Dorothy Wordsworth Project

The aim of this remapping of Dorothy Wordsworth’s poem A Winter’s Ramble in Grasmere Vale is to display her dependence upon her brother, William Wordsworth for audience. This graphical representation journey’s through the creation of her poem. Various parts of this journey also represent other poignant moments in this poem. The aspect of wandering helps to represent the date this poem’s creation in relation to the time Dorothy is talking about. The journey Dorothy undertakes in this graphical representation also reveals how she detaches herself from her brother in A Winter’s Ramble in Grasmere Vale.

The journey depicted in this remapping is the actual rout Dorothy is likely to be talking of in, A Winter’s Ramble in Grasmere Vale. It begins with Dorothy leaving her home Dove Cottage. She then treks toward the then unfamiliar lands of Rydale Fell, the high plains of Grasmere Vale. The path that leads to Rydale Fell is White Moss, the path Dorothy claims to be her favorite in her Grasmere Journals. It is on and around Rydal Fell where Dorothy viewed and climbed Rydale Mount; Rydale Mount is very significant because she uses this as her penname in her first complete composition of A Winter’s Ramble in Grasmere Vale. The use of a penname signifies how she wanted to be anonymous to her audience.

Dorothy’s anonymousness is further projected in the remapping of William Wordsworth’s poem, The Thorn. The Thorn, becomes a representation of Dorothy’s dependence upon Williams audience in the second section of the project. At the end of the journey A Winter’s Ramble in Grasmere Vale takes us on we turn to the The Thorn as it becomes the audience. This symbolizes Dorothy’s dependence upon others for an audience.

The sections from my E1 that I am using in regard to this graphical representation of A Winter’s Ramble in Grasmere Vale concern Dorothy’s detachment from her brother and this particular poem’s relation to William Wordsworth’s The Thorn. E1 will provides grounds to show how these elements add a circular component to Dorothy’s life and publications. E2 will help to explain the significance of Rydale in the poem, Dorothy’s unwillingness to publish her name on her poems, and, her dependence upon her brother for publication. It will also inform us of the great significance of Rydale mount

This remapping of A Winter’s Ramble in Grasmere Vale is enhanced by a map taken from Henry Holts, Dorothy Wordsworth, The Grasmere Journals. This map is a graphical map of Grasmere, Dorothy’s home. It displays, Rydale Fell, and her favorite path, White Moss. The text of A Winter’s Ramble in Grasmere Vale is rearranged on this map in order to guide us on her journey. The text of The Thorn in part two becomes the audience through a computer-aided reorganization of the poem.

Part 1

Part 2