BBC - A History of the World - Object : Dorothy Wordsworth Grasmere Journals

Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere Journal, showing the description of daffodils at Ullswater. Copyright The Wordsworth Trust

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William Wordsworth based several of his poems on descriptions of people and places in his sister's journal.Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of the poet William Wordsworth, kept this journal at Dove Cottage in Grasmere between 1800 and 1803. Dorothy brings to life the Lake District of the time: the landscape, the seasons and the people. Dorothy loved Grasmere and felt part of its community and this shines through in her writing: giving personal names to favourite places and describing the lives and stories of some of their neighbours. William Wordsworth bases several of his poems on descriptions of people and places in his sister's journal. Dorothy also records family life in Dove Cottage: the daily chores, as well as her brother at work. Through her eyes we see Wordsworth getting inspiration for, writing, and editing his poems, revealing his struggles and successes. Dorothy's journal also illuminates the relationship between herself, Wordsworth and Coleridge during this crucial period in the development of British Romantic poetry.

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1. At 20:07 on 18 October 2010, Psychedelic Goth wrote:
Very lovely to see this. I hope someone adds Coleridge's note books and the 1st ed of Lyrical Ballads too.
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