William Wordsworth: Life, Works, and Significance

William Wordsworth 1770 – 1850 · Lake District · Romanticism · Nature · Memory · The Growth of a Poet’s Mind An exhaustive companion to the life, theory, major works, key poems, themes, and legacy of the central figure of English Romanticism. “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.” — Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1800 / 1802) Life & Biography Poetic Theory Major Works Key Poems Themes The Prelude Legacy Life & Biography Early Years (1770–1790s) Born 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland (Lake District), second of five children of John Wordsworth (law agent) and Ann Cookson. Mother died when he was eight; father died when he was thirteen. Sent to Hawkshead Grammar School, where the Lake District landscape entered his imagination permanently. Entered St John’s College, Cambridge (1787); graduated 1791. Walking tour of the Alps (1790). Lived in France 1791–92 during the Revolution; fell in love with Annette Vallon;…