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Book Description
A hugely powerful biography of Wordsworth's beloved sister, champion and muse.
Product Description
Ordinarily presented as a self-effacing virgin or sacrificial saint, Dorothy Wordsworth was a talented writer and exceptional woman. She was William Wordsworth's inspiration, aide and most valued reader and traded in a conventional life to share in his world of words. In her journals, Dorothy kept a record of their idyllic life together. The tale that unfolds through her brief, lyrical entries reveals a strange, intangible love between brother and sister, culminating in Dorothy's dramatic collapse on the day of William's wedding. In her beautifully told biography, Frances Wilson brings Dorothy to life in all her complexity. From the restrained prose of Dorothy's journals, she uncovers the rich emotional life of a woman who suffered the jealousies of a discarded mistress - and eventually insanity.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A hauntingly beautiful biography of the poet Wordsworth's sister that explores in detail her life with and without her brother. What truly impressed me was Frances Wilson's determination to avoid the easy post-Freudian claims to "incest" between the two siblings, while closely examining the true nature of their relationship in the context of its time.
Dorothy comes across as a woman equally as determined and original as William, without whom some of his greatest poems might never have emerged. Without belittling either of them, Wilson places the Wordsworths firmly in the events and thoughts of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, exploring their complex upbringing and the forces which held them together throughout most of their adult lives.
An excellent introduction to the study of Dorothy and, perhaps equally importantly, to a richer understanding of the poetry and person of William.
Dorothy comes across as a woman equally as determined and original as William, without whom some of his greatest poems might never have emerged. Without belittling either of them, Wilson places the Wordsworths firmly in the events and thoughts of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, exploring their complex upbringing and the forces which held them together throughout most of their adult lives.
An excellent introduction to the study of Dorothy and, perhaps equally importantly, to a richer understanding of the poetry and person of William.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I purchased The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth in order to gain insights into this fascinating woman and her relationships with her brother William, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the Hutchinsons. However, the book does a great deal of regurgitation from the journals, and coverage of her life outside this period is relatively superficial. Furthermore, some of Frances Wilson's observations are reductive, for example, implying that Dorothy's wonderfully impressionistic descriptions are "turning into lists". She also has a highly individualistic perspective: "In her own relationship with William", she writes, "...Dorothy is herself a sad fiddle faddler." (p125) This is in fact Dorothy's own description of Sarah Coleridge in respect of her children, whom she describes as "to be sure a sad fiddle faddler." (The Letters of William & Dorothy Wordsworth, The Early Years, 1787-1805, ed. Chester L. Shaver - Oxford 1967, p330). If you want to get really close to Dorothy Wordsworth, read her Grasmere Journals and your own insights will serve you better.
Format:Paperback
This is a beautifully written, captivating account of Wordsworth's sister, Dorothy. She was the poet's mentor and support and by garnering her story from her journals, Wilson has given her a real three dimensionality. This is the story of someone who could have been forgotten, yet deserved so much more.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The biography of Dorothy, William Wordworth's sister.
A very well written and researched biography. Having walked many times in the Grasmere area and visited the simple little church where they (William and dorothy and friends) all... Read more
Published 21 months ago by J. Eaton
Strong feeling bordering on incest
I have been investigating the personal lives of some of the English Poets, and wanted to know more about William Wordsworth. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2010 by J. Vernon
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