William Wordsworth

Poetic Diction
 What are the questions?
• 1. What is poetic diction?
• 2. What is the contribution of Wordsworth in conceptualizing
poetic diction?
• 3. Why he felt its need?
• What are the basics of his theory?
• 5. Was he successful in implementing his theory?
• 6. what was the response of his friend Coleridge?
• 7. Is his theory relevant to our age? And why?
 Wordsworth
Wordsworth in 1798 Wordsworth as Poet Laureate
 Life history
• Born- (1770-04-07) 7 April 1770 Cockermouth,
Great Britain.
• Died -23 April 1850 (1850-04-23)
• Alma mater - Cambridge University
• Literary movement – Romanticism
• Important work - Lyrical Ballads, The Excursion
 Lyrical Ballads
• His "Preface to Lyrical Ballads", is called as the "manifesto" of
English Romantic criticism and literary theory.
• In 1793 he published a An Evening Walk and Descriptive
Sketches.
• In 1798 Wordsworth and Coleridge produced Lyrical Ballads,
an important work in the Romantic movement.
• One of Wordsworth's most famous poems, "Tintern Abbey",
was published in the work, along with Coleridge's "The Rime
of the Ancient Mariner".
 His Definition of Petry
In Preface to Lyrical Ballads Wordsworth
discusses the elements of new poetry
based on the real language of men which
avoids the urban poetic diction of 18th-
century. Here, Wordsworth defines poetry
as ‘spontaneous overflow of powerful
emotions recollected in tranquility.’
 Should be the
Four Should have language "really
certain used by men",
basic Color of but only selective
Imagination words
principles of
Wordsworth’s Language
theory of of poetry

poetic diction.
No difference
Should be the
between
language of a
language of
Vivid sensation
poetry and prose
 Contradicted himself
Wordsworth followed the main tenets of his theory
in some of his poems,
but it became difficult for him to stick strictly to his
theory when he came to such splendid poems as
'Tintern Abbey' or 'Ode on the Intimations of
Immortality' etc.
This shows that though valuable, his theories could
not completely encompass the scope of even his
own poetry.
 Why he needed a new theory?
Poetry before him was urban. He wanted the language
of commoners.

He wanted to embrace the life of nature.

He felt, poetry of the new age needed a new language.

He was required to defend his experiments.

He protested against the pseudo-classical school.

 Coleridge differed from Wordsworth
Wordsworth
• Poetry should be "the real
language of men in a state
of vivid sensation"
• It should be "the incident of
common life".
• Ideal language of poetry is
'the natural conversation of
men under the influence of
natural feeling'
Coleridge
• A poem cannot be condemned
only on the ground of differing
from the language of real life.
• Nor can it be discarded for
difference between the
language of prose and metrical
composition.
• Wordsworth’s rules may be
applicable only to certain
classes of poetry and it need
not be compulsory.
 Coleridge’s other objections
• Coleridge denied Wordsworth's assertion that
a special virtue lies in the language of those
who are in close touch with nature.
• He argues that prose itself differs and ought to
differ from the language of conversation just
like reading ought to differ from talking.
 -
Contradictory features of human nature.

Loyalty Revolt Against

To conventional
Conventional Format
Format
When anything becomes old and stale……
Always a new wave…
a new revolt….
challenges the old….
and creates a new format. Then…
the new also becomes old,
stratified and wrinkled.
 Every generation feels impatient of its seniors…

……..so did Wordsworth.

• The language used by the senior generations
was not considered suitable to the demands
and needs of the new age.
• Therefore Wordsworth created his own
language and advanced his theory in defense
of his experiments and the language of his
poetry.
 What Wordsworth did….

•
Every generation tries to perceive the world in its own
way.
• It creates new questions and finds out new answers for
itself.
• Every generation builds a new language and creates a
new poetry to answer the questions of their times.
• This exactly is what Wordsworth did for his generation.
 The pattern is universal……
Not only in Wordsworth, the same revolt is
perceptible in the revolt of Ameer Khusro in 13 th
century, in Tulsidas, in Kabeer, and Guru Nanak in
medieval India and in Surykant Tripathi Nirala,
Tasleema Nasreen, Amrita Preetam, AR Rahman,
Satyjit ray etc in modern India.
In fact the so called revolt is a constant process of
Nature to rejuvenate the world. As Jai Shankar
Prsad says in Kamayani – “Prakriti ke yauvan ka
shringar karenge kabhi na basi fool, milenge ve
jaakar atishighra, aah utsuk hai unki dhuul.”
Gravestone of the great
.

priest of Nature
Thank you !....

Course Instructor
Lecturer: Saima Sarwar