Two new displays at popular visitor attractions in the Lake District are encouraging people to explore the ridiculous side of some of the nation’s best known Romantic poets.
- Ridiculous Romantic Landscapes at Windermere Jetty Museum (6 June until 5 September)
- Ridiculous Romantic Portraits at Wordsworth Grasmere (7 June until 17 July)
At Windermere Jetty Museum The Ridiculous Romantic Landscapes display is perfectly placed, asking what draws tourists, nature lovers, and locals to visit awe-inspiring locations while overlooking the breath-taking Windermere.
Visitors will be able to explore the funny side of our relationship with the natural world focusing on unexpected celebrations of city life, complaints about the countryside, and sightings of some literary mermaids.
The Ridiculous Romantic Portraits exhibition at Wordsworth Grasmere responds to portraits of Romantic poets and artists, from William and Dorothy Wordsworth to lesser-known figures like Charlotte Smith and James Gillray.
Both exhibitions have been developed by Dr Andrew McInnes, Reader in English Literature at Edge Hill University, together with school students from Rainford High in St. Helens, Merseyside and St Mary’s Catholic High School in Astley, Greater Manchester.
Dr McInnes said:
“The Lake District has been a popular tourist destination since the eighteenth century, when visitors were drawn here in search of the sublime. Looking at the wonder of the Lake District, with its huge lakes and towering mountains, gives us an inkling of the universe’s enormous size, filling us with ecstasy.“But the sublime has been criticised for encouraging a selfish or egotistical response to nature. The exhibitions show the ridiculous as the flipside of the sublime; delighting in failure and misunderstanding, emphasising our individual littleness, and bringing us together in shared laughter.”
The exhibitions aim to show a different way of thinking about the natural world and Romanticism, focusing on bringing people together in joy rather than the more traditional view of the melancholic, lonely writer.
Dr Rita Dashwood, postdoctoral fellow on the project, said:
“Even Wordsworth worked closely with his sister and wife. All the Romantic poets had rich private lives filled with people and laughter. This is mirrored in the work of the students, who produced some incredible artworks by coming together and discussing Romantic writers and landscapes collectively.”
Sophie Terrett, Collection Curator for Windermere Jetty Museum said:
“It was wonderful to welcome the students from Rainford High School and explore new ways to see both the collection and the awe-inspiring landscape of Windermere. The display showcases their unique and playful perspectives on the question of how nature makes us feel, and the beautiful views of the lake at Windermere Jetty Museum make it the perfect place to do it.”
The Arts and Humanities Research Council funded the Romantic Ridiculous project created by Dr McInnes, bringing together curators from the Cumbria Museum Consortium (Windermere Jetty Jetty Museum, Wordsworth Grasmere are members) school students and the public to celebrate art and poetry.
