The Lake Poets is a name given to a group of English poets who lived in the Lake District of North West England during the first half of the nineteenth century. As a group, they did not all share the same ideas or writing styles. The term "Lake Poets" was first used by the Edinburgh Review, which criticized them strongly. These poets are seen as part of the English Romantic movement.

The three most important poets in this group were William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey. They worked with other poets and writers, including Dorothy Wordsworth, Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb, Charles Lloyd, Hartley Coleridge, John Wilson, and Thomas De Quincey.

Origins and accuracy of the name

The "Lake Poet School," also called "Bards of the Lake" or the "Lake School," was originally a disrespectful name given to a group of poets. This name was incorrect because the group was not formed in the Lake District, and its members did not all share the same ideas or style. The main poets associated with this group were William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey. Dorothy Wordsworth, William's sister, was not officially part of the group but helped inspire his work. Her writings were not published during her lifetime but were shared with the public after she died.

Readers who enjoyed the poetry of these poets were often inspired to visit the Lake District. This led to changes in the area that William Wordsworth believed harmed the natural beauty he loved. However, he later wrote a guidebook about the region. Many other Romantic poets, besides Wordsworth, had complicated feelings about the Lake District. Some struggled with being linked to the Lake Poet School, while others tried to define their own poetic styles in contrast to what the Lakes represented.

The Lake poets

William Wordsworth lived in Dove Cottage, Grasmere, with his sister Dorothy after spending many years traveling. The Lake District became closely connected to his identity as a poet. He was born and raised near the Lake District, in Cockermouth and Penrith, and returned to the area in December 1799. He lived a quiet life as a poet in the mountains he considered his home. Although Wordsworth did not discover the Lake District or make it famous, he became a major figure in the region. His unique view of the natural world influenced how people saw the area. His poetry focused on the connection between humans and nature, not just describing nature itself.

Wordsworth’s early political beliefs led him to write about everyday people, using simple language and focusing on common folk rather than royalty or gods. His work also explored his personal thoughts and feelings, as seen in his poem The Prelude, which he described as a record of his own mental growth.

Despite his private life, Wordsworth cared deeply about family and community. He was troubled by changes in society, such as the enclosure of land, the building of railways, and the construction of large houses that clashed with the natural landscape. In 1810, he published Guide to the Lakes, which included advice on how to preserve the beauty of the region. Some believe the book reflected his loss of poetic vision and a shift toward practical concerns.

Other writers had different views of the Lake District. Samuel Taylor Coleridge moved to the area in 1800 and lived at Greta Hall. While he was called a "Lake Poet," his descriptions of the landscape differed from Wordsworth’s, focusing on its mysterious and sometimes unsettling qualities. Coleridge struggled with personal problems and health issues, which worsened in the Lake District. He left the area in 1804.

Robert Southey, who lived at Greta Hall from 1803 to 1843, was known as a "Lake Poet" but focused more on writing prose than poetry. Unlike Wordsworth, Southey supported traditional values and saw the Lake District as a symbol of national pride.

Letitia Elizabeth Landon, in a drawing from 1834, humorously portrayed the Lake Poets as outdated figures. She admired them but believed the Romantic era had ended.

In a story called Mare, James Hogg described the Lake Poets as a group of birds, mocking their presence in literary circles.

Associated writers

The second generation of Romantic poets were attracted to the Lake District because of the Romantic idea of living alone and the belief that older poets supported freedom and equality. However, they found a different situation when they arrived. In 1811, Shelley stayed in Keswick for three months after being inspired by Southey’s early writings about freedom and equality. He discovered that Southey’s views had changed and that the area had been damaged by factories.

In the summer of 1818, Keats had a similar experience. He found Wordsworth’s home filled with fashionable people and Wordsworth himself campaigning for a local political leader. Keats then traveled to Scotland, where he found the inspiration he needed, especially from the poet Robert Burns.

Byron never visited the Lake District, but he criticized the older Lake Poets for being too isolated and for not supporting radical political ideas.

John Wilson, a healthy and active man, lived near Windermere from 1808 to 1815 and knew the older Lake Poets well. His poetry, Isle of Palms, shows his love for the natural beauty of the Lake District. He enjoyed walking and climbing and focused on friendship and energy, unlike Wordsworth, who often wrote about quiet and solitude.

Wilson knew Harriet Martineau and Thomas De Quincey. Martineau built a house near Ambleside in 1845. Because of her background in studying society, she believed the Lake District should be more connected to the outside world. She supported better sanitation and new railways, unlike her friend Wordsworth. Her guidebook, Complete Guide to the Lakes (1855), gave clear and factual information about the area and its people.

De Quincey moved into Dove Cottage in 1809 after meeting Wordsworth a few times at Allan Bank and Rydal Mount. After marrying a local woman, the Wordsworths refused to meet her, which led De Quincey to spend more time with local people. He studied the lives of the people in the dales more closely than Wordsworth did. Instead of using his imagination to change the real world, he used the natural beauty of the Lake District to inspire his dreams and creativity.

Other writers

The beauty of the Lake District has inspired many writers over the years, including those who lived around the same time as the Lake Poets. These writers include Bryan Procter, Felicia Hemans, and Walter Scott. Later, working-class writers like John Close wrote for the growing number of tourists visiting the area. Other poets who wrote about the Lake District include James Payn, Margaret Cropper, and Norman Nicholson.

In 1871, at the age of 48, John Ruskin chose to live in Brantwood, a house near Coniston Water, after visiting the area many times. He was tired and needed rest, and his feelings of weariness and sadness made visitors to the Lake District feel understood. These visitors also came to the Lakes for peace and rest, not for the excitement that earlier travelers had enjoyed. Although Ruskin wrote little about the area, he became known as the "new Sage of the Lakes," a title once held by Wordsworth. Norman Nicholson described Ruskin as the "Picturesque Figure," saying that Ruskin combined three important ideas: art, science, and morality. Nicholson believed that Ruskin’s scientific study of the rocks and water in the Lake District was meant to teach people how to respond to nature in a helpful and ethical way.