Dora Greenwell's poetry reflects a cultivated intellect and a sensitive heart but an inadequate imagination. Although marked by the loftiest philosophical ideals and the deepest human sympathy, Greenwell's poems lack the originality of perception that might have won for her the unconditional title of poet rather than the dubious distinction of woman poet.

Greenwell was born on 6 December 1821 at Greenwell Ford, the family home since the time of Henry VIII, in the county of Durham. Her father, William Thomas Greenwell, was the deputy-lieutenant of Durham county and a much-respected magistrate, and her mother, Dorothy Smales, was the daughter of a well-known lawyer of Durham. Greenwell had two brothers, William and Alan.

At Greenwell Ford Dora led an idyllic life in beautiful surroundings. The charm and peace of the garden and nearby woods appear again and again in her works. Her education, conducted entirely at home, was evidently very...