Literary Criticism & Theories

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An analysis on a passage from William Wordsworth 's

The Preface to the Lyrical Ballads .What is a poet ? To whom does he address himself ? And what language is to be expected of him ? He is a man speaking to men : a man , it is true endued with more lively sensibility , more enthusiasm and tenderness , who has greater knowledge of human nature , and more comprehensive soul , than are supposed to be common among mankind a man d with his own passions and volitions

, and who rejoices more than other men in the spirit of life that is in him (Wordsworth 311

In examining the passage , it can be seen that the questions Wordsworth poses to the poet and about the poet are essential in understanding where he or she comes from in defining their purpose in writing literature . The author 's first intentions were to have his readers recognize the poet as a person not coming from the elite or the upper class , rather , from the line of ordinary men

This passage describes the poet as a simple and ordinary person . Yet in looking at it carefully it is implied that no matter how ordinary or simple a poet may be , he or she may possess extra-ordinary qualities which will empower the poet to write works of literature in a keen perspective way . These qualities include the poet 's capacity to perceive or respond emotionally or aesthetically to the life around him or...