William Wordsworth
Lyrical Ballads, which Wordsworth and Coleridge published in 1798, served as the catalyst for the beginning of the Romantic Era in English literature. He resided at the Dove Cottage in the English Lake District village of Grasmere from 1799 to 1808. Here, he became acquainted with Robert Southey, a renowned poet. As they all resided in the Lake District, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey made constituted the core trio of the literary collective known as the Lake Poets. Wordsworth's Great Decade, which spans the years 1797 to 1808, is now regarded as his best period. After first having difficulty, Wordsworth later rose to prominence and was named Poet Laureate of Britain in 1843.
Critics generally agree that his autobiographical epic The Prelude is his best work, yet his most well-known poem, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, also known as Daffodils, may be. One of the greatest poets in English literature, William Wordsworth is credited with founding Romanticism.
An extract from 'Lines Written in Early Spring'
I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet sound when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to mind.
To her fair works did nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
Famous Poems:
- Daffodils (1807)
- Tintern Abbey (1798)
- The Prelude (1850)
Lifespan: April 7, 1770 – April 23, 1850
Nationality: English
