The Grasmere and Alfoxden Journals

These two journals provide a unique picture of daily life with Wordsworth, his friendship with Coleridge, and the composition of his poems. They also offer wonderfully vivid descriptions of the landscape and people of Grasmere and Alfoxden in Somerset, which inspired Wordsworth and have enchanted generations of readers. This edition includes full explanatory notes on the people and places Dorothy writes about. - ;'I went & sate with W & walked backwards & forwards in the Orchard till dinner time - he read me his poem. I broiled Beefsteaks.' Dorothy Wordsworth's journals are a unique record of her life with her brother William, at the time when he was at the height of his poetic powers. Invaluable for the insight they give into the daily life of the poet and his friendship with Coleridge, they are also remarkable for their spontaneity and immediacy, and for the vivid descriptions of people, places, and incidents that inspired some of Wordsworth's best-loved poems. The Grasmere Journal was begun at Dove Cottage in May 1800 and kept for three years. Dorothy notes the walks and the weather, the friends, country neighbours and beggars on the roads; she sets down accounts of the garden, of Wordsworth's marriage, their concern for Coleridge, the composition of poetry. The e.