"Preface to Lyarical Ballads" by Wordsworth

Here I am giving the answer of questions which is asked by our teacher as thinking activity for us on “Preface To Lyrical Ballads” by William Wordsworth. And the questions are as below.

1) Do you agree with Wordsworth's poetic creed?

Basically in this preface Wordsworth talking about his style pf writing poetry which is different than other poets so here he want to justify his writing. In this he talk about, what is poet?, and the language of poem, subject of poem etc.

Here Wordsworth says that “A poet is a man speaking to men endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, who rejoices more than other men it the spirit of life; habitually impelled to creative volitions, passions and situations where he does not find them.”

In this matter I’m agree with Wordsworth as he says that poet is like any other man who talk with others through his poem and he can enjoy nature more, now in this case Wordsworth don’t want to say that poet can enjoy more the same enjoyment can done by who is not poet but here he wants to say that by expressing his feelings through writing he enjoys more. It is enjoyment pf expression which poet can show by his ability of writing. Wordsworth also says that poet has power of imagination and through this power he can create things which doesn’t exists and this shows the ability of poet.

After Dryden’s definition of play, Wordsworth is the one who gave definition of poem. So we can say that Wordsworth want to divert the attention from play or drama to the poem. And his definition is like “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. It takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.”

In this definition Wordsworth use two totally opposite  extreme feelings, first is spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, which means the outburst of feelings and second is recollected in tranquility, which means the emotions recollected in peace. Here very aptly he put every word. Poem can not write without feelings and that feelings should have the extreme level but it is not like that you just burst it out, to write a poem the exercise of mind is needed so he use recollected in tranquility which means that outburst of feelings you recollect in peace and give it shape of poem and after recollect all those feelings you again can feel that spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling.

“Daffodils” which is written by Wordsworth is very apt example of his definition of poem, in this poem first three stanzas are in past tense and the last stanza is in present tense which shows both feelings spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings and recollected in tranquility.

2) Do you think poems are better written with simple language or obscure language? Do common men make better suject for poem than landlords, rich people? Is poet a genius as coleridge thinks or is he common man speaking to common men as wordsworth thinks?

As per my opinion both simple and obscure language is needed in writing because the simple language provides the understanding in easy way that lay man also can understand and the obscure language or the use of highly rhythmic or intellectual language gives an artistic touch to poem and provides a different height to the poem. Both the things are different one has feeling of simplicity the other has charm of decoration, so I think poem can written in any language the thing which make poem better is the presentation of your feelings with the use of suited language or words.

Second thing I am not agree that common men make better subject for poem and rich people cannot. Both have different feelings, if common men is close to nature and it gives natural feelings then rich people or city people can give the feeling of hypocrisy. So there is nothing like nature can be the better subject for poem and city cannot. Everything can give different feelings and it is poet’s choice to write on which subject and the creativity of poet help to make better poem.

Third question is that, is poet a genius as Coleridge thinks or is he common man speaking to common men as Wordsworth thinks? I think poet is both because poet write poems to show his feelings to others which make him common man speaking to common men, but he is genius also because poet has the power of imagination and ability to create something new or something his own which does not exists in real world. Poet is like any other man but his quality of writing, his power of imagination, and his creativity makes him different.

Thank you.