Classic English Literature
The ‘Lyrical Ballads’ is a combined work of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, published in the year 1789, which can be referred to as an autobiography, a philosophical work, and also a literary criticism. The fundamental principles presented in this work is the creative imagination of both the authors. The poetic principles that Wordsworth had presented in the ‘Preface’ of the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads essentially denounce a kind of revolution with respect to the critical notions concerning the lyrical language, the subject matter of the poetry, and also the role played by the poet. Dismissing the conventional belief that poetry should always essentially deal with preeminent topics/issues and should necessarily conform to a formal writing style, Wordsworth on the contrary, advocated for more autonomous and representative themes to be included, like for instance, themes that deal with the daily lives of general public, farmers, indigents, and/or the peasants.
As quoted by Wordsworth in the ‘Preface,’ “For all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: and though this be true, Poems to which any value can be attached were never produced on any variety of subjects but by a man who, being possessed of more than usual organic sensibility, had also though long and deeply.”
He also advocates use of ordinary language or the people’s language in writing poetry, in contrast to the highly crafted language that was customary to poetry in those days. Wordsworth also emphasizes on the power of human mind, specifically the human memory power, through which adults can recall the connection with their past memories of their childhood as well as youth years. For instance, in his most renowned poetic masterpiece ‘Daffodils,’ Wordsworth is seen constantly focusing on the theme of vision and sight, which according to him are the catalysts of human transformation. In this particular poem, the speaker daydreams of the early strolls through nature that “flash upon that inward eye / which is the bliss of solitude (Wordsworth, 284, 21–22).
These principles were represented by many romantic poets in their poetry, for instance, by the likes of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Lord Byron in their works: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Darkness respectively.
Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ was regarded as both a moral as well as philosophical puzzle as it was a representation of the principles of poetry that Wordsworth delineated in the ‘Preface.’ In this particular work, Coleridge attempts to obtaining a link between the subtler forces of nature and the psyche of human beings and was a clear evidence of his imagination, which is evident from the following verses taken from this work:
“The wedding-guest sate on a stone
He cannot chose but hear,
And thus spoke on that ancient man,
The bright-eyed Mariner.
And he shone bright, and on the right,
Went down into the Sea (Coleridge, 422, 20-29).”
Byron on the contrary, while having been influenced by Wordsworth and also known to have become the only popular poet after Wordsworth during those days, essentially despises the former’s work and he presents contradictory tendencies in his work. Although Byron was criticized by many people for not meeting the standards delineated by Wordsworth in terms of poetry writing, he is known for incorporating themes like human culture and various nature related themes in his works, which find similarity with that of Wordsworth. The starting verses of his work ‘Darkness’ are evidence to this, which read:
“I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
The bright sun was extinguish’d, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space (Byron, 514, 1-3)”
Works Cited
Byron, Lord. "Darkness." Greenblatt, M.H. Abrams & Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000. 514.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. "The Rime of Anceint Mariner." Greenblatt, M.H. Abrams & Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000. 422.
William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Lyrical Ballads and Other Poems. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited, 2003. Web. 04 April 2016. <https://books.google.co.in/books?id=JW83Xx6q6cIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=preface+to+lyrical+ballads&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjBsob91frLAhWXB44KHXRjD80Q6wEIIzAB#v=onepage&q=for%20all%20good%20poetry&f=false>.
Wordsworth, William. "Daffodils." Greenblatt, M.H. Abrams & Steephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 2. New York: W..W. Norton & Company, 2000. 284.
