Event Details

Free, online course William Wordsworth: Poetry, People and Place https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/william-wordsworth

William Wordsworth: Poetry, People and Place

We will explore the great poetry of William Wordsworth with particular emphasis on his writing process and the importance for him of the inspirational landscape of the Lake District.

Start date 4 September 2017 - 4 weeks

The free online course will feature Dove Cottage, Grasmere where Wordsworth lived from 1799 to 1808 and where he produced much of his greatest work, including his autobiographical masterpiece, The Prelude.

We will draw on the magnificent, designated collection of the Wordsworth Trust, which includes 90% of the poet's manuscripts, to enable participants to study how poems are created and how they develop through the process of revision. Through lectures, readings and focusing on Grasmere and the wider Lake District area, we will explore why this specific location was so important for Wordsworth and evaluate the part that his poetry has played in the shaping and preservation of the National Park. Contributors to this course include Jeff Cowton, Curator of the Wordsworth Trust, and Professor Sally Bushell, one of the world's leading scholars of Wordsworth's writing process.

Register for this course

Nature’s Poets: what place inspires your poetry?

To celebrate the start of this free online course we’re challenging you to write a poem inspired by your favourite place. Find out how to join the challenge

The course, run in conjunction with FutureLearn, starts on September 4th and enrolment is now open.