23 The Ballad and the Balladeer
Naples National Archaeological Museum, public domain.
“How does the meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold.”
“You can’t imagine parlor ballads drifting out of high-rise multi-towered buildings. That kind of music existed in a more timeless state of life.”
The Balladeer:
Singing a soulful song - recounting a tale - simple verse in simple seasons - the balladeer ~
William Wordsworth
Born on April 7 in 1770 in England, poet-philosopher William Wordsworth is an important figure in literary history. In 1798, Wordsworth, working with with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, published Lyrical Ballads igniting the literary Romantic movement in England.
About his work, he suggested that of all forms the ballad is to be esteemed. Simple lives, simple voices, simple subjects are the finest gold for the poet. And critics have said that of all his works, his ballad "Tintern Abbey" is the most significant. While returning to an important place in his life and revisiting through memory, with an authentic individual imagination, he describes the natural world and the human experience. Poetry, he suggests, links people to Earth. He says any experience is worth celebrating freely, emotionally, lyrically.
With the preface of this one book, he ignited a debate regarding the purpose of the poetic form, challenging the lofty ideals of non-emotive Neoclassical poetry. While many supported his values, others, such as William Blake and Mary Shelley, highly criticized his work.
Wordsworth’s life was not an easy one. He lost his mother when he was 7 and his father 13. Orphed, and left in the care of his uncles, he was sent away to school. In 1791, he graduated from St. John's College at Cambridge with a B.A. From there, he traveled. While on walking tour in France, he met Anne Vallon, and they were together for a year. But, due to the French Revolutionary Wars, he returned to England and focused on writing poetry. It was at this time he met and befriended, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In France, Anne had their daughter, Wordsworth’s first child, Caroline and raised her alone. During the short-lived Treaty of Amiens, Wordsworth returned to France, and met Caroline for the first time; she was nine. Though he financially supported them throughout his life, he never married Anne. In 1802, Wordsworth married Mary Hutchinson, his childhood friend, and together they had five children.
Wordsworth published many books. He was not only a revolutionist, but a revisionist. In his later years, he spent a lot of time tinkering with his earlier poems. He was well-respected and was awarded honorary degrees from Durham and Oxford Universities, a government pension, and the title of poet laureate. Wordsworth died on April 23, 1850. The Prelude, his final work, was published by his wife the year he died.
Resources
Elmes, Melissa A. “Wordsworth, William.” Encyclopedia of Literary Romanticism, Second Edition, Facts On File, 2014. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=101204&itemid=WE54&articleId=36432. Accessed 16 Sept. 2021.
Robinson, Daniel. “Lyrical Ballads, With A Few Other Poems.” Encyclopedia of Literary Romanticism, Second Edition, Facts On File, 2014. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=101204&itemid=WE54&articleId=36308. Accessed 16 Sept. 2021.
"William Wordsworth." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 17 Dec. 2020. library-eb-com.scsl.idm.oclc.org/levels/referencecenter/article/William-Wordsworth/77470. Accessed 16 Sep. 2021.
Questions
What do you know about Wordsworth?
Have you ever read or listened to a a poem by Wordsworth?
Do you have a favorite Poem by this writer?
If you could ask Wordsworth anything, what would it be?