29 Aug 2008
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was a true product of the romantic period in poetry. In his early twenties he was fired by a passionate belief in the French Revolution and Republican ideals, and also fell in love with Annette Vallon who bore him a daughter. He became disillusioned with Napoleon's ambitions and returned to England to live at Dove Cottage in Grasmere until 1808 (where the poem was written), and married Mary Hutchinson in 1802. Wordsworth survived financially on various legacies, and from 1813 was appointed 'Stamp Distributor' for Westmorland, at the same time as moving to Rydal Mount in Ambleside, where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1843 he was made Poet Laureate.
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