William Wordsworth
- Born:
- April 7, 1770, Cockermouth, Cumberland, England
- Died:
- April 23, 1850, Rydal Mount, Westmorland, England
- Nationality:
- English
- Profession(s):
- Poet, Writer
Early Life and Education
- Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland, in the Lake District.
- His mother died when he was eight years old.
- He was educated at Hawkshead Grammar School.
- He attended St John's College, Cambridge.
- He spent time in Revolutionary France, which influenced his political views.
Career and Major Achievements
- Wordsworth is considered one of the founders of English Romanticism.
- He served as Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death.
- His collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge resulted in Lyrical Ballads (1798), a seminal work of the Romantic movement.
- He developed a distinctive style characterized by its focus on nature, emotion, and everyday language.
- He championed the use of common language in poetry, rejecting the artificial diction of previous eras.
Notable Works
- Lyrical Ballads (1798, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
- The Prelude (posthumously published, an autobiographical poem)
- "Tintern Abbey"
- "Ode: Intimations of Immortality"
- "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" ("Daffodils")
- "Michael"
- "The Solitary Reaper"
Legacy and Impact
William Wordsworth's poetry revolutionized English literature. His emphasis on nature, emotion, and simple language had a profound and lasting impact on subsequent generations of poets. Even today, scholars examine the nuances and contextual elements of Wordsworth's works, exemplified when undertaking a 'wajahat malik biography of william' type examination to understand the historical context and influence behind Wordsworth's poems.
His work continues to be widely read and studied, cementing his place as a major figure in English literary history.