Lyrical Ballads Criticism
Lyrical Ballads, a landmark poetry collection by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is crucial in the advent of Romanticism in English literature. First published anonymously in 1798, this work marked a profound shift in poetic language and subject matter, as articulated in Wordsworth's "Preface" to the 1800 edition. This document redefined the role of poetry and its language, advocating for themes centered on ordinary life and emotional authenticity over classical formality.
The collaboration between Wordsworth and Coleridge was a result of their close intellectual partnership, which began in the mid-1790s. Their shared vision for poetry as a vehicle for exploring everyday experiences, psychological depth, and societal critique shaped the Lyrical Ballads. As noted by Marjorie Latta Barstow, Wordsworth's use of common language was a bold experiment, albeit not entirely successful in capturing psychological states. The poems also sought to foster empathy for the marginalized, subtly critiquing contemporary social policies.
While initially met with skepticism and criticism, the collection eventually garnered appreciation for its earnest simplicity and focus on the rural poor, as echoed in the praise for Lyrical Ballads. The intertwining of natural and supernatural elements, as discussed by Roger N. Murray, added a layer of complexity to the poems. Over time, Lyrical Ballads has garnered significant scholarly attention, with critics like Stephen Prickett examining its thematic unity despite diverse styles.
The collection's influence extends beyond its initial reception, impacting subsequent literary movements and continuing to be a subject of rigorous academic study. Themes of nature, emotion, and the supernatural, alongside the poets' philosophy on the human condition, make Lyrical Ballads a cornerstone of Romantic literature.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Lyrical Ballads.
(summary)
In the following review, the anonymous author praises Edward Dowden's reprint edition of Lyrical Ballads, asserting that Wordsworth's literary influence has been more enduring than that of Coleridge.
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Lyrical Ballads.
(summary)
In the following review, the anonymous author notes that Lyrical Ballads did not meet with the critical response it deserved when originally published and recommends a closer study of the poems to highlight their merit.
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The Lyrical Ballads
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In the following excerpt, Barstow discusses Wordsworth's experimental use of the language of common individuals in Lyrical Ballads, noting that his attempt to reflect psychological states through diction was not successful.
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Paradox and Equivocation
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In the following excerpt, Murray explores Wordsworth's use of illusory imagery in the Lyrical Ballads of 1800, emphasizing that the poet employs this technique to make a connection between the real and supernatural realms.
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Dionysus in Lyrical Ballads
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In the following essay, Davie discusses Wordsworth's emphasis on the pleasure of perception as the hallmark of his poetry, placing the poet's ideas in the context of classical and Romantic theories of composition.
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The Ballad as Pastoral
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In the following excerpt, Parrish maintains that in the Lyrical Ballads of 1798 and 1800, Wordsworth combined eighteenth-century traditions of the ballad and pastoral genres.
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Unity and Diversity
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In the following excerpt, Prickett highlights several key poems of the Lyrical Ballads as contributing to the unity of this collection. He argues that despite the diversity of themes and styles, there exists a 'life' and 'grand design' to the Lyrical Ballads, which can be shown through a detailed examination of a select number of important poems.
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‘The Tragic Super-Tragic’ and Salisbury Plain
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In the following excerpt, Jacobus provides a detailed reading of Wordsworth's Salisbury Plain, noting that the poem is pivotal because it signals the poet's growing awareness of the realities of human suffering.
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Morality through Experience: Lyrical Ballads 1798
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In the following excerpt, Glen compares selected poems from the 1798 Lyrical Ballads with William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience.
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‘Leaping and lingering’: Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads
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In the following essay, Parrish examines Coleridge's understanding of the ballad form, both as seen through his collaboration with Wordsworth in Lyrical Ballads and through his notion of the supernatural.
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‘Michael,’ ‘Christabel,’ and the Poetry of Possession
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In the following essay, Eilenberg examines the substitution of Wordsworth's “Michael” in place of Coleridge's “Christabel” as the last poem in the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads. The author then evaluates the interrelationship between “Michael” and “Christabel,” as well as that of their authors.
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Lyrical Ballads: The Current of Opinion
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In the following excerpt, Campbell provides an overview of critical reaction to Lyrical Ballads from earliest responses to the 1990s. Campbell then sketches the social and political context in which the collection was published and explores the philosophical aspects of the collaboration between Wordsworth and Coleridge.
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The Haunted Language of the Lucy Poems
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In the following excerpt, Eilenberg focuses on Wordsworth's “Lucy” poems as they reflect his sense of loss and his relationship to nature and his own poetry.
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‘Elementary Feelings’ and ‘Distorted Language’: The Pragmatics of Culture in Wordsworth's ‘Preface to Lyrical Ballads’
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In the following essay, Pfau provides a revisionist reading of the “Preface” to the Lyrical Ballads, looking past the traditional connotations of the Romantic verbiage that Wordsworth employs and finding “a landmark document in romantic cultural and social theory.”
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Revaluating Revolution and Radicalness in the Lyrical Ballads
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In the following essay, Liu examines the influence of the French Revolution on Wordsworth's poetry in Lyrical Ballads, suggesting that he attempted to work out his personal and political response to revolutionary ideas through his poetry.
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Guardians and Watchful Powers: Literary Satire and Lyrical Ballads in 1798
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In the following essay, Stabler discusses Lyrical Ballads in the context of British satirical writings against the perceived threat of Jacobinism.
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Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads, and the Problem of Peasant Poetry
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In the following essay, McEathron discusses Wordsworth's appropriation and reworking of the popular “peasant poetry” phenomenon for use in the Lyrical Ballads.
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Lyrical Ballads.
(summary)
- Further Reading