Skip to 0 minutes and 13 seconds William Wordsworth is one of the greatest poets in the English language. And he wrote much of his most famous work here at Dove Cottage in Grasmere in the heart of the English Lake District.
Skip to 0 minutes and 25 seconds This MOOC, Wordsworth: Poetry, People, and Place, is set here in Grasmere. And is a special collaboration between Lancaster University and the Wordsworth Trust who look after Dove Cottage. One of things we’ll be doing on the MOOC is to study Wordsworth poetry in location. So we’ll be visiting the key sites, the key places where he both writes his poetry and that he writes about. So you’ll be joining us as we visit the beautiful and sublime places he describes. What also makes Grasmere very special is that Wordsworth’s manuscripts are here. They’re held in the Jerwood Centre, just down the lane. And for this course, the Wordsworth Trust have given us full access to that collection.
Skip to 1 minute and 8 seconds This means that you’ll be able to come with us into the archives and examine the manuscripts, investigating the processes by which Wordsworth produced poems and collections, such as Lyrical Ballads, The Prelude, and Daffodils. So this is a course that’s for anybody who has an interest in poetry, in place, and in the process of writing. You don’t need to have read Wordsworth before. And if you haven’t, then the MOOC will give you an enjoyable introduction to one of the best-loved poets in English literature.
Skip to 1 minute and 37 seconds If you are already familiar with Wordsworth’s work, your understanding and appreciation of his writing will be enhanced by this unique opportunity to read and study his poetry in the landscape of the Lake District and to interpret the actual manuscripts of the poems. Each week one of our distinguished team of literature professors from Lancaster University will focus on a particular poem or collection. And we’ll also be looking at the letters and journals of William’s sister, Dorothy, an important writer herself. Throughout the course, we’ll be joined by Jeff Cowton, the Wordsworth Trust’s curator, who will be showing us the treasures of the collection and helping us to interpret the manuscripts.
Skip to 2 minutes and 20 seconds So we very much hope you’ll join us here in Grasmere as we study the works of William Wordsworth.
