Episode 109a Dorothy Wordsworth's Diary - English Writing And Reading - History and Background

Dorothy and William Wordsworth lived in Grasmere and later Rydal, villages in the Lake District National Park, which is near my home. William is one of the most famous British Romantic poets. Today and tomorrow we will look at both of their attempts to capture the same scene. While walking along Ullswater in the Lake District the brother and sister came across some daffodils. They were both captivated by the scene. Dorothy wrote about it in her diary. William wrote one of his most famous poems about it. It's really interesting to see how two people think and write about exactly the same experience. Dorothy is famous for talking about colour, flowers and going into detail about her daily life in her journals. We know that sometimes William used her journals to remind himself of things and inspire his poems, but this also seems to be very much the way Dorothy saw the world. If you'd like to read along with me you can find the diary entry online here: https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/03%3A_Creative_Nonfiction_Readings/3.11%3A_Wordsworth_Dorothy_Daffodils_entry_from_Grasmere_journal_(1802) Dorothy was not a published writer in her lifetime, but from her journals we can say she had a descriptive writing style and skill for catching the everyday in an interesting and inspiring way. Dorothy and William were born in the Northern Lake District town of Cockermouth where they lived a happy childhood, despite the early death of their mother. Unfortunately, when they were still children their father also died. The boys were sent to boarding school and Dorothy was sent to live with a family member. This early separation from her brothers impacted the whole of Dorothy's life. She actually had quite a good and exciting life without them, making lots of good friends and even living with a family member in Windsor castle! But as soon as William turned up again she abandoned everything to live with him. The brother and sister lived together on and off for the rest of their lives. Even when William got married to one of Dorothy's close friends, Dorothy continued to live with the family. Dorothy cared for every aspect of the houses she lived in with William, together they built gardens, she made curtains. But she was simultaneously keeping a house, taking care of all of the guests who visited (William had lots of friends who would often visit for months at a time) and being William's secretary, reading and answering his letters, keeping her journals so he could be reminded of their walks and writing down all of the poems he dictated to her. Dorothy was famous for walking. Even without William or whenever he left to visit someone or travel to Bath and Bristol with his friends, she would go out walking for hours and hours. This was very strange for the time. At this time women were staying inside, avoiding the sun and weather and wearing very heavy, elaborate dresses. But Dorothy liked to be outside in the weather, hiking and experiencing the world. The Wordsworths lived first in Grasmere in Dove Cottage, now a museum. Their second house was Rydal Mount on Rydal Water. It is also a museum you can visit. Vocabulary Vale of Grasmere - a 'vale' in the UK is often a green valley Prolific - produces a great deal of work colloquially - locally or in a common way heads up - be careful furze bush - commonly known now as Gorse bough - branch turnpike road - a wider road traditionally these had tolls to pass, there isn't really such a thing in the UK anymore. reeled - moving around and around. A 'reel' (or one meaning) is a country dance. stragglers - left behind or a smaller number on their own gloomy - looking depressed sour - in this context means annoyed #esl #learnenglish #listeningenglishpractice #emmaseslenglish #english #englishpodcast #reading #readinginenglish #wordsworth