It was William Wordsworth who made a deep poetic appreciation of nature, closely akin to a religion, an imperishable part of English Literature. Love of nature was not an incidental or decorative part of his
verse; it was its chief impulse and theme. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey were called in their own
day The Lake Poets, because they were friends who lived near each other in the English Lake District.
But it was only in their youth that they had a deep influence on each other. Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland just outside the Lake District, on April 7th 1770. His father was the agent
of the first Earl of Lonsdale, a wealthy but eccentric nobleman with great local influence. William was only thirteen when his father died, leaving five children (four boys and one girl). The Wordsworth family would
have been fairly well off if the Earl had paid the money he owed to their father but he refused to do so and
they were consequently brought up by their grandparents in a plain and simple way. Money was found,
however, to educate the children. Richard, the eldest boy, became a lawyer like his father. William and the youngest boy went to Cambridge and the remaining son went to sea. At college William made little
distinction in learning however his brother Christopher became Master of Trinity. After he had taken
his degree he published his first book of poems descriptive of his European travels as a student
and the Lake District. The sale of the book was small but reached Coleridge and Southey
which is how they became great friends. |
