The Imaginative Visitor: Wordsworth and the Romantic Construction of Literary Tourism in the Lake District

The Lake District became known as “Wordsworthshire” ¹ because, as Edward Thomas wrote, the link between writer and a specific place is nowhere stronger than in this case:

It is more natural and legitimate to associate Wordsworth with certain parts of England than any other great writer. And for three reasons: he spent the greater portion of his life in one district; he drew much of his scenery and human character from the district and used its place-names freely in his poems; and both he and his sister left considerable records of his times and places of composition. ²