“Companions of Nature Were We”. A Dialogue Through Memory in the Wye Valley.

Abstract

The 19^th century saw growing interest in walking tours. Among these wanderers were Dorothy and William Wordsworth who embarked on many journeys together. However, one profoundly impacted both their lives and English Literature: the Wye Valley. This experience inspired one of English Literature’s most renowned meditative poems, “Tintern Abbey” (1798), which I thoroughly examined, interpreting it as a hidden dialogue in the Bakhtinian sense culminating in William’s meaningful address to Dorothy. Specifically, the last 48 lines constitute the most heartfelt tribute Wordsworth ever made to his sister, framed as a plea to memory. Contrary to most scholarly views of Dorothy as a phantom or a self-projection of the Bard, I emphasised how these lines reveal the depth of their relationship.  I provided direct literary support, noting that Dorothy embraced this tribute 34 years later in “Thoughts on My Sick-Bed” (1832-3) and further enriched the dialogue through memory in “Loving and Liking: Irregular Verses Addressed to a Child” (1832).