Poet · 1770 – 1850

William Wordsworth

Co-founded English Romanticism with the Lyrical Ballads, wrote the great autobiographical poem The Prelude, and served as Poet Laureate, transforming what poetry could be about and how it could sound.

Major Works

  • Lyrical Ballads (with Coleridge)
  • The Prelude
  • I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Impact Analysis

Wordsworth redirected poetry toward nature, emotion and the lives of ordinary people, and his belief in 'the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings' defined Romanticism.

Historical influence score: 80/100

Accomplishments for William Wordsworth are being compiled.