his mother, he also lost his brother John, who drowned in a shipping accident in 1790. Despite these challenges, Wordsworth’s childhood experiences would go on to shape his poetry and inform many of his most famous works, including “Tintern Abbey,” a reflection on his childhood experiences of nature and the landscape.
William Wordsworth Poems
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet, and his poetry is characterized by its focus on nature, emotion, and the imagination. Some of his most famous poems include:
“Tintern Abbey” — This poem reflects on Wordsworth’s childhood experiences of nature and the landscape, and is considered one of his most famous and enduring works.
“The Prelude” — This is a long autobiographical poem that Wordsworth considered his greatest work. It covers his childhood, education, and travels, and explores themes of nature, the imagination, and the human experience.
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” — This poem, also known as “Daffodils,” is a celebration of the natural world and the joy it brings. It is one of Wordsworth’s most popular and widely read poems.
“The Solitary Reaper” — This poem tells the story of a young woman singing alone in a field, and reflects on the power of music to connect people across cultures and languages.
“Upon Westminster Bridge” — This poem celebrates the beauty of London and the Thames, and reflects on the city’s role as a hub of commerce and culture.
Other famous poems by Wordsworth include “Lines Written in Early Spring,” “Ode: Intimations of Immortality,” and “The World is Too Much with Us.”
William Wordsworth Famous Poems
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet, and his poetry is characterized by its focus on nature, emotion, and the imagination. Some of his most famous poems include:
“Tintern Abbey” — This poem reflects on Wordsworth’s childhood experiences of nature and the landscape, and is considered one of his most famous and enduring works.
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” — This poem, also known as “Daffodils,” is a celebration of the natural world and the joy it brings. It is one of Wordsworth’s most popular and widely read poems.
“The Solitary Reaper” — This poem tells the story of a young woman singing alone in a field, and reflects on the power of music to connect people across cultures and languages.
“Upon Westminster Bridge” — This poem celebrates the beauty of London and the Thames, and reflects on the city’s role as a hub of commerce and culture.
“Ode: Intimations of Immortality” — This poem reflects on the fleeting nature of human life and the eternal nature of the soul.
Other famous poems by Wordsworth include “Lines Written in Early Spring,” “The Prelude,” and “The World is Too Much with Us.”
