Wordsworth’s theory of poetic diction

Topic: Wordsworth’s theory of poetic dictionPaper: 3Paper Name: Literary Theory & CriticismName: Patel KinjalRoll No: 18Class: M.A. 1 SEM- 1Year:2013Submitted to: S.B. Gardi Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University (Gujarat – India)

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was primarily a poet and not a critic.However his views on poetry are extremely important and can be found in the preface to the Lyrical Ballads 1802.The aim of writing the preface was to introduce to the readers poems of anew king, both in theme and style.

Introduction

The dominant theme of the preface is diction and thus subject of poetry.Wordsworth asserts that the language of poetry is , ‘ a selection of the real language of men or the very language of men, and that there was no essential difference between the language of prose and that of poetry.’

In the “preface” Wordsworth also emphasizes his commitment to writing in the ordinary language of people, not a highly crafted poetical one.True to traditional Ballad from, the poems depict realistic characters in realistic situations.Strong narrative element

Language of common manLanguage is originally derived

Three main principles of Wordsworth’s poetic diction

Statement regarding poetic dictionLanguage of poetryPeople can not be employed in poetryFiltered and refinedVernacular words

State of vivid sensationCertain coloring of imaginationLanguage employedPoetic composition

Rough framework of the languageHeightened by feeling and emotionPower of imaginationFor poetic composition

The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth - Poetry Reading.mp4