Letters of Dorothy Wordsworth
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Author Description
"I should detest," wrote Dorothy Wordsworth, "the idea of setting myself up as an author." Protesting to Lady Beaumont she explained "I have not the powers which Coleridge thinks I have--I know it." Despite her self-deprecatory words, however, the reader of Dorothy Wordsworth's letters will discover a skill with language and a power of description that rivals even the poetry of her more famous brother.In this selection, Alan G. Hill offers seventy complete letters that together provide a fascinating portrait of the writer and her surroundings. Spontaneous, intimate, and lively, they constitute a life of Dorothy Wordsworth in her own words, following her from youth to the onset of her last tragic illness. In between, we meet a remarkable group of people, for no other observer was so close to Wordsworth, Coleridge, and their circle, shared so completely their feelings and aims, and had such an eye for the landscape that inspired them. To have brought them so vividly before our eyes is surely one of Dorothy Wordsworth's greatest and most enduring achievements.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This collection investigates the intellectual and personal life of Dorothy Wordsworth through her private correspondence, challenging the historical tendency to view her solely as a secondary figure to her brother, William Wordsworth. Editor Alan G. Hill compiles seventy letters to demonstrate Dorothy’s distinct literary voice, keen observational skills, and central role within the Romantic circle. The text argues that her writing possesses a descriptive power that stands independently of her famous contemporaries.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A curated selection of seventy complete letters spanning Dorothy Wordsworth's life.
- Primary source documentation of the daily lives and creative processes of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
- Detailed observations of the English landscape and social dynamics of the early 19th century.
Scope Limits
- The collection does not include every extant letter written by the author.
- The volume focuses primarily on the domestic and social sphere rather than providing a comprehensive political history of the era.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and readers frequently note that this collection serves as a vital corrective to the historical marginalization of Dorothy Wordsworth. Experts highlight the text as a foundational resource for understanding the intimate dynamics of the Romantic movement through an authentic, non-literary lens.
Page Count:
224
Publication Date:
1991-04-25
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192813188
ISBN-13:
9780192813183
Biography
Non-Fiction
Letters
Literary History
19th Century
English literature
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