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3 September 1800

Listen to Dr Jenn Ashworth of Lancaster University read from Dorothy Wordsworth's journal entry for 3 September 1800.

In the next set of steps, you get a sense of the content of Dorothy’s journal writing. Kate Ingle has chosen three sections, where Dorothy describes the people and the landscape of Grasmere.

In this step, you’ll hear novelist and academic, Dr Jenn Ashworth read Dorothy Wordsworth’s journal entry for 3 September 1800.

Try to follow the words written by Dorothy herself. If you find it impossible to follow the manuscript, there is also a transcript of the journal entry attached.

In the entry Dorothy recalls going to a funeral. She describes the event and the way that it affected her. The entry moves from the mundane to offer some profound and deep thoughts, before moving back to the mundane again.

  • As you are reading this entry, think about the effect that the funeral has on Dorothy.
  • Do you understand something of why she feels this way?
  • Does it give you a sense of her as a person?
  • Can you identify her ideas about the relationship between people and place?

A short quiz follows the reading in the next step.

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William Wordsworth: Poetry, People and Place

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