William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cockermouth, Cumberland, in the north of England, amidst the expansive nature of the Lake District, and died in Westmorland in 1850. He was the second of five children of John Wordsworth and Ann, daughter of William Cookson. From the outset, nothing foretold William Wordsworth's later poetic inclination. His childhood was far from carefree and happy. His mother died when he was eight years old, and his father passed away when he was thirteen. He was placed under the guardianship of two of his uncles. He became a boarding student at the renowned Hawkshead Grammar School. His studies continued at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he entered on a scholarship in 1787. William Wordsworth made his literary debut in 1793 when he published his first poem, "An Evening Walk." In 1790, together with a friend, he embarked on a walking tour, traveling around France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany. His impressions from these travels were immortalized in his "Descriptive Sketches" of 1793. A significant milestone in his life was the year 1791, when—already inspired by the proclamations of the French Revolution—he returned to France and met the democratic General Michel de Beaupuy. During this time, he fell in love with Annette Vallon, with whom he had an illegitimate daughter, Caroline. The following year, 1792, he returned to England, entering a critical two-decade period. In 1795, he settled with his sister Dorothy at Racedown Lodge in Dorset. The outdoor life brought him peace. There, he wrote his play "The Borderers." He became well-known with the works "Lyrical Ballads," which he co-authored with his friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and "The Prelude." Towards the end of his life (1843-1850), William Wordsworth was appointed Poet Laureate of the Royal Court. His works are primarily poetic. Among them are two purely prose works, one of which, entirely foreign to his character and literary preferences, surprises us as it delves into political and diplomatic assessments.