William Wordsworth: The Lake Poets

Synopsis

In August 1817 the Edinburgh Review used the term "Lake Poets" to describe the work of Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey. The term was used in a derisory context. Now, 180 years later, the term is used in anything but a derogatory fashion. We now see the work of the Lake Poets, in particular that of Wordsworth and Coleridge, and specifically that written in the legendary 10-year period between 1797 and 1807, as defining the nature of modern poetry. This poetic revolution is a fascinating story. Certainly the location couldn't be bettered: the most outstandingly beautiful and atmospheric landscape in the British Isles: the Lake District.