Dorothy Wordsworth was born on December 25, 1771, and is the lesser-known Wordsworth writer compared to William. She is more of a diarist, with some poems written here and there. If you were unfamiliar with her until now, let me walk you through her ‘Grasmere Journals‘ containing some amazing diary entries about the area she grew up in: Cockermouth, Cumberland.
image via poeticous
The ‘Grasmere Journals’ are split up into sections, with there being four in total. Each section is filled with such amazing imagery and details that you can picture exactly what Dorothy was seeing when she was writing.
Section 1 largely talks about the different kinds of people that Dorothy encounters after leaving her home. Without her brother, Dorothy finds herself lost in nature and her own feelings of melancholy. Her most vivid writing in this section comes from this emotion.
image via britannica
Section 2 mentions Mary and Tom Hutchinson visiting Grasmere. Tom and Dorothy enjoy horseback riding, while the day remains rainy, unfortunately for Dorothy! Later, Dorothy helps William, her brother, with composing poetry. This section is more relaxed than the previous one.
In Section 3, Dorothy starts off my recording her visit to her and William’s friends, the Clarksons, in Eusemere. Winter is in full effect, and Dorothy focuses a lot on nature again, mentioning the snow and ice that’s plaguing the land. Her descriptions make the weather come to life.
image via the guardian
Finally, Section 4 finishes with Dorothy spending New Year’s with the Coleridge family in Keswick. She continues talk about how cold and harsh the weather has been, while detailing all the things she is doing indoors.
Dorothy did not focus on poetry as much as William, but her entries in this journal are nothing to sneeze at. Her knack for capturing actions and images through words is something that will amaze anyone.
featured image via young poets network
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