EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
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C O U R S E
William Wordsworth: Poetry, People and Place
Simon Bainbridge, Lancaster University
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C O U R S E L E C T U R E The Life of William Wordsworth Notes taken on September 8, 2015 by Edward Tanguay |
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William Wordsworth
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one of the greatest poets of the English language
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born 1770 in Cockermouth, north west England
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English lake district
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mountainous area know for its scenery
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much of his poetry especially his Prelude described his childhood in this area
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nature took on parental role for him
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who died when he was 13
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formally schooled in grammar school in Hawkshead
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1787 Cambridge University, St. John's College
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composed poem An Evening's Walk
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1793 first published volume
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1790s two trips to continental Europe
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1. in 1790 walking through France and Switzerland
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2. in 1791-92 residing in France
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country was in revolutionary fervor
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Bastille had been stormed in 1789
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Wordsworth became increasingly interested in liberty, equality, and brotherhood
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love affair with French woman Annette Vallon
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1792 gave birth to their child
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1793 outbreak of war between Britain and France
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1802 visited her in Calais with her 9-year-old child
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"It is a beauteous evening, calm and free"
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1795 received legacy to have the financial freedom to become a poet
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a role he felt was his vocation
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met Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy moved to Alfoxton House, Somerset, just a few miles away from Coleridge's home in Nether Stowey
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1798 published Lyrical Ballads together
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significant landmark in English literature
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an early contribution which was later christened Romanticism
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renewed interested in natural world
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emphasis on the feelings of the individual
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belief in the creative power of poet's imagination
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1799 returned to settle in Lake District
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with sister Dorothy, an important writer herself
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frequently visited by Coleridge
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three writers created a supportive and constructive literary community
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worked on The Prelude, a piece recognized as his masterpiece
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1802 William and Dorothy traveled to Calais to meet Annette and Caroline
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brief piece between the countries
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made arrangements for their financial support
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explained he was going to marry Mary Hutchinson
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1802 William and Mary married
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son John born the next year
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first of five children
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wrote much of greatest poetry in Dove Cottage (Town End, Grasmere)
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surrounding area providing subject matter for many of his works
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1808 larger family now moved to larger house
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1813 Rydal Mount
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1814 The Excursion
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1843 poetry laureate
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1855 sister Dorothy died