One thing in particular about Romantic period poet William Wordsworth is that he peopled his poems with characters who were commonplace in village settings but whom he presented in a fashion so as to highlight their naturalness and goodness--of course, demonstrating in doing so one of the chief tenets of Romanticism. An example that comes readily to mind is "The Ruined Cottage." Interestingly, this poem also demonstrates the validity of Coleridge's challenge to Wordsworth that it requires the excellent poet to render commonplace language poetical and musical.

As the previous answers have suggested, Wordsworth was a Romantic poet and is usually considered one of the earliest and most influential of the Romantic poets. William Blake came slightly before Wordsworth; Samuel Taylor Coleridge was Wordsworth's friend and contemporary; later Romantic poets, such as Keats, Shelley, and Byron, were all influenced by Wordsworth in one way or another (sometimes in reaction against Wordsworth as grew older and more conservative). If you are looking for poems to analyze and to compare and contrast, you may want to focus on some shorter works, such as the sonnets.

Don't forget that eNotes can be of great help to you in trying to understand Wordsworth.  Here are just a few links that may be useful:

http://www.enotes.com/william-wordsworth-salem/william-wordsworth

http://www.enotes.com/william-wordsworth-salem/william-wordsworth-680791

http://www.enotes.com/william-wordsworth-and-samuel-taylor-coleridge-criticism/lyrical-ballads-william-wordsworth-and-samuel

In response to #2, one could say, how could one become a Romantic poet if he has truly experienced the rain in the Lake District in Britain! As somebody who has been trapped at various times in his life half-way up a mountain in a raging thunderstorm in the Lake District, nature soon loses its shine, let me tell you! One of the more interesting and scurrilous facts about Wordsworth is the rather intense and profound relationship he had with his sister, Dorothy. Some have even suggested that it was incestuous. Either way, it is clear that this figure played a very improtant part in his life, as poems such as "Tintern Abbey" show.

The name of William Wordsworth is almost synonymouse with Romanticism.  Wordsworth demonstrated what the twentieth century American writer Thomas Wolfe defined as the true Romantic feeling, "not the desire to escape life, but the prevention of life from escaping you."  The poetry of Wordsworth does this as its style and form reflect what he termed "a spontaneous overflow of emotions."  Such a poem as his "Line Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" exemplify this "spontaneous overflow."

Well, if you want to learn about Wordsworth's life and poetry combined, try reading The Prelude (which is generally thought to be autobiographical).  As for some of the other interesting facts about his life, I'll be happy to give a few!

How could one NOT become a Romantic poet when born in the Lake District in Britain?!?  Of course, nature formed Wordsworth's earliest experiences and would continue to be the focus of much of his poetry.  He experienced tragedy in the loss of his parents and his hero, Robespierre.  He experienced wisdom in that he attended Cambridge.  He experienced love with Annete Vallon.  He experienced friendship, stewardship, and literary camaraderie with Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  He experienced revolution and the rights of the individual.

A true pioneer in the concept of Romanticism, Wordsworth wrote for the commoners in their common language.  His poetry has truly stood the test of time!