On William Wordsworth's Preface to Lyrical Ballads

On William Wordsworth’s Preface to Lyrical Ballads The late 18th century saw a fundamental change in the historically rigid structure of poetry, as witnessed by the collection of poems entitled Lyrical Ballads, penned by William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge. At first deemed an experiment, Lyrical Ballads garnered enough interest and favor to warrant Wordsworth’s “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” in 1802, as an introduction to the second edition of the collection. This revolutionary preface became a manifesto of sorts, ushering in a period of poetry defined by descriptions of raw emotion, while straying away from the hierarchy of past poetry. More specifically, Wordsworth advocated a break from poetic diction and a divergence from traditional meter and decorum. By lowering himself from the elitist standards that poet’s were held to, Wordsworth could emulate the speech and imagery of the common man, in order to better capture the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” that he felt was indicative of good poetry. Although Coleridge did not share all of the same views as Wordsworth, these two poets, drawing from nature and everyday life, helped pioneer an unprecedented era of poetry. In the publication of Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth aimed to attack the traditional view of poetry, and break away from the strict adherence to the rules and guidelines that accompanied the craft. He vowed to avoid the lofty language of poetic diction, the elevated speech and aristocratic word choice that served as the mold for all good poetry. In regards to poetic diction, Wordsworth claims, “I have taken as much pains to avoid it as others ordinarily take to produce it” (Wordsworth 267). He felt that too many proclaimed poets had followed this recipe blindly throughout the 17th century. Instead, Wordsworth sought to speak in “the real language of men in a state of vivid sensation” (Wordsworth 263). The poems he wrote in Lyrical Ballads reflect this claim, as he tried to use words

Cited: Bialostoky, Don. Coleridge’s Interpretation of Wordsworth’s Preface to Lyrical Ballads. PMLA, Vol. 93, No. 5. Oct., 1978, pp. 912-914. Masson, David. Burt Franklin: Research and Source Works Series 489-Woodsworth, Shelley, Keets. New York, 1875. Schulz, Max. Wordsworth and the 1800 Preface to Lyrical Ballads. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 5, No. 4. 1975, pp. 619-639.