Dorothy Wordsworth, one of five children, was born in the Lake District of England in 1771. After their mother died in 1778, their father felt he was unable to sustain the household, sent the four boys away to school and Dorothy to live with a series of distant relatives. However, as faith would have it , she was united with her brother William, with whom she was closest, and lived with him even after his marriage. Dorothy did not think of herself as a writer and did not aspire to publication. Even when her friends urged her to publish her remarkable work, she would respond by saying, "I should detest the idea of setting myself as an author" (page 290). In humility, as was evidenced in much of her writtings, she insisted that she had written only for family and friends.
Dorothy began her Grasmere journal in May 1800. She told herself that she was writing to give William "pleasure", but her journal was more than pleasure to William. "The Grasmere Journals" gives a wonderful account of her day-to-day life in the Lake District, the long walks through the countryside with the detailed descriptions of nature. She also mentions the displacement of people who were suffering because of the economic distresses of rural England.
"A beautiful yellow, palish yellow flower, that looked thick round & double" (page 294)
"The mountains...look much greener & I think the valley is more green than ever" (page 295)
Words such as "yellow", "palish yellow", "greener" and "green" reminds me of spring with the lush green leaves on trees and the beautiful flowers in all of their glory. Dorothy's keen attention to details and love for nature brings life to her journal entries. "The corn begins to shew itself. The ashes are still bare," reminds me of a farmer who had recently planted his field and the seeds were just beginning to sprout. Whereas, "weltering on the shores" (page 294), "waves roared & brake against the pier" (page 298) capture the sound of the place and "smelt very sweet" (page 294) capture the aroma of the day. "I never saw daffodils so beautiful....some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness & the rest tossed & reeled & danced & seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind" (page 296), reminds me of the innocence of youth. A child playing outdoors with no cares or worries in this world calling to her mother to come and play with her.
Besides recording observations of nature, her journal entries provided glimpses of displaced paupers as I would term it, who were passing through. Dorothy, who I am assuming was now part of the middle class family, was very compasonate towards these beggers. Never passing judgement as to why they were in that state but going the extra mile to help those in need. She was especially generous to those who were from her home town as evidenced in these words, "On the Rays we met a woman with 2 little girls, one in her arms the other about 4 years old walking by her side......I was moved and gave her a shilling- I believe 6 more than I ought to have given" (page 297).
The effect of these beggers apprearances and their words contrast the beautiful, abundance and positive aspects of nature that she described in her journal, giving her journal entries a reality of what was happening in her time.
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3 comments:
Anthony,
Good post on Dorothy Wordsworth, although not quite as successful as your Blake post was, because it is less focused. You quote a lot of phrases and sentences from her journal, but seemingly almost at random, and without giving much if any context for the quotations. As a result your observations don't feel as cohesive as in your first post on Blake. Next time, try also to ask some questions about the readings that maybe you don't have a clear answer in mind. For instance, the quotation about Wordsworth giving money to a beggar woman from her hometown might indicate her generosity, but not clearly so since she regrets the amount she gave and says it was twice what she should have given. Why do you suppose she would say something like that? What might it indicate about her perspective or attitudes?
I'm glad you can appreciate D. Wordsworth's love and description of nature. I found her writing to be somewhat boring. However, your reaction to her use of color helped me have a better connection with the work. Unfortunately, I don't think I have the respect for her work as you do.
Is there some experience in your life that makes you connect with her writing so well?
I enjoyed reading Dorothy Wordsworth's journal entries much like you. I also found her profound use of imagery meaningful and was equally surprised and delighted by her generosity. What I really liked about your post was the last thing that you had to say about the sense of reality that she created in her work. I hadn't previously thought of it that way, but it is very true. Her imagery allows the reader to picture all that she encountered. Her generosity helped the reader know who Dorothy Wordsworth really was as a person and made the situations she encountered come to life.
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