The Preface to lyrical ballads is a poetry collection which ushered in the Romantic Era in English Literature. It was co-authored by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was published in the year 1798. It houses one of the most important poems of 18th century called "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".

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thinkreadadapt July 21, 2023
PREFACE TO THE LYRICAL BALLADS
vibrant-thinkreadadapt.wordpress.com/2023/07/21/preface-to-the-lyrical-ballads/
William Wordsworth (*AI Generated)

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Samuel Taylor Coleridge (*AI Generated)
Lyrical Ballads, With a Few Other Poems
This poetry collection was released in the year 1798. It was co-authored by Wordsworth
and Coleridge. Now, the context to keep in mind is that:
“Poetry” has historically been viewed as the higher expression of thought, in
comparison to prose.
Moreover, only the higher strata was privy to the act of indulging in poetry
because the language was representative of their tastes and verbal
mannerisms.
Preface/Advertisement to Lyrical ballads

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Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

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The key points of the advertisement/preface to the Lyrical Ballads speaks of:
1. Poetry as an experiment – This poetry collection was an attempt at experimenting
with language itself.
The poets wanted to create poetry that represented the language of the
common folk. It could be termed “an act of secularisation of poetry”.
2. Suggests that people looking for figurative and fancy language will have a tough
time looking for familiar forms of poetry.
Because the book offers poetry in contrast to what previously constituted
poetry.
3. Poet suggests – What you will find is “a collective of human experiences, events
and passions”.
Thoughts, Intentions and Perspective

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Poetry – A word with disputed meaning
The poet suggests that people differ in their ideas on what constitutes poetry.
Therefore, the poet highlights that there is a scope for change.
The enemy of pleasure is the “preconceived” notions that human beings hold.
So, it is suggestive of the idea that being ‘rigid’ will only ensure that you
restrain yourself from experiencing life in its fullness.
The poet foresees disapproval/approval from certain people
The people who value fancy language in poetry will be disappointed, but
people whose thoughts are in keeping with the new times (meaning late 18th
century) will be happy about the poetry within the book collection.
Poet quotes Sir Joshua Reynolds, a famous painter, in saying that:
time is required to acquire a taste over anything.
Therefore, suggesting that the readers must give some time and thought to
the ideas in the collection to get acquainted with this new format of poetry.
Conclusion
Therefore, the preface to the Lyrical ballads is an introduction to stories within poetry that
juxtapose fact with fiction and the real with the fantastical. With the poet’s conversational
and confiding tone, the poet initiates what became the foundation for the Romantic Era.
Watch this 10 second video for a brief idea on the topic covered above.

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