Wordsworth & Coleridge

Welcome Readers!

                                               This blog is made on the grounds of a task assigned by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad Sir, Dean of Faculty of Arts and Head of English Department, M. K. Bhavnagar University to think on Wordsworth and Coleridge as critics and to write a blog as an answer to his assigned questions.

The eminent chapters which are to be evaluated are-

1. Wordsworth’s Preface to Lyrical Ballads 
2. Coleridge’s Biographia Literaria (Chapter 14)

Click here to view Dr. Dilip Barad Sir’s blog on Wordsworth’s Preface to Lyrical Ballads and click here to view his blog on Coleridge’s Biographia Literaria (Chapter 14)

Wordsworth & Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, at left, as painted by James Northcote. Right: William Wordsworth in an engraved portrait. 
Source- NYTimes

1. Write a brief note on the views of Wordsworth and Coleridge on Poem.

                                       If we see Wordsworth as a critic, he cannot be qualified as a critic either by training or temperament, but his Literary Criticism that is his “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” is usually considered as the manifesto of the English Romantic Movement. A deep study of his critical writings brings out his views regarding the nature of poetry and poetic diction.

  

                                             Coleridge, on the other hand is regarded as the best English critic by many scholars and his reputation as a critic is very high. Herbert Read considers his work “Biographia Literaria” to be of great value and sees him anticipating existentialism and Freud.

                               Here are some briefly explained points on Wordsworth’s and Coleridge’s views on Poem which during their stay in Somerset, had talked of the two cardinal points of poetry that is the power of rousing the consideration (relativity) of the reader by the truth of Nature and by giving the power of novelty and freshness with adding colors of imagination.

Chief Aspects	William Wordsworth	Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Creed	For Wordsworth, Poem and poetry both are same.	Coleridge tries to bring out the difference between prose and poetry and gives his definition of a poem.
Definition of Poetry/ Poem	Poetry is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, and that it takes its origin from emotions recollected in tranquility.	A poem is that species of composition, which is opposed to the works of science, by proposing for its immediate object pleasure, not truth; and from all the other species (having this object in common with it) it is discriminated by proposing to itself such delight from the whole, as is compatible with distinct gratification from each component part.
Meaning of Definitions	Wordsworth by the word ‘spontaneous’ does not mean ‘immediate’ or ‘sudden’ but calls spontaneity as ‘natural’ and hence poetry is the communication of ideas.	Coleridge tries to clarify the concept of a legitimate poem which is one in which things are harmonized with the rest of the composition.
Nature	In the process of artistic creation according to the definition of Wordsworth, ‘observation’ plays a vital role.	The nature of Coleridge’s views on the poem emphasizes more on ‘imagination’ – a power and prime agent of all human perception.
Subject-matter of poem	Wordsworth in his Preface chooses the incidents and situations from common life, to relate or describe them in a selected language used by men or general folks.	Coleridge extends the subject by saying that however beautiful or faithful the subject is to nature, it only becomes the imagery of higher worth when it molds and colors with poetic imagination.
Views of Poet	Wordsworth identifies three main characteristics of a poet- 1)   Exceptionally sensitive 2)  A man speaking to men 3)  A teacher; didactic element	The poet, according to Coleridge brings the whole soul of man into activity diffuses a tone and a spirit of unity with synthetic and magical power.

2. Analyze 2 poems with reference to Wordsworth and Coleridge's views.

America’s greatest and one of the most original poets of her age, Emily Dickinson’s poems are widely read and appreciated among people of all ages. Here are the two poems which are analyzed with reference to Wordsworth and Coleridge’s views.

SUCCESS IS COUNTED SWEETEST (112)

-EMILY DICKINSON

Success is counted sweetest

By those who ne'er succeed.

To comprehend a nectar

Requires sorest need.

Not one of all the purple Host

Who took the Flag today

Can tell the definition

So clear of victory

As he defeated – dying –

On whose forbidden ear

The distant strains of triumph

Burst agonized and clear!

                                          Emily Dickinson’s “Success is counted Sweetest” is a poem in a very simple language and it clearly fits in the canon of ‘Wordsworth’s Poetry’ or his poetic creed. This is a poem of a man speaking to men. It is also endowed with lively sensibility and tenderness and it also provides greater knowledge of human nature and a spirit of life in a very tranquil language. The poem further has the element of naturalness and unforced language. As Wordsworth emphasis more on observation, the poem simply is the result of these observational skills which plays a pivotal role in Wordsworth’s poetic creed. The subject matter of the poem is inspired by the daily events of common folks and tells a didactic tale of a failure who can only understand the real worth of success.

                                                                        As far as Coleridge’s views of any poem are concerned, the present poem of Emily Dickinson proposes a kind of pleasure with truth. All three stanzas mutually support each other and explain each other with perfect harmony. A ‘legitimate’ poem according to Coleridge has a certain metrical arrangement. This poem also has a particular metrical arrangement- The meter consists of iambic trimeter and iambic tetrameter with a rhyming scheme of the poem is ABCB. Each stanza itself to some extent delights the readers. The theme is perfectly harmonized with the rest of the composition. Only failures fully understand the meaning of success. Dickinson announces this theme in the first two lines and the whole composition talks about it in a better way.

"Success is counted sweetest

By those who ne'er succeed."

                                                          As far as the power of imagination is concerned, with an unemotional and impersonal tone, in the second stanza, the imaginative tone of the purple host becomes the prime agent of human perception. 

“HOPE” IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS - (314)

BY EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

                                            Emily Dickinson in her poem ““Hope” is the thing with feathers” uses the abstract identity of Hope as a bird- a human entity. The poet uses a small bird to convey her message. Wordsworth’s theory of memory that is observing nature and then giving shape to that flow of words with essential truth is indeed worth noting. Hence this poem is a product of emotions recollected in tranquility and simply generalizing the idea of hope in a simple language like “a man speaking to men”. Life in a humble setting is beautifully incorporated by the metaphor of a bird. Hence, deep philosophical truth about life is presented. This intensity of understanding takes us back to Wordsworth’s thoughts and his poetic diction is what we believe as the natural language of the passions. As Wordsworth believes that a poet must make an attempt to reveal truth through imaginative things, Emily Dickinson in her poem has described hope as maneuvering human’s desire.

                                               According to the parameters of Coleridge’s views on the poem, Emily Dickenson’s poem contains a unique rhyme scheme ABBB and has iambic trimeter. With the use of so many figurative languages, it is designed in a poetic form, the poet has used personification and metaphor in this poem to make the work creative and this way it contracts science for proposing for its immediate objects. The poem has justified the views of Coleridge by molding the theme with poetic imagination. The poem indeed contains a spirit of unity with synthetic and magical power. The metaphor in the first two lines gives a charm to whole poetry indeed with a spirit of unity of concept.

Thank you.