Wordsworth vs Coleridge

Wordsworth and Coleridge are so different in their belief system regarding poetry. I have a difficult time imagining how they ever got along. The duo of British romantic poets teamed up to write the lyrical ballads as an experiment to change the face of poetry and literature. Only four of the poems were written by Coleridge though and the text was dominated by Wordsworth. This seems fitting, knowing the fundamental difference and principle beliefs, regarding poetry, of the two men.

 

Coleridge says that in the beginning of the relationship between the two men, they would discuss “the power of exciting the sympathy of the reader by a faithful adherence to the truth of nature, and the power of giving the interest of novelty by modifying colours of the imagination.” A mutual respect and love of nature and the written word and its effect on human nature birthed the Lyrical Ballads, but Wordsworth’s poems geared towards nature and truth whereas Coleridge focused on the supernatural.  It is evident in “Biographia Literaria” that Coleridge had a vastly different opinion of poetry than Wordsworth. He said that Wordsworth’s approach of dumbing down the literature to be accessible to the masses was a sacrifice of quality of the poetry.  He says that “the language of these men is adopted . . . because from their rank in society, and the sameness and narrow circle o their intercourse, being less under the action of social vanity, they convey their feeling and notions in simple and unelaborated expressions” The lower class has no skill set to comprehend the beauty of language in poetry.  The poetic experience should be elevated, visceral and based on pleasure.

 

Contradictory to Colerdige, Wordsworth said that poetry should be understandable that it would serve the material and the audience best to be presented in “the very language of men.”  He says of his works in the lyrical ballads that “the reader will find that personification of abstract ideas rarely occur in these volumes; and, I hope, are utterly rejected as an ordinary device to elevate style, and raise it above prose.”  Elevating the language to a formal place and using poetic devises detract from the essential quality of a poem. Language should match the subject matter. It should be real. It should be about nature and centered on truth. It should be a way to let emotions out; a verbal expression of emotion. And who better to feel connected to the real suffering and truth of the world but the rural lower class. He says that men of low and rustic origin live in such a truth that “condition the essential passions of the heart and find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity, are less under restraint, and speak a plainer more emphatic language.” By being of a lower class these men are in tune with suffering and truth in the world. Words worth says that in the lower class the “condition the passion of men are incorporated with the beautiful and permanent forms of nature.”  They have a more inherent ability to connect with true emotions. 



I find myself feeling an approval and appreciation for Wordsworth. He wants the whole world to feel connected through poetry, to read, connect and understand human nature through text that is accessible to all man is admirable and I think a version of truth itself.  A traditional paper might not give me the opportunity that this blog allows, my informal opinion: I think that stuffy, snobbish writers, like Coleridge, who believe the only way to achieve a great work is to elevate the language until the audience needs a decoder pen detract from the real beauty of what the written art of poetry has means to do.  What good is a brilliant piece of thought and reflection if the language is so elevated that the majority of men can’t share it and experience it?  By discriminating your audience, the writer is then limiting the idea; keeping it in a box and not sharing it with the world. Will the work transcend the small audience it is then intended for and make an impact on the world?

 

 Not to say, I can’t appreciate the craftsmanship, insight and talent it takes to craft a poem of such elevated skill level and master craftsmanship of poetic devises.  I love poetry and deconstructing it and finding the layers within.  As a writer, myself, I can greatly appreciate and admire such skill especially within the restricted parameters lent by the time period.  However, I say, hats off to Wordsworth!