Wordsworth's Classical Undersong

Wordsworth’s schoolmasters were enlightened, liberal and advanced, committed to the Classics and to modern literature. In their enthusiasm they shared their volumes of contemporary poetry with Wordsworth. Wordsworth developed a love for the Classics and a zeal for a poetry capable of being compared with and even daring to compete with the Classical texts. Richard Clancey’s study presents biographical information on Wordsworth’s classical education and facts about the education of his teachers.

Author Biography

RICHARD CLANCEY was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and has lived there most of his life. He earned his AB in Classics at John Carroll University, Cleveland, and his MA in English at Notre Dame University and his PhD also in English at the University of Maryland, College Park. He taught at Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross in Washington, D.C., and then came to teach English literature at John Carroll. His published articles focus on Wordsworth, especially his use of Horace and Demosthenes. He has been a frequent participant in the Wordsworth Winter School, Grasmere, England. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the Cleveland Orchestra and a passionate swimmer.