TITLE: - Relevance of Wordsworth’s theory of poetic diction in modern times.

1- Introduction.

2-Research problem:-

a. The theory of poetic diction.

b. Why was there poetic diction?

c. The reception.

d. Its relevance to present day.

3. Theory of poetic diction:-

a. Detailed theory of poetic diction.

b. Merit.

c. Demerit.

4- Present day situation and the modern theories on poetry.

5- Relevance of Wordsworth here.

6- Conclusion.

7- Reference
ABSTRACT:-

Poetic diction means selection of discourse which accommodate a rare style for distinct
minstrel, how particular poet choose his own language, then how his place around with them
(language, lexicon and make use of flowery terminology, usually trope). Poetic diction refers
to the style of writing use in poetry like the linguistic style, vocabulary, and use of figurative
language-normally metaphors. This research aims to explore and find out the major and
distinct features of William Wordsworth’s poetic diction and see how far his theory of diction
is applicable in present time. The nature of research is qualitative. The researcher analyzed
William Wordsworth’s poetic diction with reference to Preface to the Lyrical Ballads. The
researchers also analyzed difference poems written by William Wordsworth. This paper
helped the people to understand that why Wordsworth use so natural, simple, attractive and
clear language in his work and how he use conceits, images , symbols, metaphors similes,
alliterations etc. The results of the study also helped the readers of the time to understand the
concept of simple and rustic poetic diction used by William Wordsworth in his poetry. His
unique style added great beauty to his work and his style became so popular to the literary
people of the societies of the world.
Introduction:--

Poetic diction: Poetic diction refers to the operating language of poetry, language employed
in a manner that sets poetry apart from other kinds of speech or writing. It involves the
vocabulary, the phrasing, and the grammar considered appropriate and inappropriate to
poetry at different times. In Poetic Diction: A Study in Meaning (1928), Owen Barfield
writes, “When words are selected and arranged in such a way that their meaning either
arouses, or is obviously intended to arouse, aesthetic imagination, the result may be described
as poetic diction.

Poetic diction is a term based to mean language and uses peculiar to poetry
which came into prominence with Wordsworth’s discussion and S.T Coleridge joint
work of poems in their preface to lyrical ballad s in which he claims to avoid have
taken pains to avoid what is usually called poetic diction.”Wordsworth implies that
there should be no such thing as language and uses peculiar to poetry and illustrates
his points by attacking a sonnet by gray. Gray himself had declared that the language
of the age is never the language of poetry.

Wordsworth attack on neo classicism, archaism abstractions personifications etc Was both
forcefully and revolutionary although his views were later repudiated by Coleridge; moreover
although poetry became less stilled in its language its vocabulary remained on the whole
distinctive throughout the Romantic and Victorian periods .Clare is a rare and isolated
examples of poet capable of resisting conventional notions of poetic diction. It was not until
the 20th century and the advent of modernism, of the works of Yeats, T.S, Eliot pound and
others that another major attempt to enlarge the poetic vocabulary and bring it closer to
ordinary speech was made.

William Wordsworth:-

William Words Worth was born at Cocker mouth, Cumberland, on April 7, 1770. He got his
education at Hawkshed grammar school and at Cambridge. In 1790 he went France and
Switzerland, and in November 1791 he comes back to France to study.

William Wordsworth, in his early life, was resolute to become a poet of Natural world in a
unique and distinct sense. Of a description in his Evening Walk he writes: “I recollect the
vary spot where this struck me…. The instant was valuable in my poetical history, for I date
from it my consciousness of the life of the limitless variety
of natural manifestation which had been unnoticed by the poets of any duration or country, so
far as I was communicating with them, and I maggot a resolution to supply, in some degree,
this deficiency.” To this resolution he remained faithful, his poetry everywhere testifying to
the minute care with which he watched and reflected over every detail of the landscape amid
which his life was spent. His more sophisticated poetry is a new faith where the poet can
excel Nature and the possible perspectives as kind of divinity in I wandered lonely as a cloud.
As a youth He was whisk away by proponent promises of the Revolution.

RESEARCH PROBLEM:-
1. The theory of poetic diction?

2. Why was there poetic diction?

3. The reception?

4. Poetic diction and its relevance in present day?

1. The theory of poetic diction :-

Poetic diction describes the manner in which language is used and refers not only to the
sound but also to the underlying meaning and its interaction with sound and form. Many
languages and poetic forms have very specific poetic diction, to the point where separate
grammars and dialects are used specifically for poetry. Poetic diction can include rhetorical
devices such as simile and metaphor, as well as tones and voice, such as irony. Aristotle
wrote in the Poetics that “the greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor”. Since the
rise of modernism, some poets have opted for a poetic diction that deemphasizes rhetorical
devices, attempting the direct presentation of things and experiences and the exploration of
tone. Allegorical stories are central to the poetic diction of many cultures, and were
prominent in the west during classical times, the late middle Ages and Renaissance.
Rather than being fully allegorical, a poem may contain symbol or allusion that
depends the meaning or impact of it’s without constructing a full allegory. Another strong
element of poetic diction can be the use of vivid imagery for effect. Many poetic diction will
use repetitive phrases for effect, either a short phrase or a longer refrain. Such repetition can
add a sombre tone to a poem, as in many odes, or can be laced with irony as the context of
the words change. Example of diction ’’Words strain Crack and sometimes break, under the
burden under the tension, slip, slide, perish Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place
Will not stay still.’’ (T.S. Eliot, ’’Burnt Norton’’)

2. Why was there poetic diction?

The term diction refers to the kind of words, phrases, sentences, and sometimes figurative
language that constitute any work of literature. When it comes to poetry writing, the question
related to the diction always arises. The question of diction is considered as primary because
the feelings of the poet must be easily conceived by the readers. The poets of all ages have
used distinctive poetic diction. The Neo-classical poetic diction was mainly derived from the
classical poets such as Virgil, Spenser, and Milton. These poets used to write poetry by using
embellished language and particular decorum. Other prominent features of that period were
the extensive use of difficult words, allusions, personification of abstracts, and avoidance of
things considered as low or base. Poetry of that time was treated as something sacred. It was
only subjected to the people with high intellect and of high status in the society. Wordsworth
prime concern was to denounce such superficial and over embellished language.

Wordsworth’s aim was to write poetry which symbolizes the

life in its simple and rustic state. The poetry, for Wordsworth, must be like the part of daily
life speech. It should be written in such language that anyone who wants to read it could
comprehend it easily.

Wordsworth believes that all such ornamented poetry clocks

the genuine and passionate feelings of the poets. He only justifies the use of embellished
language of poetry when it is naturally suggested by the feelings or the subject matter of the
poetry. The poetry, for Wordsworth, is the expression of natural feelings and these feelings
cannot be communicated with the help of fake and version of upper class speech but with the
actual speech of “humble and rustic life”. He defines poetic diction as a language of common
men. It is not the language of the poet as a class but the language of mankind. It is the simple
expression of pure passions by men living close to nature. The poetic language is the natural
language; therefore, it must be spontaneous and instinctive. The real poetic diction, in the
view of the Wordsworth, is the natural overflow of the feelings; therefore, it is immune to the
deliberate decoration of the language. Wordsworth also attributes the quality of giving
pleasure to the natural poetic diction. It must not contain any vulgarity and disgusting
element. The poet must, through his language, elevate the nature and human feelings.

The reception:-

Early critical reception of The Lyrical Ballads was mostly negative and at times even hostile.
Reviewers cited uninteresting subject themes and the unread ability of The Ancient Mariner,
with its archaic style and murky philosophical theme. Francis Jeffrey, one of the chief
reviewers for the influential Edinburgh Review, was so offended by Wordsworth’s flaunting
of poetic convention in the Lyrical Ballads that he engaged in a long and vitriolic campaign
against what he termed the “Lake School of Poetry.” While this initial critical response
impeded acceptance of the Lyrical Ballads and its authors, acknowledgment did come
eventually. Other reviewers praised the earnestness and simplicity of the poems in Lyrical
Ballads and their focus on the usually neglected subject of the rural poor. In the latter part of
the nineteenth century, Victorian critics demonstrated a special interest in The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner as a moral and philosophical puzzle, and Wordsworth and Coleridge already
figured as preeminent English poets, the leaders of the first wave of Romanticism. Critical
interest in the Lyrical Ballads has continued into the twentieth century, with scholars fully
recognizing the role of the collection in bringing about new ideas regarding poetry and
society.

The language and style of the Lyrical Ballads

remains a central focus of criticism, with such scholars as Marjorie Latta Barstow, W. J. B.
Owen, and Stephen Maxfield Parrish probing Wordsworth’s and Coleridge’s experimental
form. Mary Jacobs and Heather Glen, among others, have explored the handling of specific
themes in the Lyrical Ballads, while Stephen Prickett and James H. Averill have addressed
questions of unity in the collection as a whole. The interplay between natural and
supernatural imagery in the individual poems has recently been studied by Roger N. Murray
and Susan Eilenberg. Scholars have investigated some of the influences on the Lyrical
Ballads as well, including those of Horace, the events of the French Revolution, and
contemporary anti-Jacobin satire. Many critics have studied the collection in terms of
Wordsworth’s and Coleridge’s artistic and intellectual development and have highlighted
paradoxes and inconsistencies in their critical thinking as evidenced by the “Preface.”

Its relevance in present day:-

Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a
speaker or a writer. Diction or choice of words separates good writing from bad writing. It
depends on a number of factors. Firstly, the word has to be right and accurate. Secondly,
words should be appropriate to the context in which they are used. Lastly, the choice of
words should be such that the listener or readers understand easily. Besides, proper diction or
proper choice of words is important to get the message across. On the contrary, the wrong
choice of words can easily divert listeners or readers which results in misinterpretation of the
message intended to be conveyed.

Detailed theory of poetic diction its merit and demerits:-

Detailed theory of poetic diction:-

It has been generally supposed that Wordsworth’s theory of poetic language is merely a
reaction against, and a criticism of, ‘the Pseudo Classical’ theory of poetic diction. But such a
view is partially true. His first impulse was less a revolt against Pseudo-classical diction,
“than a desire to find a suitable language for the new territory of human life which he was
conquering for poetic treatment”. His aim was to deal in his poetry with rustic and humble
life and to advocate simplicity of theme. Moreover, he believed that the poet is essentially a
man speaking to men and so he must use such a language as is used by men. The pseudo
classical advocated that the language of poetry is different from the language of prose while
Wordsworth believes that there is no essential difference between them. The poet can
communicate best in the language which is really used by men. He condemns the artificial
language. Thus William Wordsworth prefers the language really used by common men.

In poetry, diction considers not only the choice of words, but

also the order of the words as important to set the tone and layers within the poem. The exact
words used in a poem can also shape the mood and complexity of the poem. Certain items are
purposefully added or left out and placed in certain orders to convey the exact meaning and
tone. With poetry, using specific or concrete words and phrases is not as important. In fact,
many poets spend much of their time researching and choosing the right words and order of
the words before they actually begin to write. Diction in poetry can be used to convey that the
speaker is from a certain background or age group, for instance. This use of diction, though
much more common in prose, still has an important place in many forms of poetry,
particularly when the identity of the speaker is essential to fully understanding the poem. All
of the theory and the objective of this theory have been magnificently induced in
Wordsworth’s “Lyrical Ballads”.

Merit and demerit:-

Wordsworth theory of language of poetry is of great significance in the history of literary

criticism. Wordsworth revolts against the poetic diction of eighteenth century. Wordsworth
and Coleridge came together early in life and mutually arose various theories which
Wordsworth embodied in his "Preface to the Lyrical Ballads" and tried to put into practice in
his poems. Coleridge claimed credit for these theories and said they were "half the child of
his brain". But later on, his views underwent the change; he no longer agreed with
Wordsworth's theories and so criticized them.

In his Preface, Wordsworth has given some important statements all of which have been
objects of Coleridge's censure.

Firstly, Wordsworth writes that he choose low and rustic life, where the
essential passions of the heart find a better soil to attain their maturity. They are less
under restraint and speak a plainer and more emphatic language. In rustic life our
basic feelings coexist in greater simplicity and more accurately contemplated and
more forcibly communicated. The manners of rural life sprang from those elementary
feelings and from the necessary character of rural occupations, are more easily
realized and are more durable.

As regards the first statement, i.e. the choice of rustic

characters and life, Coleridge points out, first, that not all Wordsworth characters are
rustic. Characters in poems like Ruth, Michael, The Brothers, are not low and rustic.
Secondly, their language and sentiments do not necessarily arise from their abode or
occupation. They are attributable to causes of their similar sentiments and language,
even if they have different abode or occupation.

Secondly, that the language of these men is adopted because they hourly
communicate with the best objects from which the best part of language is originally derived.
Being less under social vanity, they convey their feelings and ideas in simple and outright
expressions because of their rank in society and the equality and narrow circle of their
intercourse.
As regards the second statement of Wordsworth,
Coleridge objects to the view that the First, communication with an object implies reflection
on it and the richness of vocabulary arises from such reflection. Now the rural conditions of
life do not require any reflection, hence the vocabulary of the rustics is poor. They can
express only the barest facts of nature and not the ideas and thoughts which results from their
reflection. Whatever rustics use, are derived not from nature, but from The Bible and from
the sermons of noble and inspired preachers.

Thirdly, Wordsworth's use of the words, 'very' or 'real' Coleridge suggests that
'ordinary' or 'generally' should have been used. Wordsworth's addition of the words, "in a
state of excitement", is meaningless, for emotional excitement may result in a more intense
expression, but it cannot create a noble and richer vocabulary. There is bound to be an
'essential' difference between the arrangement of words of poetry and prose. There is this
difference even in those poems of Wordsworth's which are considered most Wordsworthian.

Present day situation and modern theories on poetry:-

Wordsworth’s view was that poetic diction scarcely differed from that of Prose. His Preface
to Lyrical Ballads described the chosen diction “a selection of language really used by men.”
According to Wordsworth the words in a poem derive their power from their associations,
and the language is like a long inhabited historic site with the successive deposits of all
cultural levels embedded in it. There have been constant revolts against the poets of the
preceding age. The Elizabethans were followed by the Metaphysical poets; these gave place
to the Augustans; they in their in turn were followed by the Romantics. The Victorians,
Georgians and the Modern poets succeeded them. There should not be any temptation to
scorn either the upholders of tradition or the rebels. There are certain determining factors of
Poetic- Diction:-

1. The Purpose of the poet

2. The language condition of the Period and

3. The sensibility of the Poet.

If the poet intends to write for the intellectual elite of the society, the diction
will be of the type that caters to their mental calibre but if he is writing for the
common masses, the diction will not be a high-brow variety. Secondly, the language
condition of the Period determines the Poetic Diction. But, according to Gray, “the
language of the age is never the language of poetry”. Language really comes out of
the sensibility of the poet. A poet uses a diction, which is appropriate for his vision,
ideas, and experience.

Modern Poets are faced with the problem of communication

because of the collapse of symbols. The modern poets suffer from schizophrenia (a mental
disease marked by disconnection between thoughts, feelings, and actions) so they need a new
diction to express the “schism in the Soul”. They invent new images and new symbols. For
W.B.Yeats “a rose stands for Celtic island, a tower for a metaphysical concept”.

T. S. Eliot in “The Hollow Men” expresses

“Our dried voices, when

`We whisper together

Are quiet and meaningless

As wind in dry grass

Or rats’ feet over broken glass

In our dry cellar.”

The Poetic Diction here is in tune with the idea the poet wants to convey. Each word sinks
like a hump of lead into the heart and the idea the poet wants to convey and the entire rhythm
reinforces with irresistible force the impression of a cheerless monotony and a disintegrating
world. In Modern Period, Diction is studied from the angle of the influence of psychology-
“Freudism. Thirdly, a number of examples can be cited for the varied sensibilities of the
Poets by using the suitable Poetic Diction. John Keats in his ‘Ode to a Nightingale’

“O for a beaker full of the warm South,

 Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,

With beaded bubbles winking at the brim”

Makes the readers imagine and feel the complete process of the winking of the bubbles of
wine in the beaker. When Shelley laments, “I fall upon the thorns of life, I bleed!” we begin
to search our own wounds.

To sum up, Poetic Diction does not simply mean the artistic expression of rhythmical
language. Emotion accompanied by imagination or fancy of the Great Poet finds a suitable
vent in appropriate Poetic Diction.

Conclusion:-

Wordsworth idea of a new theory of poetry is very good given by him in ‘Preface’ addition.
He gives commitment to all poets who write poetry to be written in simple language. Thus,
Wordsworth gives a new meaning or definition of poet and also poetry. In ‘Preface’
Wordsworth give a new theory of poetry. He introduced artificial poetic diction and style that
made the language different from every day and rustic life. William Wordsworth followed
very simple language or the language of country side. He used simple and attractive diction
coming out spontaneously. His language looked to be natural. He used conceits, images,
symbols, metaphors similes, alliterations etc. All added great beauty to the work, and his style
became very lofty to all the common people as Longings has depicted in his work "On the
Sublime”. His using such language and style is wonderful.

Poets must understand the consequences of their diction, which go far beyond getting their
work published. Diction shows allegiances, and each of these open up new areas of
opportunity as they close down others. If poetry is to be largely "a slice of life", then that
poetry needs to defend itself against the stronger claims of films and novels. If poetry is to be
something else, then that purpose needs to be thought through, this includes attention to
diction.

Wordsworth’s theory of language has strong weaknesses, but its significance is also far-
reaching. O. Elton concludes his discussion of the subject with the following admirable
words : “The conclusion then is that Wordsworth, led by his dislike of, “glossy and unfeeling
diction”, but still more by the wish to find a poetic medium for the life and speech of the
simple, was led to proclaim that speech as the medium desired; that he guided this chosen
medium not indeed from his own misapplication of it, but against the charge that it need be
vulgar or trifling, that he also proved its nobility in practice ; that he did not clearly say what
he meant by, ‘language’, or see the full effect upon diction by the employment of metre ; that
he did not rule out other styles, either his own or those of other men, which are equally
poetical, though he did not touch on their theoretic basis ; and that in many of his actual
triumphs, won within that sphere of diction which he does vindicate, he employs a stratum of
words which in prose would not strike us as over-poetical.”

The world has never taken Wordsworth's so-called

theory of poetic diction seriously. Having jumped to the conclusion that Wordsworth's
practice was inconsistent, with his principles; most of his readers have failed either to
recognize the scholarly background of much that he has to say, or to perceive the real
comprehensiveness of his complete ideal of expression. In point of fact, Wordsworth is not
inconsistent. His most dignified and elaborate style is inconsistent only with a single clause
of his definition of the proper language of poetry, when that is detached from its context and
arbitrarily taken to represent the whole.