The Great Poets: William Wordsworth

By: William Wordsworth

Narrated by: Jasper Britton, Oliver Ford Davies

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was born in Cockermouth, in the Lake District. His Lyrical Ballads, written in collaboration with Coleridge, was published in 1798, and shortly afterwards he settled in Dove Cottage, Grasmere, with his sister Dorothy. Inspired in his early manhood by the French Revolution, he grew disillusioned with revolutionary politics and in later life became decidedly conservative. He left a vast body of work, ranging from delicately simple lyrics to deeply meditative odes, with his most fully-realised ambitious work being The Prelude.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2008 Naxos Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Oliver Ford Davies and Jasper Britton bring cultured accents and theatrical experience to the readings of this selection of poems by William Wordsworth. Davies's more mature voice alternating with Britton's younger one enables listeners to understand the flowery language and poetic conventions of the late eighteenth century. With perfect pacing and a wide range of emotions, the speakers perform works that vary in topic--from the appreciation of natural beauty in the Lake District of England to the more enigmatic blank verse of "The Prelude." The poems are elegantly presented and organized but are not too precious--as evidenced by the country ghost story "Goody Blake and Harry Gill," which is included. This collection is a delight in every way." ( AudioFile

Gorgeous rolling language too deep for tears! Sonorous reading. Such a treasure.

I like Audible. In the wee hours of the morning when I cannot sleep it is my most faithful companion.

An inspirational and sublime audio masterpiece

The work of William Wordsworth is narrated with an artistic poise that is beautiful and bittersweet, and stirs his classic poetry to life.

I liked the younger narrator, not the older one.

I like listening to books and dont mind as much when the narrator puts different tones into it because at the end of the day its the same story regardless.
poetry is not like that, a different tone or inflection can change the meaning of a line, and I feel one of the narrator's missed the mark for me more often than not.
I love wordsworth's poems regardless though.