The Rime of the Ancient Mariner depicted by Gustave Doré.

Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems is a collection of poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in 1798; it is typically considered to have marked the beginning of the Romantic movement in literature. Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( 21 October 1772 &ndash 25 July 1834) was an English Poet, Critic and philosopher Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the The immediate effect on critics was modest, but it became and remains a landmark, changing the course of English literature.

Most of the poems in the 1798 edition were written by Wordsworth, with Coleridge contributing only four poems to the collection, including one of his most famous works, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (original The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere) is the longest major Poem by the English Poet (And although it is only the two writers that are credited for the works. Dorothy Wordsworth - William's sister, influenced William's poetry immensely because he studied her diary which held powerful descriptions of their everyday surroundings. )

A second edition was published in 1800, in which Wordsworth added additional poems and a preface detailing the pair's avowed poetical principles. The Preface to the Lyrical Ballads was written by William Wordsworth in 1800 and enlarged with the second edition of the Lyrical Ballads in 1802 Another edition was published in 1802, Wordsworth added an appendix titled Poetic Diction in which he expanded the ideas set forth in the preface.

Content

Wordsworth and Coleridge set out to overturn what they considered the priggish, learned and highly sculpted forms of eighteenth century English poetry and bring poetry within the reach of the average man by writing the verses using normal, everyday language. They place an emphasis on the vitality of the living voice that the poor use to express their reality. Using this language also helps point out the universality of man's emotions. Even the title of the collection recalls rustic forms of art - the word "lyrical" links the poems with the ancient rustic bards and lends an air of spontaneity, while "ballads" are an oral mode of storytelling used by the common people.

In his famous "Preface" (1800, revised 1802)^[1] Wordsworth explained his poetical concept:

"The majority of the following poems are to be considered as experiments. The Preface to the Lyrical Ballads was written by William Wordsworth in 1800 and enlarged with the second edition of the Lyrical Ballads in 1802 They were written chiefly with a view to ascertain how far the language of conversation in the middle and lower classes of society is adapted to the purpose of poetic pleasure. "

If the experiment with vernacular language was not enough of a departure from the norm, the focus on simple, uneducated country people as the subject of poetry was a signal shift to modern literature. One of the main themes of "Lyrical Ballads" is the return to the original state of nature, in which man led a purer and more innocent existence. Wordsworth subscribed to Rousseau's belief that man was essentially good and was corrupted by the influence of society. This may be linked with the sentiments spreading though Europe just prior to the French Revolution.

Although the lyrical ballads is a collaborative work, only 4 of the poems in it are by Coleridge. Coleridge devoted much time in crafting 'The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere. ' Many of Coleridge's poems were unpopular with the audience and with fellow writer Wordsworth due to their macabre or supernatural nature.

Poems in the 1800 edition

The poems The Convict (Wordsworth) and Love (Coleridge) were in the 1798 edition but Wordsworth omitted them from the 1800 edition. Michael: A Pastoral Poem written in 1800 is a one of William Wordsworth 's most well-known poems and the subject of much critical literature Lewti or the Circassian Love-chaunt (Coleridge) exists in some 1798 editions in place of The Nightingale.

References

1. ^ Lyrical Ballads. The Wordsworth Trust (2005). Retrieved on 2006-03-18. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor

External links

• Lyrical Ballads 1798, available at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works
• Lyrical Ballads 1800 vol. 1, available at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works
• Lyrical Ballads 1800 vol. 2, available at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works
• Lyrical Ballads available at Internet Archive
• Preface to Lyrical Ballads 1802