William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was one of the most prominent poets of mid-19th century British poetry. Along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge he helped form the Romantic Age and was a Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death in 1850.
Fast Facts
- Born: April 3, 1770
- Birthplace: Cockermouth, England
- Died: April 23, 1850
- Location: Ambleside, England
- Literary Genre: Poet, Romantic
- Education: University of Cambridge
- His masterpiece "The Prelude" was not published during his lifetime
- Collaborated on Lyrical Ballads with Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Suffered from anosmia, an inability to smell
Career
Wordworth spent a great deal of his youth playing outdoors, an experience that would have a major influence on his later writings. While studying at Cambridge University, Wordsworth spent some time in Switzerland and France and became an enthusiast for the ideals of the French Revolution. He began to write poetry while in school, however none of it wasn't published until 1793.
When Wordsworth received a massive inheritance in 1795, Wordsworth moved with his sister to Alfoxden in Grasmere, where Wordsworth could be closer to his friend and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Together, Wordsworth and Coleridge began work on the Lyrical Ballads. The collection of poems is generally taken to mark the beginning of the Romantic movement in English poetry.
After Lyrical Ballads Wordsworth continued to write poetry, but never to the acclaim of his early works. In 1843, he became poet laureate of Britain, a position in which he served until his death in 1850.
Notable Works
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