Thinking Activity : Wordsworth & Coleridge

Here is my answer on thinking activity about Wordsworth and Coleridge given by Dilip Barad sir .

• William Wordsworth and Coleridge :

Coleridge and Wordsworth collaboratively published Lyrical Ballads in 1798, making the rise of the British Romantic movement. According to Coleridge, in their collaborative plans it was agreed Coleridge would compose a series of lyrical poems exploring the Romantic and supernatural, and seeking there to earn a readers "poetic faith," while Wordsworth planned to use the self and the everyday as his subject in poems that would replace a sense of familiarity with an air of the supernatural. Pairing these two approaches, the poets hoped, might bring into harmony "the two cardinal points of poetry,

1. The power of exciting the sympathy of the reader by a faithful adherence to the truth of nature ,
2. The power of giving the interest of novelty by the modifying colors of imagination."

Q : 1 Write brief note on the views of Wordsworth and Coleridge on poem.

Wordsworth's views on poem :

• According to Wordsworth poetry is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling : it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.
• When the poet is in the poetic mood he sings out rapture as sorrow spontaneously from the core of his heart.
• Poetry cannot be composed under duress, the clear spring of poetry must flow freely and spontaneously.
• It cannot be made to flow through artificially.

Wordsworth is of opinion that poetry cannot be produced by strictly following the rules laid down by the Classicists. It must flow out naturally and spontaneously from the soul of the poet.However, it must be noted that the good poetry , according to Wordsworth, is never an immediate expression of poet's powerful emotions. A good poet ponders over his emotions over a long period of time and deeply evaluate his collected emotions. In other words of Wordsworth, "poetry has its origin in emotion recollected in tranquillli".

Coleridge views on poem :

Biographia Literaria by S.T.Coleridge is a great literary work. Coleridge's written critical work is contained in 24 chapter XIV of Biographia Literaria , Coleridge has discussed his view on nature and function of poetry. 

poem is written in the format of rhymes and rhythm and also has some imagination. Poem is something which written by the use of meter,rhyme, diction etc. 

Poem is nature function as Coleridge explaining his idea and view towards it by saying that poem is a heart of reality work that poetry convey the feeling by rhyme and that took place as golden shield. A poem therfore my be] defined as species of composition which is opposed to works of science by proposing for its immediate object pleasure not truth and from all other species it is discriminated by proposing to itself such delight from  the whole as it compatible with a distinct gratification from each component part.

Q- 2 :  Analyze 2 poems with reference to Wordsworth and Coleridge's views. 

• My Heart Leaps Up  :

                        - William Wordsworth 

"My Heart leaps Up " , also known as " The  Rainbow " . Written by one of the famous romantic poet William Wordsworth. He use simplicity of structure and language in his poem. It is blank verse poetry. This poem covers the range of human life, from childhood, to adulthood,  to old age and death. The poem is about nature. Wordsworth felt such joy because the rainbow indicates the constancy of his connection to nature throughout his life.

Harold Bloom has suggested that Wordsworth casts the rainbow as a symbol of survival of his Poetics gift,  just as the rainbow symbolized to Noah the survival of mankind.

He sought to give the charm of novelty to things of everyday objects of nature by colouring it with the power of imagination. We can see his view of poem in his poetry" My heart leaps up"  His many poem based on nature by colouring it with power of imagination. His poem easy to read and understand for everyone.

Thank you.........