Poetry that “will live and do good”: Fulfilling Wordsworth’s Hopes for His Work Through Interpretation and Outreach at Dove Cottage in Wordsworth 250

Abstract

ABSTRACT Just over 200 years ago, while living at Dove Cottage in Grasmere from 1799 to 1808, William Wordsworth wrote ground-breaking poetry that he hoped, as he wrote in a letter to Richard Sharp on 29 April 1804, would “live and do good” (Collected Letters 1: 470). Wordsworth calls for us to reconnect with nature; he asks that we show empathy for others; he encourages us to nurture our creative imagination. Were his hopes fulfilled? Does his poetry “live and do good” today? This article examines the function of a literary house museum in fulfilling the wishes of its central figure, examining the role that new interpretation techniques can play in bringing the writer’s life and writing to new audiences. In particular, the article seeks to describe the developing role of Wordsworth Grasmere as a hub of poetry, people and place, with associated collections, that has its roots in European Romanticism c. 1800, but which aims to make the literature “live and do good” in the modern world. While the roots are in the past; the purpose of Dove Cottage and Museum today is very much more than simply preserving them.