F. W. H. Myers (1843–1901)

This 1880 biography is pretty much a literary biography of Wordsworth's development as a writer, and his relationship to early 19th century English society. The personal aspects are very scantily covered. How many modern biographers would begin their work with a statement like: "there is but little of public interest, in Wordsworth’s life which has not already been given to the world"? Myers states that he will not, and indeed should not cover anything "inconsistent with the dignity either of the living or of the dead", as "it is best to leave the sanctuary of all hearts inviolate, and to respect the reserve not only of the living but of the dead". So there is no mention of Wordsworth's youthful relationship with a French woman, Annette Vallon, whom he declared he would marry, and which resulted in the birth of a daughter Caroline. To be fair, the author did support Caroline later in life, but this whole aspect of his life is passed over in silence, not uncommon with Victorian biographies of lauded literary figures (for example, Adolphus William Ward's biography of Charles Dickens contains no mention of his long time mistress Ellen Ternan).

These points aside, there is much of merit in this work, particularly for serious students of Wordsworth's poetry, or indeed of the Romantic movement, or of literature in the late 18th and early 19th centuries more generally. As a senior classicist, Myers writes with erudition and fluid grace, though this makes it slower for the modern non-expert reader to follow, especially when the references to classical and other authors come thick and fast. He does cover non-literary matters as well. The tracing of the author's political views is interesting. An early supporter of the French revolution, Wordsworth considered throwing in his lot with the moderate Girondins during his French sojourn in 1791-2, which would have meant almost certain death when the Jacobins took over and guillotined their opponents. Like many people, he was turned off the Revolution by the brutal excesses of the Reign of Terror, expressed in memorable terms by the author: "For first of all in that Revolution, Reason had appeared as it were in visible shape, and hand in hand with Pity and Virtue; then, as the welfare of the oppressed peasantry began to be lost sight of amid the brawls of the factions of Paris, all that was attractive and enthusiastic in the great movement seemed to disappear, but yet Reason might still be thought to find a closer realization here than among scenes more serene and fair; and, lastly, Reason set in blood and tyranny and there was no more hope from France"; and "....[France's] conduct towards Switzerland ..... decisively altered Wordsworth’s view. He saw her valiant spirit of self-defence corrupted into lust of glory; her eagerness for the abolition of unjust privilege turned into a contentment with equality of degradation under a despot’s heel".

Later Wordsworth became conservative in his views and opposed even reforms that are very moderate by our standards such as Catholic emancipation and the Great Reform Act; yet his conservatism was largely cultural and philosophical, rather than ideological. He loved his quiet and introspective life in the Lake District, and I totally understand why. His last 37 years were spent in the beautiful isolation of Rydal Mount, whose lovely gardens look over the beautiful and peaceful Rydal water. From the literary point of view, though, these was not his most productive years, and Myers considers his real genius limited to the 1798-1818 period at the latest, brusquely asserting that: "The gift then left him; he continued as wise and as earnest as ever, but his poems had no longer any potency, nor his existence much public importance". This includes his period as Poet Laureate in the last seven years of his life, when he produced no poems (he made his not having to do so a condition of accepting the post). During the heart of the productive period, he lived with his wife Mary and sister Dorothy at the more famous Dove Cottage by Grasmere, years of which were chronicled by Dorothy in her Grasmere Journal. Overall, I am glad I read this book, though it is difficult in places.… (más)

This book is a milestone in the study of the nature of human experience, a view from that peak in Darien out upon the vast mystery of consciousness and its unknown depths. Google "Irreducible Mind" (another superb book) and learn of recent efforts to mine the wealth of theory based upon astute observation found in this work. William James recognized Myers as a colleague, and this his great contribution to the nascent field of psychology, recommending the book to all. A foundational cornerstone of the work that came to be known as "psychical research" and later parapsychology, it is a volume that is too little known now. Anyone interested in human consciousness will benefit from a familiarity with it.… (más)