"PREFACE TO LYRICAL BALLADS"

William Wordsworth
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wordsworth)

Preface to the Lyrical Ballads
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preface_to_the_Lyrical_Ballads)

          With the beginning of romantic view of Art by the two schelegel brothers and schelling, Europe soon affected by the romantical view. With that men of genius, such as William Wordsworth and S. T Colridge voiced their protest against neo classicism and it was the main step which rised as the romantic criticism. The critics who were in the romantic period had freedom to inquire the poetry therefore, they ignored rules which made by their ancestors. Then they considered about nature and functions of poetry as well as poetry was no longer considered as imitation instead of it became the expressions of emotion and imagination.

          William Wordsworth who should have given the credit to give a particular shape and direction to English romantic criticism was born in 1770 in North West England. The most prominent idea of him is man and nature are inseparable. And according to him the inspiration is not a divine process. It comes from only the direction experience of the sense.  Using his creativeness he produced most famous works such as Daffodils, Tintern Abbey, Solitary reaper London etc, which famoused only after his death. Additionally his first comprehensive attempt which used to build up a theory of poetry is "PREFACE TO LYRICAL BALLADS". And it was a Revolt against many traditional concepts of poetry as poetic diction and theme.

          Preface to lyrical ballads is a volume of poem that combination of Wordsworth and ST coleridge; first published anonymously in 1798, without  preface only with a brief advertisement. It consists with 23 poem. 19 poems of Wordsworth and only four poems were Colridge's. Then with the Second Edition in 1800,  added detailed preface and with it, the preface became the most important single document which consists about theory of poetry in the history of English criticism.

          So far writers used any subject between heaven and Earth to write poems, but Wordsworth took the incidents, situations and characters from low and rustic life. It was the main feature of his view of the poetry and according to him it also was the principle object in the poem. He defines good poetry or his definition of poetry is the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings and emotions re collected in tranquility". When we break above definition into three stages, the first stage of the poetic process is "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings". The next is their recollection in tranquility and the last is their expressions through poetry.
          However at the first glance that definition seems like a combination of two unsuitable processes. Because it has the spontaneous overflow and at the same time recollection of tranquility. But he says good poetry never is produced with immediate expression of powerful emotions, anyone cannot order a poet to write a poem or poet also cannot write according to their sweet will. The emotion flow out volunteerly, but it has to pass at least four stages to become a good product. They are,

1. observation or perception
2. recollection
3. contemplation
4. composition

          

          Then as a poet people cannot say anything without thinking and filterring their emotions whether it is good to say or not, and how to say. Therefore with this process poems enlighten the reader and purify their emotions. And poetry gives universal truth, at the same time it brings something infinite to infinite. Hence poetry superior to history and philosophy. It appeals to Heart and Soul therefore, it is superior to Science as well. Though according to traditional poets,  pleasure and instruct were the functions of poetry Wordsworth revealed pleasure as the function. But it is not a mere thing which makes man happy inspite of it is increased knowledge and understanding of man and then makes a man wise. So that it leads man to see their life from a vantage point of view.

          The chief words of the preface are, "poet uses humble and rustic life".

  "Humble and rustic life was generally chosen because the passions of the heart can attain their maturity and speak a plainer and more emphatic language".
 
Because of their simplicity, not sophisticated they are the suitable way to speak. And rather than words and subjects of the city he chosed from the countryside as the truth of nature to make poetry.

          Then he rejects the standard poetic diction with the consideration of their figures, mataphors, similes and others as the unnecessary decorations which aroused disgust rather than pleasure. Instead of he defines poetic diction as a language of common man. Because of the naturality of the common man's ; spontaneous and instinctive.  As well as he mentioned that poetic diction must not contain vulgarity and disgusting elements.

"Poet is a man of Greater sensibility,  observation, reflection, imagination and greater powers of communication."

Then poet is the person who put others above philosophy using poetry. Moreover he differ from others because poet's sensibility leads them to observe more deeply than other and that observation comprehend truth which to others were blind. Then the skill of communication is the gift that a poet has to give pleasure for readers by their purified emotions.

          After he said,
"Poet is a man speaking to men."

The reason for it is everyone use common man's language and it was slapped to the other literature era. Thus poet having more comprehensive soul to share feelings without directly but accurately.

"Every great poet is a teacher."
was his final conclusion when he talks about poets and he led to the conclusion of preface as,
"There is no essential difference between process and metrical composition. There only difference is that poetry uses metre."

          However as the result of producing preface to lyrical ballads, many criticism were made behind it. Among them Colridge was the first critic who criticized his language and other many weaknesses. And also H.W Garrod, Derek Roper put critical comments on it. Besides T.S Eliot against with Wordsworth and he said that the rustic language is not based on the class of people if upper class also have rustic people they will also use rustic language. In addition to that Wordsworth's neglection of metre, was considered as the weakest point of the Preface by Garrett. However as the main figure of the period of romantic criticism, William Wordsworth effectively figured out his conception of poetry using "Preface to lyrical ballads."

                                        By
                   ❤️Tharushi Fernando❤️