Title
Lyrical Ballads (1798 and 1802 editions)
ISBN Numbers
ISBN-13: 9780199601967
ISBN-10: 0199601968
Publisher: Oxford University Press (Oxford World’s Classics)
Publication Date: July 24, 2013
Length: 432 pages
Long Questions and Answers
Q1: Why is Wordsworth’s Preface considered the manifesto of Romantic criticism?
Answer: Wordsworth’s Preface is called the manifesto of Romantic criticism because it laid
down the principles of Romantic poetry. He emphasized emotion over reason, simplicity of
language, and the importance of nature and ordinary life. Unlike the artificial diction of 18th-
century poetry, Wordsworth argued that poetry should reflect the speech of common people and
express genuine feelings.
Q2: Why does Wordsworth choose “humble and rustic life” as the subject of poetry?
Answer: Wordsworth believed that humble and rustic life provides the most authentic emotions
because people in rural settings live closer to nature and express themselves more directly. Their
passions are simple, yet profound, and therefore ideal for poetry. He wanted poetry to capture the
truth of human experience rather than artificial grandeur.
Q3: What does Wordsworth say about the language of poetry?
Answer: Wordsworth rejected the ornate “poetic diction” of earlier poets. He argued that poetry
should use the language of ordinary men, only slightly elevated by rhythm and imagination.
For him, the difference between prose and poetry lies mainly in metrical composition, not in
vocabulary.
Lyrical Ballads (1798 and 1802 editions)
ISBN Numbers
ISBN-13: 9780199601967
ISBN-10: 0199601968
Publisher: Oxford University Press (Oxford World’s Classics)
Publication Date: July 24, 2013
Length: 432 pages
Long Questions and Answers
Q1: Why is Wordsworth’s Preface considered the manifesto of Romantic criticism?
Answer: Wordsworth’s Preface is called the manifesto of Romantic criticism because it laid
down the principles of Romantic poetry. He emphasized emotion over reason, simplicity of
language, and the importance of nature and ordinary life. Unlike the artificial diction of 18th-
century poetry, Wordsworth argued that poetry should reflect the speech of common people and
express genuine feelings.
Q2: Why does Wordsworth choose “humble and rustic life” as the subject of poetry?
Answer: Wordsworth believed that humble and rustic life provides the most authentic emotions
because people in rural settings live closer to nature and express themselves more directly. Their
passions are simple, yet profound, and therefore ideal for poetry. He wanted poetry to capture the
truth of human experience rather than artificial grandeur.
Q3: What does Wordsworth say about the language of poetry?
Answer: Wordsworth rejected the ornate “poetic diction” of earlier poets. He argued that poetry
should use the language of ordinary men, only slightly elevated by rhythm and imagination.
For him, the difference between prose and poetry lies mainly in metrical composition, not in
vocabulary.
