Coleridge provides a summary and critique of Wordsworth's views on poetic diction as expressed in the preface to Lyrical Ballads. He objects that not all of Wordsworth's characters are truly from low and rustic life, and their language cannot be attributed solely to their environment. Additionally, the language of rustics is too limited to form the basis of poetic language, as it lacks ideas, thoughts, and vocabulary derived from reflection. While Wordsworth aimed to use natural language, Coleridge argues the best parts of language come from thinking on noble concepts, not the direct expressions of rustics. Their views thus differ on the proper sources and qualities of language suitable for poetic works.

1. Biographia Literaria by
S.T.Coleridge
Chapter No: 17
Presenters:
 Sheeza Riaz bsf1700168
 Sana Moazzam bsf1700497
 Sehrish Noreen bsf1700338
 Sidra Zulfiqar bsf1700187
 Aleena Sadiq bsf1700589
 Fareeha Shaukat bsf1700342

2. Outline
 Wordsworth’s praise
 Coleridge’s difference
 Objections of Coleridge
 Coleridge’s criticism
 Coleridge’s opinion on education
 Wordsworth’s opinion regarding
1-Object of poetry
2-Laguage

3. Paragraph no.1
Wordsworth praise by Coleridge:
He praises Wordsworth for:
1. Reformation in the poetic diction
 In preface,wordsworth writes that he
chose low and rustic life .he asserts
that the langage of poetry is “a
selection of the real langage of man”.

4. 2.Figures and metaphors:
 strong They were natural product of
genuine and passion in the original poets,
but they became artificial decoration with
course of time when there was no genuine
passion to support them.

5. 3.Pleasurable confusion in mind:
 He stressed the way in which pleasurable
confusion in mind in the reader produce by
new words and images is the artificial
poetic diction of the 18th century is
mistaken for a pleasurable state induce by
natural langage.

6. 4.Natural language:
 He tried vigorously to establish truth and
nature in poetry.
Efforts of Wordsworth are justifiable:
 Not only in the verses of those who are
agree with his genius but even of those
who have distinguished themselves by
hostility to his theory are the impression of
his principle plainly visible.

7. 2-Coleridge Differences
 Wordsworth says that the proper
diction for poetry consists altogether in
a language which actually constitute
the natural conversation of men under
the influence of natural feelings.

8. Coleridge Objections
Its is applicable only to
certain classes of poetry
Even to these classes it
is not applicable except
in such a sense as hath
never by anyone
This cannot be
applicable as a rule

9. Exciting Causes by Coleridge
 Three exciting cases that can ensure
pleasure:
 Naturalness of the things represented.
 Apparent naturalness of the imitation
is superior to a mere copy.
 The conscious feeling of superiority is
awakened by the contrast presented
to the reader.

10.  Wordsworth prefer low and rustic life he
thinks that in that condition the essential
passions find a better soil in which they
can attain their maturity. Humble and
rustic life is less under restrain . It speaks
a plainer and emphatic language.

11. Upto Sana Moazzam

12. Coleridge’s Criticism
 Wordsworth introduced persons from low or rustic
life.
 Coleridge criticize that not all Wordsworth
characters are chosen from low or rustic life.
 Secondly, their language and sentiments are
attributable to causes. They do not arise from
occupation and abode.
 Their thoughts ,feelings, language and manner
presented in poetry are as same as those of
people living in town .
Ruth
Michael
The Brothers

13. Coleridge’s Criticism
 Wordsworth talks in favor of common
and rustic language in poetry.
 Coleridge opposes such comments o
language.
 He proves that the rustic people and
their communications can never
formulate the best part of language as
Wordsworth believes.

14. Causes
• Independence: which raises a man above servility.
People love liberation. They struggle to retain the
simplicity and humanity of their worldly life.
 When we are liberal, our choice of words is
according to certain situation.
• Religious Education: which makes a man well-
versed in the Bible and other holy books.
 People receive religious education in Church. For
example ,a religious person has wide education
related to Bible than a common person who just
studies Bible in schools.

15.  Wordsworth characters result from these two
causes, and not from their rural life and
occupation.
 Even if they lived in the city ,away from Nature.
They would have similar sentiments and similar
language.
Dr. Henry More’s remark:
“ A man of confined education, but of
good parts, by constant reading of the Bible will
naturally form a more winning and commanding
rhetoric than those that are learned, the
intermixture of tongues and of artificial phrases
debasing their style”

16. Coleridge’s opinion on
Education
 Coleridge said that for the human soul
to prosper in rustic life ,two things are
required .
Natural sensibility
Suitable education
• In the absence of these advantages in
rural conditions the maid hardens and
a man grows “selfish , sensual , gross
and hard hearted”.

17. Coleridge agree with Aristotle
 Here Coleridge agrees with Aristotle’s
point of view that the characters of
poetry must be universal and typical.
 They must represent some class as
well as general human nature.
 Wordsworth’s characters are
representatives in his own sense.

18. Example
 Lets take the example of
mountaineers, whose manners have
been so often praised , are in general
better educated and greater readers
than men of equal rank elsewhere.

19. Literary devices
– An allusion to a religious text, story,
or figure.
Here “Bible” is used.
Literary – An allusion to a literary text
or figure.
The quote of Dr. Henry More is literary
allusion.
Literary refernce is used.
Poems written by Wordsworth.

20. Upto Sehrish Noreen

21. 1-Different point of view
2-Imitation of Aristotle idea
I. Poetry is "essential ideal”.
II. It represent class not individual.
III. Poetry must be generic attribute of the class.
IV. poetry is ideal because we discuss fiction not
facts.
V. Ideal world discuss in poetry.
Plato said that every poet produce a copy of a copy
which is basically copy of an ideal world."

22. D/B INDIVIDUAL AND CLASS
1. We do not count any individual in poetry.
we only discuss the class.
2. All common attributes will be present in
class and we would not only discuss individually.

23. D/B Theocratic and imaginary
golden age
1-he was ancient poet. He has discussed rustic
life. The swains if theocratic were ideal. They
possess class characteristics or qualities of
ordinary man.
2- The swin of imaginary golden age is different
from the real swains and they possess their own
individual characteristics.
So, theocratic view is different from the poet of
Golden age.
Coleridge is strongly agree with the point of
view of theoretic.

24. • Analysis of the poem "The
brother"
• Nature of human being is clearly
seen in their poem "The idiot
boy"

25. 1-According to critics, he does not pay attention
and concern to mitigate the moral corruption
and wickedness...
2-Instead of letting us know about the affection
and compassion of a mother due to which it is
seen as a comic poem to us...
3-Coleridge disagree with Wordsworth because
he has portrayed an unrealistic mother
character. She is not so much real and native
product of situation where the essential
passions of heart find is better soil.

26. Upto Sidra Zulfiqar
bsf1700187

27. In the “Thorn”, the poet himself
acknowledges in an introductory poem, in
which he should have portrayed the
character of a person from whom the words
of the poem are supposed to proceed.
o A character should be:
Moderately Imaginative
Of slow faculties
Having deep feelings

28. To show the qualities in a certain
character we must ascribe those qualities in
that man.
 For Example:
It is not possible to imitate truly dull
and garrulous character without having the
effects of
Dullness
Garrulity

29. Whatever proceeds from the poet’s
own imagination and is spoken by his own
character will give us
 For Example:
Character of Ulysses in Odyssey
by Homer
Universal Delight

30.  William Wordsworth’s and Samuel Taylor
Coleridge’s point of view regarding
Choice of Character
Language of Character

31. Wordsworth’s View
He chose the character from low and rustic
life because:
 In that condition the essential passions of the
heart find a better soil in which they can attain
maturity.
 The manners of rural life germinate from those
elementary feelings.
 From the necessary character of rural occupations
are more easily comprehended and are more
durable.
 In that condition the passions of men are
incorporated with the beautiful and permanent
forms of nature.
 Speak plain and more emphatic language.

32. Wordsworth’s View
He chose rustic language because:
 “The language too of these men is adopted
(purified indeed from what appears to be its
real defects, from all lasting and rational
causes of dislike and disgust) because such
men hourly communicate with the best
objects from which the best of language is
originally derived; and because, from their
rank in society and the sameness and narrow
circle of their intercourse being less under the
action of social vanity, they convey their
feelings and notions in simple and
unelaborated expressions.”

33. Coleridge’s View
 As regards the first statement, the choice of
rustic characters and life, Coleridge points
out, first, that not all Wordsworth’s characters
are chosen from low and rustic life.
 Secondly, the language used by Wordsworth
is purified from all provincialism and
grossness, so far reconstructed by
universally acknowledged grammatical rules
which will not differ from the language of any
other man of common sense.
 Thirdly, rustics only have a fewer notions to
express in an indiscriminate way.

34. A Comparison between
Rustic men
…
• Imperfect
development of
faculties
…
• Aims to convey
insulated facts
…
• Scanty experiences
• Traditional beliefs
Learned men
…
• Seeks to discover facts
• Express connections
between the things
…
• Relative bearings of fact to
fact from which more or less
general law is deducible.
…
• Facts are valuable for them
because they led to the
discovery of indwelling law

35. Upto Aleena Sadiq

36. Wordsworth gives his opinion regarding
1.Object of poetry 2.language
1.Wordsworth
‘ From the objects with which the rustic communicates the best part of
language
is formed’
Coleridge:
 rustic men are acquitted with only a few things of life(express barest fa
not the ideas and thoughts from which universal laws are formed)
 the distinct knowledge of an uneducated rustic would furnish a very
scanty vocabulary.
 Experience of the rustic is very limited the facts at his disposal are
society.
He will fully express only ‘few things’ and ‘modes of action’, rest of the
nature
by a small number of confused general terms because of lack of exposu

37. 2. Wordsworth rejects the ‘ gaudliness and inane phraseology of
many modern writers’ and prefers ‘Words and combination of
words really used by men of rustic and humble life, can be said to
form the best part of language is formed’.
their language differ from ‘arbitrary and capricious habits of
expressions’ which can be find in poetry by ‘simple and
unelaborated expressions’
Coleridge:
 best language and arrangement cant be formed by confined
rustics because a common cultivated mind, overpowered by a
strong passion can utter broken words, repeat the sets of words
and phrases known to him ,in illogical arrangements.
which makes it difficult for a poet to make such a language fit for
poetry.
 the sounds used by brute creations to communicate cant be
considered a language.
 Rustic language is so deficient, missionaries preaching rural

38. Best part of human language
 is derived by reflection on the acts of mind itself , from the mind’s
dwelling on noble thoughts and ideals of humanity
 formed by voluntary appropriation of fixed symbols to internal
acts, to processes and results of imagination – natural
arrangement
greater part of it has no place in the consciousness of uneducated
man, whatever noble and poetic phrases, better words and
arrangements are derived by imitation of what they hear from their
religious instructors and other noble superiors, but not from nature.

39. Peculiarity of Rustic Language
Wordsworth asserts that the language(of rustic life which is
purified) arising out of repeated experience and regular
feelings is a more permanent and far more philosophical
than which is substituted for it by poets.
Coleridge say such language(modified) like that of Hooker
and bacon cant be attributed to rustics.(because rustics
language is particular and varies)
“If what is peculiar to each were omitted in each, the result
must need be the same”
The poet who uses an illogical diction or style by means of
groundless novelty forms a language of folly and vanity but
not of rustic and natural feeling.

40. Literary devices
 Metaphor (uses harvest for gain)
 Literary allusion (hooker,bacon,tom
brown,sir roger L’estrange)

41. Wordsworth :
“A selection of real language of men(of low and rustic life); I
propose myself to imitate and as far as it is possible to adopt the
very language of men. Between the language of prose and that of
metrical composition there neither is nor can be any essential
difference”
 Coleridge opposes Wordsworth and objects the use of the word
Real and essential difference.
Critics views:
1. In his essay by Birgit Flohr: Is there any essential difference
between the language of poetry and that of prose?
“Wordsworth speaks of prose and metrical composition and does
not say poetry is prose. He does not consider style but the function
of prose and poetry. As style of Westminster Abbey and St.Paul is
undoubtedly essentially different, they serve essentially the same
function. Similarly function of poetry and prose can be essentially
the same, namely expressive and emotive, while their style to
achieve this function can be essentially different.”

42. 2.M.H. Abram points out that it is a common opinion in
this time to regard poetry as “a vehicle of an emotional
state of mind” As such a vehicle poetry is opposed “not
to prose, but to unemotional assertions of facts or
sciences.
 so a poetry can be seen as a “spontaneous and
genuine expression of the emotional state” as
opposed to a simulated and artificial expression, and
this is in fact the argument Wordsworth uses in saying
that the poet has to use “the real language of men”
 (M.H.Abrams, The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic
Theory and the critical tradition, (oxford university
press: London, New York 1963,1971)

43. Upto Fareeha Shaukat

44.  Lyrical Ballad was evolved as a result of
frequent discussion and exchange of
views.
I was in my twenty year , he says when I
had the happiness of knowing Mr.
Wordsworth personally.
 Preface is long account of the nature,
qualification and functions of a poet,
demonstration of his superiority over the
man of science and examination of the
nature of poetic pleasure.

45.  F.W.Bateson says,
“A positive theory of poetic diction
current throughout the 18th century; the
belief not only that some modes of
diction were best avoided in poetry , but
that other modes were specially
suitable.”

46.  Coleridge objects against rustic language in poetic diction
 Wordsworth puts emphasis on poetic diction
“ a selection of real language of man”;
“language of these man(i.e. men in low and rustic life)
Wordsworth believes that a man’s words when he is strongly affected
by emotions(good/bad) are based on general truth.
 Communication with an object implies reflection on a language, and
the richness of the vocabulary arises from such reflection.
 Humble and rustic language and elementary feelings of human co
exist in a state of greater simplicity.
 But they can express only the barest facts of nature, and not the
ideas and thought.

47.  Wordsworth has used rustic language in his
poems ,if we see his poems ;I wandered lonely
as a cloud, my heart leaps up…
 Best parts of a man’s language does not result
merely from rustic language or real language
(Wordsworth’s point) of nature but from the
mind’s dwelling on noble thoughts and ideas and
others.
 Language has glimpse of individual, class to
which he belongs and words and phrase of
universal use.
 Coleridge objects against rustic language in
poetic diction.

48.  Every man’s language varies according to
the extent of his knowledge , activity of
his faculties and the depth and quickness
of his feelings.
 Coleridge objects to the ambiguity in the
use of the word “real”
 He(Wordsworth) himself not used rustic
characters and life.
Ruth the brothers, Michael are not rustic.

49.  There is no any essential difference
between language of prose and metrical
composition.
 Wordsworths himself not followed his theory
of poetic diction in his poetry and used
meters
 Language of conversation or rustic
language can’t make a poetry.
 Meter medicates the whole atmosphere and
so even the metaphors and similes used by
a poet are different in quality and frequency
from those of prose.
 There can be certain lines or even passage
which can be used both in prose and poetry

50. Language is both a matter and the
arrangements of words. Words both in poetry
and prose may be same but arrangement is
different.
 Passion is greater and of long endurance
and can be satisfied by a single
representation of image.
 One can be use unmeaning repetition,
habitual phrases and other blank counters
to hold up subject matter
 Repetition is beauty of the highest kind .
Song of Deborah here in an example

51. THANK YOU