- Introduction
Learn- Try It
- Task
Learn
William Wordsworth was born in 1770 in England. The first part of his life was quite happy. Then, his mother died when he was eight years old, and his father died when he was thirteen. This left him and his three brothers and one sister orphans. He and his brothers went to live with some relatives, and his sister went to live with other relatives. Wordsworth finished grammar school and then college. He loved school and learning, and he also loved nature and enjoyed being out in it.
He attended Cambridge University and took some trips to France. He did a walking tour of France before he graduated. During this time he encountered regular people, and Wordsworth began to get to know them and their way of life. He did not know it but this would help to shape a lot of his writing later when he would recall the common people he knew. He married Mary Hutchinson. They ended up having five children together, but two of them died early on.
Even though Wordsworth was starting to write a little poetry when he was in grammar school, it was not until 1793 that his first volume of poetry was published. In 1795, he met Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This was a really big deal because between them both they became the foundation of the British Romantic Movement. Wordsworth continued writing, and in 1850 his most famous work was published—The Prelude. He thought that poetry should be simple and from the heart which made him stand out from the writers before him. Wordsworth continued to write about nature and relationships with nature until he died in 1850.
Go ahead and read through these three poems by Wordsworth:
- “The World is Too Much With Us”
- “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey”
- “My Heart Leaps Us”
Be sure to take notes as you read so that you can answer the Study Questions in the Task section.
 |
 |