William Wordsworth 1770-1850
William Wordsworth was born in 1770 in the Lake District and remained attached to this area throughout his life. He went on a walking tour of Italy, the Alps, and France and lived in France for three years to support the French Revolution. He fell in love with a French woman, but later returned to England. His hopes for the French Revolution turned to disillusionment, followed by five years of depression. He recovered thanks to Coleridge and began work on the famous collection, Lyrical Ballads.
The themes of his poetry include children and childhood. His poetry is self-conscious, as the poet himself became the subject, expressing his thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Wordsworth's poems were simple and written in common language, presenting a link with the past. He believed that man should look to nature as his moral and spiritual guide, an inspiration for everyone. He saw the poet as a prophet with the role to communicate to as many people as possible in a language they would understand.
