Romanticism Blog

Written by: Nick Schenken January 31, 2020

In these first two weeks of class, we have read several works of literature by many different British authors. One which particularly sticks out is the argument made in William Wordsworth’s preface to Lyrical Ballads. In this preface, Wordsworth pinpoints three primary guiding rules for composition such as that in Lyrical Ballads. He states that it essential for poetry to be about nature and life within nature and then goes on to say that he believes lyrical ballads are important, because they back reinforce the idea that poetry is indeed a form of art. His final reason is the one in which I would primarily like to focus on today. For his final guiding principle for composition, Wordsworth makes the claim that quality poetry never has to be super complex and filled with a wide variety of literary devices in order to make it effective and truly grasp a reader’s attention as well as their emotions. In other words, Wordsworth believes that simple, but deliberate, word choice and clean lines can make up some of the best poetry.

During week two of class, we read the poem, “The Lime-tree Bower my Prison,” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge in this poem exemplifies Wordsworth’s last point very well in this poem, by using very simple, easy to understand words, while also writing about nature, his own internal self-reflection, and human’s role within that environment. For example, in the final stanza of the poem, Coleridge writes, “and I watch’d/ Some broad and sunny leaf, and lov’d to see/ The shadow of the leaf and stem above/ Dappling its sunshine! And that walnut-tree/ Was richly ting’d, and a deep radiance lay/ Full on the ancient ivy, which usurps/ Those fronting elms, and now, with blackest mass/ Makes their dark branches gleam a lighter hue/ Through the late twilight: and though now the bat/ Wheels silent by, and not a swallow twitters, Yet still the solitary humble-bee/ Sings in the bean-flower! Henceforth I shall know/ That Nature ne’er deserts the wise and pure;” (l. 53-65). As we can see here in this passage, as previously mentioned, Coleridge is using extremely simple language, nothing too complex that would intentionally throw a reader off or confuse them. Instead, while maintaining these simple terms and lines, he is still able to say what he wishes to say and delivers a poem packed full of emotions and detail. Through this poem, Coleridge, ever-so elegantly backs up Wadsworth’s arguments about poetry and composition.