William and Dorothy Wordsworth

'All in each other'

Lucy Newlyn

The first literary biography of the Wordsworths' creative collaboration
Based on poems, letters, journals, memoirs, and biographies
Brings the full range of Dorothy Wordsworth's writings into the foreground alongside her brother's work for the first time
Draws on a wide range of recent scholarship - not just in Wordsworth studies, but in psychology, literary theory, anthropology, and life-writing
Offers careful comparative analysis of Dorothy Wordsworth's journals and William Wordsworth's poems, tracing common themes and preoccupations, recurring motifs, and shared patterns of recollection

William and Dorothy Wordsworth

'All in each other'

Lucy Newlyn

Description

William Wordsworth's iconic relationship with his 'beloved Sister' spanned nearly fifty years. Separated after the death of their mother when Dorothy was six, and reunited as orphans after the death of their father, they became inseparable companions. This is the first literary biography to give each sibling the same level of detailed attention; with Dorothy's writings set fully alongside her brother's, we see her to be the poet's equal in a literary partnership of outstanding importance. But Newlyn shows that writing was just one element of their lifelong work to re-build their family and re-claim their communal identity; walking, talking, remembering, and grieving were just as important. This rich and holistic account celebrates the importance of mental and spiritual health, human relationships, and the environment.

William and Dorothy Wordsworth

'All in each other'

Lucy Newlyn

Preface
Chapter One: Homeless
Chapter Two: Windy Brow and Racedown
Chapter Three: Alfoxden
Chapter Four: Hamburg
Chapter Five: Goslar and Sockburn
Chapter Six: Homecoming
Chapter Seven: Dwelling
Chapter Eight: The Grasmere Journal
Chapter Nine: The Orchard at Town End
Chapter Ten: Scotland
Chapter Eleven: Grasmere and Coleorton
Chapter Twelve: The Lake District
Chapter Thirteen: The Continent
Chapter Fourteen: Wanderlust
Chapter Fifteen: Rydal
Chapter Sixteen: Home
Abbreviations
Bibliography

William and Dorothy Wordsworth

'All in each other'

Lucy Newlyn

Author Information

Lucy Newlyn was born in Uganda, grew up in Leeds, and read English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She is now Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford University, and a Fellow of St Edmund Hall. She has published widely on English Romantic Literature, including three books with Oxford University Press, and The Cambridge Companion to Coleridge. Her book Reading Writing and Romanticism: The Anxiety of Reception won the British Academy's Rose Mary Crawshay prize in 2001. More recently she has been working on the prose writings of Edward Thomas. Together with Guy Cuthbertson she edited Branch-Lines: Edward Thomas and Contemporary Poetry, as well as England and Wales, a volume in the ongoing OUP edition of Thomas's prose. Married with a daughter and two step-children, Lucy Newlyn lives in Oxford. Ginnel, her first collection of poetry, was published in 2005: she is currently working on her second.

William and Dorothy Wordsworth

'All in each other'

Lucy Newlyn

Reviews and Awards

"[I]t is beautifully written and contains everything an enthusiast of either or both Wordsworths would wish to know about their lives and work; beginners and more advanced readers alike will prosper by it. Would that it had been available to me when I first began to read Wordsworth." -- Duncan Wu, Literary Review

"Newlyn provides an illuminating and extensively researched study of the relationship of the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850) and his sister Dorothy (1771-1855). The impressive list of primary materials Newlyn culled from includes Dorothy's journals, William's memoirs and classic works, and letters between the siblings. One of the book's most admirable elements is how Newlyn gives equal weight to her subjects' writings...This unparalleled examination of the Wordsworth siblings makes this title an essential addition to English literature collections." --Library Journal

"Best known today for her lyrical journals recording travels with her brother, Dorothy was central to William's creative process, to the extent that William called her "one of the two Beings to whom my intellect is most indebted"....Newlyn offers a valuable corrective to existing Wordsworth criticism and a moving testimonial to the power of creativity and community." --Publishers Weekly

William and Dorothy Wordsworth

'All in each other'

Lucy Newlyn

From Our Blog

Heaney, the Wordsworths, and wonders of the everyday

By Lucy Newlyn Here is one of the poems Dorothy wrote from her sick room. Dated by her as 1836 (and copied out for the Wordsworths' friend and neighbour Isabella Fenwick in 1839), it gives us some insight into her state of mind as she looked back on a crisis in 1832-3 when her life was in danger.

Posted on September 16, 2013

Read the blog post