An Analysis Of Preface To The Lyrical Ballads

Keats Eclipses Wordsworth when seen through the lens of Preface to the Lyrical Ballads

Keats surpasses Wordsworth in Lyrical Ballads by using a vocabulary that is his own, by writing on subjects that he understands, and through exacting the subtleties of his thoughts and feelings. Ranked, subjective comparisons of poets are both painful to read and to write, but given criteria, one can evaluate to what extent a poet, or a poem, succeeds. In this case, Wordsworth sets up criteria for poetry in the "Preface" to his Lyrical Ballads. Through the lens of his critical work, works of poetry can be pitted against each other to demonstrate how far a poem is successful in respect to the criteria. Keats achieves more of Wordsworth's criteria to a greater extent in his poem "Ode to A Grecian Urn" than Wordsworth does in "The Solitary Reaper."

The “Preface” to the Lyrical Ballads defines Wordsworth’s poetic credo. Like many, Wordsworth contends that a poet must be someone with a deep understanding of the human condition. He contends that good poems have a “purpose,” and that “all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” He also adds, that the object of his work “is to follow the fluxes and refluxes of the mind when agitated by the great and simple affections of our nature”(149). In his conclusion, he writes “the powers of language are not so limited… it is possible that poetry may give other enjoyments, of a purer, more lasting, and more exquisite nature”(154). Thus, by inference, the best poems should carry with them delight beyond wordplay and rhythm, that taps into a more fundamental human vein. Wordsworth attempted to succeed in his goals through his choice of subject and language.

Keats’ diction surpasses Wordsw...

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...der to grasp what it is about the idea of the vase that is sublime and worthy of such detail (line 17, 23). Wordsworth may find the roots of truth and beauty, but Keats traces up to their flowers.

By no means was Wordsworth’s work not of value, nor is it unworthy of study. However, as well as being an end in itself, it is a block upon which Keats' builds to find a deeper, more rounded truth, inspiring deeper, more lasting ideas of one’s own experience, instead of writing on unknown subjects in unknown vocabularies, winding up at a simplistic view of human experience. Considering Wordsworth as a predecessor to Keats both chronologically, and in terms of the complexity of their works, can help define the bounds of what is considered Romantic: where the base of the movement lies and how far forward it extends before the advent of the Victorian literary period.