In William Wordsworth, John Williams provides a detailed account of Wordsworth's evolution as a poet. This includes his earliest known writing while a pupil at Hawkshead Grammar School, and his later poetry, often virtually ignored by critics. Wordsworth's ambivalent attitude towards seeking out a public readership beyond his immediate circle of friends and admirers is a central concern of the book. This involves an assessment of the poet's shifting sense of his political allegiances alongside the pressures of personal relationships and circumstances.

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Notes on Texts and Abbreviations - Writing the Literary Life - Early Years - From France to Racedown - Alfoxden - The Making of a Modern Poet - Grasmere Poetry: Dove Cottage Life -1807-1815: The Afflictions of Life - 1814-1820: Few and Scattered Hearers - As much Peter Bell as ever - Further Reading - Index