What does this image of a field of daffodils make you think of? Which feelings does it convey? What is Nature for you?

I’m now going to introduce you to the great romantic poet from the Lake District William Wordsworth. I want to start with a video by BBC FUTURE LEARN ‘William Wordsworth: Poetry, People and Place’  a free online course by the University of Lancaster What are the qualities that made Wordsworth’s poems rise to prominence? 

TASK: take down some notes of the most important ideas that made the PREFACE TO THE LYRICAL BALLADS the Manifesto of British Romanticism.

Interesting is the video on ROMANTICISM – by the School of Life – to introduce the era.

If you wanna visit Wordsworth’s Cumbria and the places that inspired his poetry here’s a beautiful website of photography. And the 10 best photography locations of the Lake District.   You can also explore his sister Dorothy’s  cottage in the next video.

The next video is the poem Daffodils read by the incredible actor Jeremy Irons whose “liquid” voice is stunning. In my opinion it is just a brilliant, magic and a moving example of poetry reading. As someone commented : “He could read the phone book and make it sound wonderful.” 🙂

While surfing the net I also found a rap version of the same poem, an attempt to make a literary classic … more contemporary so to speak.  How do you like it? Does it sound significant or like a parody to your ears? How does it make you feel? ? Be ready to discuss in class orally.

It’s all by now. Hope one day you’ll visit the Lake District as, if you like hiking, it’s an area you should take into consideration 😉