William Wordsworth

Programme Outline

The programme consists of:

• Extracts, with accompanying visual images, from:
  • 'The Prelude'
  • 'Lucy Gray'
  • 'The Leech-gatherer' (from Resolution and Independence)
  • 'River Duddon'
• A young modern poet, Tobias Hill, talking the viewer through the landscape and life of Wordsworth, with his personal response to what he finds, as he journeys through this landscape exploring the inspiration, themes and background of the poetry.
• Four interviews with people who share his journey, contributing insights into particular aspects of the poetry:
  • Kathleen Jones, author of The Passionate Sisterhood: the sisters, wives and daughters of the Lake Poets
  • Hunter Davies, author of a recent biography of Wordsworth
  • Dr Seamus Perry, a Wordsworth specialist who teaches at Oxford University
  • George Kirkby, gardener and chief guide at Dove Cottage, Wordsworth's home between 1799 and 1808.

Notes on Programme Structure

[Zero VCR counter on first frame of 'The English Programme'. Note: counter numbers may vary on individual VCRs.]

In the opening sequence, Tobias Hill introduces the prime source of Wordsworth's inspiration – the landscape – and the way it shaped Wordsworth's imagination.

[00.00.47]

'My Heart Leaps Up' – from The Rainbow

This introduces the links between childhood experience and his adult response.

• Tobias Hill visits the old grammar school at Hawkshead where Wordsworth was a student. He sits at Wordsworth's desk and observes his 'beautifully written' graffiti.

[00.04.20]

'Spots of time' – from The Prelude

A recurring theme throughout The Prelude is the idea of 'spots of time', childhood experiences that profoundly affected Wordsworth.

• Tobias Hill introduces an extract from The Prelude that conveys 'a real sense of the fear and the power and the beauty, and sometimes even the guilt and the unease of his experiences in this landscape'.

[00.05.35]

'Boating' – from The Prelude

The programme explores one of these 'spots of time' from The Prelude . The poem is read over a visual representation of the experience, with images of crags, water, light and darkness. In this extract, Wordsworth explored the way in which Nature and the power of his imagination, fuelled by fear and guilt, changed from a benevolent friend to a dark and terrifying force. He was left in 'grave and serious mood'.

• Tobias Hill goes rowing on the lake, reflecting upon the rhythm of the poetry.

[00.09.00]

'Furness Abbey' – from The Prelude

The imagery and powerful description of this extract are explored: the surrounding sounds and the impact of 'this amazing ruin'.

• Tobias Hill empathises with Wordsworth, as he visits this scene of another 'spot of time'.
• Kathleen Jones talks about Wordsworth as the radical democrat whose ideas were considered treasonable at the time.
• Hunter Davies discusses Wordsworth's ascetic lifestyle. The poet is described as a man who 'lived in nature'; this is 'reflected in his poetry and in his life'.

[00.13.40 ]

'The World Is Too Much With Us'

In this sonnet, Wordsworth bemoans the way in which Man is out of touch with the natural world – a very modern concern!

In the Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth reveals his interest in the outcast, the poor and the solitary. Using these characters as subjects for poetry was revolutionary and attracted poor reviews.

[00.15.05]

'Lucy Gray' – from Lyrical Ballads

A vivid dramatisation of the poem shows Lucy's journey and her parents' search.

• Tobias Hill talks about Wordsworth's concern with very ordinary people and their connection with the landscape.

[00.17.35]

'The Leech-gatherer ' – from Resolution and Independence

We see a character by the water's edge. The figure is seen as one who is in tune with the rhythm of nature, despite being on the edge of society, and, therefore, at peace.

• Dr Seamus Perry points out the unique way in which Wordsworth deals with what would be, to him, a normal event (meeting a leech-gatherer). His imagination allows him to use this 'unpromising material' and transform it.
• George Kirkby introduces 'Daffodils' by pointing out that Wordsworth was not a Nature poet, but one who was concerned about the effect of Nature on the mind of man.

[00.22.30]

'I wandered lonely as a cloud'

'Daffodils' (the 'people's poem') is performed by members of the public who deliver a line each at Dove Cottage.

• Tobias Hill concludes his commentary by expressing his delight in experiencing both the poetry and the landscape.

The programme ends with:

[00.22.50]

'After-Thought' – from River Duddon

This sonnet encapsulates all the themes and ideas in Wordsworth's poetry: the eternal qualities of Nature as opposed to the temporal ones of mankind; and the possibility of being 'greater than we know' – the beauty of the human spirit.