(Wordsworth, Preface to Lyrical Ballads). Discuss.

Wordsworth argues in his 1802 preface to Lyrical Ballads that "poetry should be written in the natural language of common speech, rather than in the lofty and elaborate dictions that were then considered "poetic." He argued that poetry should offer access to the emotions contained in memory and that the first principle of poetry should be pleasure through a rhythmic and beautiful expression of feeling-for he claimed that all human sympathy is based on a subtle pleasure principle that is "the naked and native dignity of man."

William Wordsworth's style is plain spoken and easy to understand; almost as if he is speaking directly to you and enticing readers to come with him on a journey which is his poetry. Although the rhythms and style of common English have changed from those of the early nineteeth century, Wordsworth's poetry remains comfortable to read. Many of Wordsworth's poems, such as Tintern Abbey," deal with the subjects of childhood and the memory of childhood in the mind of the adult. Wordsworth's images and metaphors mix natural scenery with religious symbolism (as in the sonnet "It is a beauteous evening, cal

Even in present moment, the memory of his past experiences in these surroundings floats over his present view of them, and he feels bittersweet joy in reviving them. He thinks happily, too, that his present experience will provide many happy memories for future years. This enforces the subject of "Tintern Abbey," which seems to be memory. Specifically, childhood memories of a unity with the natural beauty surrounding him. This subject is hugely important in Wordsworth's work and constitutes a large part of his writing. The memory of pure unity with nature in childhood works upon the mind even in adulthood, when access to that pure unity has seemingly been lost, and that the maturity of mind present in adulthood offers little compensation for the loss of that unity which enables someone to see nature with an eye toward its relationship to human life. In his youth, the poet says, he was thoughtless in his unity with the woods and the river; now, five years since his last viewing of the scene, he is no longer thoughtless, but acutely aware of everything the scene has to offer him.

Wordsworth's description of a poet was one who "sings a song in which all human beings join with him and rejoice in the presence of truth as our visible friend and hourly companion." He also said that each of his poems has a purpose, which is "to illustrate the manner in which our feelings and ideas are associated in a state of excitement. This is perhaps the best description one can find on the philosophy behind Wordsworth's poetry, for it expresses the thought that his poetry focuses on the enthusiasm of a life lived to its fullest.

In his sonnet, "It is a beauteous evening, calm and free," the speaker thinks that time is "quiet li

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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)