Bridge course: Preface to Lyrical Ballads

Preface to Lyrical Ballads

Bridge course : W.  Wordsworth's Preface to Lyrical Ballads

This blog is in response to the Bridge Course about Wordsworth's Preface to Lyrical Ballads. In this blog I am going to deal with major points of Wordsworth's Preface to Lyrical Ballads.  

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge :-

William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English Literature with their joint publication Lyrical Ballads ( 1798 ). Partnership between Wordsworth and Coleridge, rooted in one marvelous year ( 1797-98 ) in which they "together wanton in wild poesy", had two consequences for Wordsworth. Lyrical Ballads was first published in 1798 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. The "preface to Lyrical Ballads" to the second addition contains Wordsworth's famous definition of Poetry as the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" and his theory that Poetry should be written in "the language really used by men."

Q.1 What is the basic difference between the poetic creed of 'classicism' and 'romanticism'?

The classic and Romantic are literary movements. Romentic movement began in England with publication of lyrical ballads in 1798 by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It also marks the ending of the Neo classical Age, in which poets and writers and their way of writing. So after the publication of lyrical ballads, there was new enthusiasm and ways of writing. For this reason, we first have to understand the difference between classicism and Romanticism.

Different between classicism and Romanticism:-

Classicism and Romanticism are opposing movements and styles which influenced all the major arts like Architecture, painting, music and literature. Both have different ways of looking and thus different ideologies. In classicism, intellect is the guiding force, while in romanticism imagination is the guiding force. In classicism there were certain restraints but in romanticism there was liberty, freedom and free play of emotions and feelings. Here is a chart of different between classicism and Romanticism.

Classicism defines beauty which demonstrates balance and order, as it originates in the Greek and Roman societies. The name "classical " was given by Renaissance writers. The major writers of the romanticism are Wordsworth, Shelly, Keats, Coleridge. But the moment we come to Wordsworth, Shelly, Keats, Coleridge, we find that it is the rustic life is in the country side that attracts them most; they seen the glory of rural people. They seen the glory of  life so different from what we find when we come to romantic poetry. Another difference is that romantic poetry is basically subjective. For them as Wordsworth you must have read in the content also Wordsworth definition says good poetry is a ' Spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling recollected in tranquility so that they believed in subjectivity.

Spontaneous overflow, it's subjective but classical poetry believed in objectivity that good poetry should be objective. Romantic poets were inspired by the ideals of equality, fraternity and liberty which is a words of the French revolution. So it is a different in their approach to how they look at poetry.

1. Classicism 

The imitation or use primarily of the style and aesthetic principal of ancient Greek and Roman classical art and literature. The term Neo classicism is often used in refering to revivals of classicism.

2. Romanticism

It is a movement in the literature that lasted from about 1759 to 1870'charactrise by reliance on the imagination and subjectivity of approach, freedom of thought and expression, and an idealization of nature.

Lyrical Ballads:-

Lyrical Ballads was first published in 1798 by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is a collection of poems. It marks the beginning of the romantic movement. In the year 1800, two year after publication of lyrical Ballads, the second edition William Wordsworth composed an essay, named the preface to the lyrical Ballads, which was expanded by him in the third edition in 1802. In the purpose behind the collection of poems: it was an experiment to determine whether poetry written in the real language of men could be successful. In preface he gives definition of poetry as,

"Spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling;it takes its origin from emotion recollected in Tranquility."

Q.2  Why does Wordsworth say 'What' is poet rather than who is poet.

Wordsworth gives the definition of what is poet to justify his argument.

" A poet is a man speaking to men, endowed with more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, who rejoice, more then other men in the spirit bof life: habitually impelled to creative volition, passions and situation where he does not find them."

By his definition we can understand that what is poet, poet is a man speaking to man so what is poet is a man speaking to men. 

Now which means poet although the Romantics place a lot of importance on the inherent talent within a person to come up with poetry that kind of a talent is missing in general people but a poet is a person who certainly does not come from any other planet, he is a man speaking to men then we will find in continuance this observation.

This is what Wordsworth has to say about what is a poet so the entity called poet is such a human being who is overall in degree a far better human being than ordinary human being. Poet is different from other men he has great thinking power, creative and critical mind and different way of expressing his thoughts and feelings.

Q.3 What is poetic diction? Which sort of poetic diction is suggested by Wordsworth in his preface?

Poetic diction generally means,

"Choice of words" which then lends a unique style for each individual poet or author. In the third edition of lyrical Ballads published in 1802, he elaborately explain his theory of poetic diction. He defines poetic diction as a language of common men. It is not the language of the poet as a class but the language of mankind. It is the simple expression of pure passion by men living close to nature. The poetic language is the natural language; therefore, it must be spontaneous and instinctive. 

The Preface to the Lyrical Ballad is a masterpiece of work from which we will analyse Wordsworth's poetic diction in detail. In the theory of poetic diction he explained in detail his aim of poetic diction;

• Simple language
• Low of rustic life
• Common man
• Nature
• Emotions

Simple language in Wordsworth's poetic diction:-

In Wordsworth's poetic diction, the main Focus was on language. The age before romanticism or Wordsworth's age was an age of imitation where writers have only copied their ancient masters and followed their ancient masters and followed their trend, rules, and diction. It is known as pseudo-classical writers. Wordsworth revolted against the pseudo-classical writing and presented a new type of literature. Literature for common men.

Wordsworth was a poet who presents a new type of poetry as Lyrical Ballads. In which he uses language that is really used by the common men. He suggests language should be as simple as common people and their lives because simplicity opens vast areas for expressing ideas and thoughts clearly and we can only depict the true Nature through simple language.  As Wordsworth says poetry is a Spontaneous overflow of emotion that's why he argued to use the simple and common language.

Low and Rustic life:-

The poetry of Wordsworth deals with low and Rustic life. It means Poetry's subject matter dealt with the life of common people. The people who live in rural areas are the farmers, commoners and the rustic people. His poetry theme mostly reflects the common life, a domestic life full of imagination.

Common Man:-

As Wordsworth was a poet of common life. His poetry is for the common man. The infrastructure of his poetry is totally based on common people. He used the language of common people, he wrote his poetry for common people. The subject matter was from the rustic rural areas that only depend on nature and simplicity.

The common man's life is really near to nature and more realistic as compared to city life.  He uses the color of  imagination to make those incidents quite imaginative and charismatic, helping the reader to understand a better way of human nature.

Nature in Wordsworth's poetic diction:-

At the time of Wordsworth, the era was moving towards instructions, and urbanization which made the life of people completely disturbed and Wordsworth thinks that this majesty caused people's minds to grow numb. The creativity and simplicity turn apart from their lives, and people become more materialistic.

He wants his people to be close to nature and to keep his readers emotionally , morally and sensitively alive. His poems have a purpose to bring people back to nature. So his poetry is centred on nature. Nature poem allow the reader to 

• Experience simplicity
• Countryside joy
• Ordinary life
• Purity
• Lovely Nature and
• Aesthetic joy

Emotions:-

As Wordsworth says;

Wordsworth defines poetry as the Spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. It makes its origin from emotions recollected in tranquility.

He says good poetry is a composition of powerful feelings and emotions, poetry which raises the expression of the reader while reading the poetry. He always has to engage in the process to find out the best words to express his feelings and emotions. Emotions are the prime component of poetry that make poetry expressive and more imaginative.

In Biographia Literaria s.t. Coleridge shows strong disagreement to Wordsworth's poetic diction, he asks  Wordsworth what does mean by language "really used by men". Which means what reality, which real men, implying that are the people who are erodied city dwellers not real men. There is a famous poem by Wordsworth or Michael.  He is amidst nature. Now this is something a person of eighty years old, hell and hearty and amidst nature and that age need not be true with everybody who lives in countryside.  So you are selecting  somebody exclusive again. You are not talking about real life as real in the sense that happens with everyone and therefore neither your choice is real man nor the diction of a language truly speaking what you say really used by those men.

Q. 4  what is poetry? Discuss 'Daffodils- wandered as a lonely cloud' with reference to Wordsworth's poetic creed.

Definition of poetry:-

"Poetry is a Spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, it takes its origin from emotions recollected in tranquility."

This means that the poet observes an object, it sets off powerful emotions in his mind and lets them sink into his mind. At a later moment, he Recollected those emotions in tranquility and produced a poem. Poetry has its origin in the internal feelings of the poet. It is a matter of passion. Romantic poetry is dominated by only the genre of poetry. We can see that after Dryden, Wordsworth offers this definition. Here is Wordsworth's famous definition from his poem Daffodils,

Daffodils also known as "I wandered lonely as clouds". It is a lyrical poem by Wordsworth. It was first published in 1807 in poems, In two volumes and as a revision in 1815. The poem contains four stanzas. First three stanzas in past tense and fourth stanza in present tense. The poem begins with,

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on High O'er vales and hills."

The first stanza of poetry in the past tense.  Poet describes how he walked around and felt lonely as a cloud. While roaming in the valley he suddenly sees a crowd, a host, of golden Daffodils. It shows that the poet is sharing something that took place in the past, but if we look towards the last stanza the poet uses the present tense,

"For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude."

In the fourth and final stanza, the poet says that while sitting on his couch and in vacant or pensive mood, the memories of those Daffodils flash upon his inward eye i.e. his spiritual or romantic vision.

Their memory then becomes the source of joy in his solitude. His heart is then filled with pleasure and dance with the Daffodils. Thus the memory of the Daffodils becomes his companion in his solitude and taking away all his sorrows and boredom makes his spirit dance with them.

According to his definition of poetry, if we follow Daffodils stanza by stanza we will find just looking at the tense gives us how this Recollected in tranquility happens and then the poem ends. We can see how very well this poem in a nutshell, the small poem works out the definition of Wordsworth.

So, we can say that Daffodils is a perfect example of his preface to Lyrical Ballads. This poetry is totally based on his poetic ideas. So we can say that Wordsworth was a Nature poet and revolutionary poet and his poetry is simple, full of emotion and imagination.

Thank you 

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