Wordsworth's preface

1) What is the basic difference between the poetic creed of "classicism" And "romanticism"?

Literary periods are spans of time for literature that shares intellectual, linguistic, religious, and artistic influences. The history of English Literature is spread over different Eras. Classical period and Romantic period of English literature both are very different in their literary forms. The 18th century in England is called the classical age or the Augustan age in literature. It's also called the age of good sense or the age of reason. This age is typically divided into three periods: 

The restoration age

The Augustan age

The age of Johnson

 The term "classic" refers in general appeals to writery of the highest rank in any nation. This term was first applied to the works of the great Greek and Roman writers, like Homer and Virgil. As the writers of the Eighteenth century in England tried to follow the simple and noble methods of the great ancient writers, they began to be called classical writers. During this period the English writers rebelled against the exaggerated and fantastic style of writing prevalent during the Elizabethan and Puritan ages, and they demanded that poetry, drama and prose should follow exact rules.

 The term Romanticism does not stem directly from the concept of love, but rather from the French word "ROMAUNT" which means a romantic story told in verse. Romanticism focused on emotions and the inner life of writers. Romantic writers saw nature as a teacher and source of infinite beauty. The Romantic period began with the publishing of Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Difference between classicism and Romanticism:

 Classicism: intellect is the guiding force

Romanticism: imagination is the guiding source

 Classicism and Romanticism both have different ideologies.

Classicists and Romanticists different in their views of nature. Classicism was based on the idea that nature and human nature could be understood by reason and thought. On the other hand, Romanticists viewed nature as mysterious and ever changing.

 Towards the end of the 18th century, romanticism emerged as a response to classicism. Classical writers have rigid and stern structure and the Romanticists thought of the world as a place to express their ideas and beliefs. Classicists and Romanticists also deferred on their approaches towards reason and imagination. Classicism attached much more importance to reason than imagination because imagination could not be explained by their laws. To the Romantic writers, imagination was ultimately superior to reason. Classicists thought that it was literature's function to show the everyday values of humanity and the laws of human existence. Romantic writers stressed the human potential for social progress and spiritual growth. This discussion can be concluded by saying that both movements played a significant role in the development of literature.

2) Why does Wordsworth says what is poet? Rather than who is poet?

William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet. William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication Lyrical Ballads. According to a well defined definition of poetry by Wordsworth that "The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility"

It is a matter of feeling and temperament. True poetry cannot be written without proper mood and temperament.

Definition of poetry:

According to Wordsworth, poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge, the impassioned expression that is in the countenance of all science. It is like a morning star which throws its radiance through the gloom and darkness of life. Poetry is the instrument for the propagation of moral thoughts.

  Definition of poet:

Wordsworth defines a poet as "man speaking to man endowed with more lively sensibility more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature and more comprehensive soul, who rejoices, is more than other man in the spirit of life; habitually impelled to creative volitions, passions and situations where he does not find them." So, Poet is a person who writes not for his own pleasure, but primarily to communicate his own thoughts and emotions to his readers. The poet is such a human being who is overall in degree a far better human being than ordinary human being.

Thus Wordsworth elaborately describes the function of poetry and of the poet in his critical essay preface to lyrical ballads. In both the cases he avoids classical tendencies and adopts a romantic and nature loving attitude. By this definition Wordsworth defines what is a poet. Is it more important than who the poet is?

 3) What is poetic diction? Which sort of poetic diction is suggested by Wordsworth in his preface?

In general, Poetic diction is a choice of words. It refers to the operating language of poetry, language employed in a manner that sets poetry apart from other kinds of speech or writing. The term diction refers to the kind of words, phrases, sentences, and sometimes figurative language that constitute any work of literature. 

The Neoclassical poetic diction was mainly derived from the classical poets. Classical poets used to write poetry by using embellished language and particular decorum, other prominent features of that period where the extensive use of difficult words, allusions the personification of abstract and avoiding of things considered as low or base.It was only subjected to the people with high intellect and of high status in the society. Wordsworth rejects the classical features of poetry.

  Wordsworth published Lyrical Ballads in 1798. In the preface of Lyrical Ballads he mentions that " The Language As Really Used By Men". According to Wordsworth language near to the language of men was as appropriate for poetry as it was for prose. Wordsworth’s aim was to write poetry which symbolizes life in its simple and rustic state. The poetry, for Wordsworth, must be like the part of daily life speech. It should be written in such language that anyone who wants to read it could comprehend it easily. He only justifies the use of an embellished language of poetry when it is naturally suggested by the feelings or the subject matter of the poetry. The poetry, for Wordsworth, is the expression of natural feelings and these feelings cannot be communicated with the help of fake and version of upper-class speech but with the actual speech of “humble and rustic life”. 

 He defines poetic diction as a language of common men. It is not the language of the poet as a class but the language of mankind. It is the simple expression of pure passions by men living close to nature. Wordsworth also attributes the quality of giving pleasure to the natural poetic diction. It must not contain any vulgarity and disgusting element. The poet must, through his language elevate the nature and human feelings.

 4) What is poetry?

 Definition from Oxford languages:

"Literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature".

According to Wordsworth:

"Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings; it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility".

Poetry is a type of literature that aims to evoke an emotional response in the reader through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm. There are lots of different types of poetry. Blank verse, rhymed poetry, free verse,haiku, sonnet etc..

Here we discussed the definition of poetry by Wordsworth. There are four stages in the process of poetic creation. These are observation, recollection, contemplation and imaginative excitement. At the first stage, the poet observes some objects, situations or phenomena of nature. However, the poetic expression doesn't take place at that very moment. Rather the observations are stored in the poet’s heart. Next, in a moment of tranquility, the poet recollects those emotions excited by the objects, situation or phenomena.

After contemplation, there comes the gradual revival of the emotion kindred to that which was before the subject of contemplation. Thus the poet is once again in a similar emotional excitement to what he experienced when he first saw the object. Wordsworth says that “in this mood successful composition generally begins.” 

Here we discussed Daffodils with reference to Wordsworth's poetic creed 

 DAFFODILS:

The speaker, likely William Wordsworth himself, is wandering down the hills and valley when he stumbled upon a beautiful field of daffodils. I wandered lonely as a cloud” or “Daffodils”, William Wordsworth has presented the beauty of nature at its best. In this poem he compared himself to a cloud that floats high over valleys and hills.

 The poem contains four stanzas of six lines. First three stanzas in past tense and the last stanza in present tense. So, as we discussed further according to Wordsworth, at the first stage of the poem, the Poet observed objects, situations and then recollected his/her emotions and experience. In this poem we can see the first three stanzas in past tense so we can say that the Poet is reclining on a couch and recollecting his nature walk.

The poem ends with 

"then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils".

The poet says that whenever he lies on his couch and is in low spirits or when he is sorrowful, the sight of the daffodils flashes in his mind and becomes the source of joy in his solitude. The memory of daffodils takes away all his sorrows and boredom thus making him happy and it seems to him as if his heart is dancing with the daffodils.  

Thus the poem 'Daffodils' holds true to his own statement about what poetry should be. William Wordsworth's idea of poetry is that it originates from “the overflow of feelings, recollected in tranquility”.