Preface To Lyrical Ballads Critical Analysis

Preface to lyrical ballads
Critical Analysis
Zeeshan Alee Ansari
Though Wordsworth is not among the best English critic, not even the best
Romantic critic, his criticism has a great value and significance of its own. Preface to
Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth was published in 1798 and later in 1800 when he
extended the preface two years later. Wordsworth begins with a discussion of the
collection of poems, written mostly by Wordsworth with contributions by S.T. Coleridge,
which is cited as the most prominent reason responsible for the launch of Romantic Age
in English Literature.
It is evident that this collection of poems is intended at the masses and not
merely the aristocracy or those highly placed as previously the case would be, and
especially so, common men. Never before had poems dared to address the theme of
‘low and rustic’. This quality defines well the reason why a work of this nature must be
called ‘revolutionary’. It didn’t only change the way humanity would look at poems but
also attempted to question the moral values of the then society and hoped for much-
needed change, the intension of the initiative was as noble as the cause.
Lyrical Ballads is an exhausting explanation (calling it defence might outrage

Wordsworth) which even though with initial reluctance, later upon the insistence of
good wishers is pursued rigorously and presented before us as an imperfectly
constructed litigation document contradicting its own stand after every few pages. In
the very beginning, Wordsworth denies the charges of reasoning the reader into an
approbation of his work, however, in the very next paragraph; he very cleverly ridicules
the works of everyone from Terence to Shakespeare to Donne to Pope. He stoops to
every low possible, right from questioning the integrity and character of every poet
before him to calling the critics of his work as being in an unhealthful state of the
association, thus manifesting his bigoted self.
Further, another thing which is as perplexing as it is amusing is that he chooses to

see flaws in every aspect of the poets before him and shamelessly endorses his
ignorance of ‘vulgarity and meanness of ordinary life’, of ‘men’ whom he repeatedly
calls ‘flesh and blood’ and whom he so passionately boasts of including as a subject of
his poems, I, however, appreciate his choice being unostentatious in the language of the
poetic content. Perplexing because while it is a commendable Endeavour to include
those who’ve been shunned for ages, unaccepted by those whom he refers to as
intelligent readers, forget alone being muses of such an art, but what justification would
Wordsworth offer to the Poets whom he accuses of collecting ‘the sympathies of men,
and indulge in arbitrary and capricious habits of expression, in order to furnish food for
fickle tastes, and fickle appetites, of their own creation’ not to mention being ‘slavish
and mechanical’, is not it then amusing that he relentlessly advocates the cause of
common men, knowing well of ‘the great national events’, ‘accumulation of men in
cities’ and ‘craving for extraordinary incident’? Is he himself not appeasing a section of
men whom he predicts shall rule tomorrow? Is this not the kind of description a man
tired of atrocities of the upper class yearns to hear?
His brilliance is sure worth a mention for how well he manipulates us into
affirming to his standards of morality. Though I am completely empathetic with the
mammoth task he’d ventured himself into and the world of good that it had the
potential to bestow upon the then completely savagely world, having said that, it is no
justification for all the callousness he’s offered to us which in fact has ended up
affronting the sensibilities of many. I personally feel that the Preface to Lyrics Ballads
was least essential and has ended up being a scar on the image of an otherwise
marvellous Poet. The wings of change had witnessed a flight of its own just when the
first volume of these poems was published without a preface.

Preface To Lyrical Ballads Critical Analysis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Preface To Lyrical Ballads Critical Analysis

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Preface To Lyrical Ballads Critical Analysis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Preface to lyrical ballads

Lyrical Ballads is an exhausting explanation (calling it defence might outrage

Further, another thing which is as perplexing as it is amusing is that he chooses to

You might also like