Dorothy Wordsworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothy Wordsworth
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Drawing of Dorothy Wordsworth in middle age
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Dorothy Mae Ann Wordsworth
25 December 1771 Cockermouth, Cumberland, England
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| Died | 25 January 1855 (aged 83) near Ambleside, Westmorland, England
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| Occupation | Author, poet, and diarist |
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Dorothy Mae Ann Wordsworth was an English writer, poet, and diarist. She was born on December 25, 1771, and passed away on January 25, 1855. Dorothy was the sister of the famous Romantic poet William Wordsworth. They were very close throughout their lives.
Dorothy Wordsworth didn't plan to become a well-known author. However, she left behind many letters, diary entries, poems, and descriptions of places. These writings show her amazing talent for observing and describing the world around her.
Contents
Her Early Life
Dorothy was born on Christmas Day in 1771 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. Even though her mother died when she was young, Dorothy, William, and their three brothers had a happy childhood.
In 1783, their father passed away. The children were then sent to live with different relatives. Dorothy went to live alone with her aunt, Elizabeth Threlkeld, in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
She was finally reunited with William in 1795. They first lived at Racedown Lodge in Dorset. Later, in 1797, they moved to Alfoxton House in Somerset. From then on, they were almost always together. At first, they didn't have much money and sometimes had to ask friends for old clothes.
William Wordsworth often wrote about his sister. In his famous poem, Tintern Abbey, he wrote about her:
Of this fair river; thou my dearest Friend,
My dear, dear Friend; and in thy voice I catch
The language of my former heart, and read
My former pleasures in the shooting lights
Of thy wild eyes ...
My dear, dear Sister!
This shows how much he valued her friendship and how important she was to him.
Dorothy's Writings
Dorothy Wordsworth mostly wrote in her diaries. She also wrote poetry, but she wasn't very interested in becoming a famous poet. She once wrote that she would "detest the idea of setting myself up as an author." She wanted her brother William to have the joy of being a public writer.
She almost published a travel story about a trip to Scotland with William in 1803. It was called Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland. However, she couldn't find a publisher, so it wasn't printed until 1874, long after her death.
Climbing Scafell Pike
In 1818, Dorothy wrote a very early account of climbing Scafell Pike. This is one of England's highest mountains. She climbed it with her friend Mary Barker, Mary's maid, and two local guides.
Her brother William later used Dorothy's detailed story in his popular guide book about the Lake District in 1822. He didn't say that Dorothy had written it. Later, Harriet Martineau copied the story into her own successful guide book. Martineau did give credit, but only to William Wordsworth.
Because of this, Dorothy's climbing story was read by many visitors to the Lake District for over 50 years.
Her Later Life and Journals
Dorothy never married. After William married Mary Hutchinson in 1802, Dorothy continued to live with them. She was 31 at the time and felt she was too old to marry.
In 1829, she became very ill. She remained unwell for the rest of her life. She passed away at the age of eighty-three in 1855, near Ambleside. She had been ill for about twenty years.
Her most famous work, the Grasmere Journal, was published in 1897. It was put together by William Angus Knight. This journal beautifully described her daily life in the Lake District. It also told about the long walks she and her brother took through the countryside.
The journal also included detailed descriptions of famous writers of the early 1800s. These included Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Walter Scott, Charles Lamb, and Robert Southey. Southey was a close friend who made the fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears popular.
Dorothy's Influence on William
The Grasmere Journal and Dorothy's other writings showed how important she was to her brother William's success. William often used her detailed descriptions of nature scenes. He freely borrowed ideas and words from her journals.
For example, Dorothy wrote in her Grasmere Journal on April 15, 1802:
I never saw daffodils so beautiful they grew among the mossy stones about & about them, some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness & the rest tossed & reeled & danced & seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the Lake, they looked so gay ever glancing ever changing
—Dorothy Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal 15 April 1802
This passage is very similar to William's famous poem 'Daffodils', which he wrote two years later. In his poem, William described this shared experience as if it were his own discovery. Many people believe Dorothy's observations and descriptions were just as poetic, or even more so, than her brother's. During her time, she was seen as one of the few writers who could create such vivid and beautiful scenes.
