What is Typical of Lyrical Ballads Essay -- Wordsworth Coleridge Poems

What is Typical of Lyrical BalladsThe group title of the set of poems written by Wordsworth andColeridge presents an evoke starting point of analysis. Thephrase Lyrical Ballads is a paradox as the genres of lyrics and ballads can be defined as in opposition to each other. A lyric isa poem about feeling addressed to the reader in a manner of privateand intimate conversation. A ballad is a narrative poem from ananonymous point of view, often relating to characters from public orhistorical events, such as war. Therefore the two genres atomic number 18 combineunder the title Lyrical Ballads, signifying an unexpected andunusual style from Wordsworth and Coleridge. This is further evidencedby Wordsworth, who said the Lyrical Ballads should be seen as anexperiment, consisting of poems materially different from thoseunder the general approbation present bestowed and that they may beread by some with a common dislike.One facial gesture of the style of Lyrical Ballads that caused much cont emptat the time of publication is the ingenuous language, an importantcharacteristic of the poems. Wordsworth tries to avoid the falsehoodof description, instead preferring to register reality in ordinarylanguage rather than attempting a poetic diction. Unlike many of hiscontemporary poets, Wordsworth did not attempt an ornate and elevatedpoetic style adorned with extravagant metaphors. However, this doesnot mean the language is colloquial, but that Wordsworth takes hislanguage and subjects from ordinary life hoping to show thelanguage really spoken by men. This is true for poems such as We areSeven in which the narrator meets a little cottage girl andquestions her about her sibling... ...There are many characteristics that permeate throughout each of thepoems in the Lyrical Ballads creating a style fundamentallyassociated with Wordsworth. These qualities have a number of differentintentions, for example the simple language and the reference toordinary life do not alienate reader s from a less educated background.Wordsworths intention was for his poetry to be inclusive and theLyrical Ballads are infused with ordinary life, responses to loss,growing old and the fear of death. The poems also celebrate a view ofrural life and nature as a solution to industrialisation.Consequently, whilst many of the poems aim to engage readers forentertainment purposes, some poems, such as Last of the Flock andSimon Lee not only offer a story of ordinary life but they providepolitical protests on the provisions for the poor and the old.