Disparate Romantics
We explored their thoughts on everything Wordsworthian, from poetry and artefacts to nature and the modern world, and found out about their new books and research. They brought their enthusiasm, we brought the questions – and we shared your questions with them too!
We have collected the recordings of all of these events here for you to watch at your leisure. If you enjoyed these videos, please consider making a donation to the Wordsworth Trust.
Jonathan Bate
On 8 October 2020 Professor Sir Jonathan Bate, award-winning biographer, joined Jeff Cowton and Simon Bainbridge to talk about his new book Radical Wordsworth: The Poet Who Changed the World, which explores Wordsworth’s radical life as a thinker and poetical innovator.
Stephen Gill
On 22 October 2020 Professor Stephen Gill joined Jeff Cowton and Simon Bainbridge to discuss his new edition of William Wordsworth: A Life, what it was like to revisit this work after nearly three decades, and how far his understanding of Wordsworth has changed.
Kerri Andrews
On 12 November 2020 Dr Kerri Andrews joined Jeff Cowton and Simon Bainbridge to discuss her new book Wanderers: A History of Women Walking, which traces the footsteps women who have found walking essential to their sense of themselves, as people and as writers – including Dorothy Wordsworth.
Robert Morrison
On 26 November 2020 Professor Robert Morrison joined Jeff Cowton and Simon Bainbridge to discuss his new book The Regency Revolution: Jane Austen, Napoleon, Lord Byron and the Making of the Modern World, which has been shortlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association prize for the best in non-fiction historical writing.
Saeko Yoshikawa
On 3 December 2020 Professor Saeko Yoshikawa joined Jeff Cowton and Simon Bainbridge to discuss her new book William Wordsworth and Modern Travel: Railways, Motorcars and the Lake District, 1830-1940, and the history of tourism in the Lake District.
Nick Mason
On 10 December 2020 Professor Nick Mason joined Jeff Cowton and Simon Bainbridge to discuss William Wordsworth’s Guide to the Lakes and his work on a digital edition hosted by the Romantic Circles website. He also talked about editing an edition of Dorothy Wordsworth’s Lakeland writings with Professors Paul Westover and Michelle Levy.
Fiona Sampson, Josh King and Baylor University Students
On 22 April 2021 Professor Fiona Sampson joined students from Baylor University, Texas, to discuss the process of bringing Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) to life for a modern audience. Professor Sampson has published her new book Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Profile, Feb 2021; W.W. Norton, Aug 2021), and students at Baylor University have curated the online exhibition ‘The Brownings in Our World’.
