Wordsworth's Formative Years

This study focuses on the first twenty-eight years of the life of William Wordsworth (17701850), to shed new light on the poets early development. Previous scholars seeking insight on Wordsworths early years had leaned heavily on his long autobiographical poem The Prelude, considered by many to be the poets greatest work. Meyers biography finds The Prelude to be misleading and incomplete, and instead relies on Wordsworths poems and correspondence to provide a more accurate and nuanced picture of the poets sometimes challenging formative years.