In 1802 when William Wordsworth married Mary Hutchinson, who was Dorothy’s best friend, she was too hysterical to attend the wedding. She recorded in her diary, “but, happy as I am, I half dread that concentration of all tender feelings, past, present and future which will come upon me on the wedding morning.” [1]
Dorothy Wordsworth, born on 25 December 1771, in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England, was an influential figure in the literary world, primarily known for her close association with her brother, the renowned poet William Wordsworth. Dorothy’s early life laid the foundation for her later role as a diarist and observer of the natural world.
Dorothy was the third of five children, born to John Wordsworth, an attorney, and his wife Ann. Despite the early death of her mother, when she was just six, Dorothy, William and their three brothers had a happy childhood. Dorothy’s father died in 1783 when she was twelve and the children were sent to live with various relatives. Dorothy was sent alone to live with her aunt, Elizabeth Threlkeld, in West Yorkshire where she lived until she was fifteen.
In 1794 Dorothy and William reunited and moved to Alfoxden House in Somerset. This marked the beginning of a period that would significantly shape Dorothy’s life and literary legacy. The pair lived in poverty at first and would often beg for cast-off clothes from their friends. The siblings developed a close friendship with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a poet and philosopher, and the three became central figures in the Romantic literary movement.
In 1799 Dorothy settled with her brother in Dove Cottage, Grasmere, in the Lake District. It was her first real home since her mother died. During this time, she began to keep a journal, documenting her daily experiences, thoughts, and observations of the natural world. Her writings provided a valuable insight into the creative process of the poets and the inspiration they drew from nature. Dorothy’s keen observations of the landscape, flora, and fauna around her not only enriched her brother’s poetry but also contributed to the Romantic emphasis on the sublime in nature.
She never married, and after William married Mary Hutchinson in 1802, she continued to live with them. She was by now 31 and thought of herself as too old for marriage. In 1829 she fell seriously ill and was to remain an invalid for the remainder of her life. She died at 83 in 1855 near Ambleside, having spent the past twenty years in, according to the biographer Richard Cavendish, “a deepening haze of senility”.
Despite her significant contributions, Dorothy Wordsworth’s own literary pursuits were largely overshadowed by those of her brother. She never sought public recognition and dedicated much of her life to supporting William in his literary endeavours. Dorothy continued to live with her brother throughout her life, facing financial challenges but remaining steadfast in her commitment to family and nature.
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