e-contents Radhanagari College

 (e-content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) ‘ The Touchstone Method’ Introduction: The famous ‘touchstone method’ is proposed by Matthew Arnold. Matthew Arnold was a Victorian poet-critic. He is known as “the father of modern criticism” and “a critic of critics” . “Dover Beach” and “Scholar Gypsy” are his well-known poems.   Victorian Age: The period from 1832 to 1900 is known as the Victorian age. The Victorian age is considered as the golden age.   During this age, England flourished on all the fronts. This age is also known as “the age of faith and doubt” . Till now, the English society believed in the Church and the Bible. It believed that Man is the child of God. But this faith was shattered by Darwin’s theory of evolution . Darwin argued that man is evolved from a monkey. So the Victorian society was trapped in faith and doubt about the role of religion and philosophy in human life. Religion, Philosophy and Poetry: Matthew Arnold proposes his touchstone me...

 (e-contenet developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) Poetic Diction -       William Wordsworth “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” is an essay written by William Wordsworth which serves as an important piece of literary criticism. The essay throws powerful insights into the Romantic notions of school of poetry and understand the main ideas and concepts behind it. Wordsworth defended his theory in the essay and hence the essay becomes the bible of the Romanticism. The poetic diction is the essay as suggested by Wordsworth applies the “real language of men”. He has selected it to communicate and connect it with the other men and common people. He further adds that the selection of the common language can add “vivid sensation” and “pleasure” to the readers as each and every poem has its own “purpose” to share and evoke “pleasure” to the readers. In addition to this, the selection of such poetic diction to impart the “incidents and situations from common life”. It is ...

 (Developed by Dr N A Jarandikar) 1. In which year, The Lyrical Ballads was published? Ø   1798 2. Who was the other poet along with William Wordsworth who contributed to The Lyrical Ballads ? Ø   S. T. Coleridge 3. In which year, did William Wordsworth write a preface to The Lyrical Ballads ? Ø   1802 4. According to William Wordsworth, what is a definition of poetry? Ø   “Poetry is a spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions recollected in tranquillity.” 5. According to Pope, who is the father of a poetic diction? Ø   Greek poet Homer 6. Who is the first person to use the term ‘poetic diction’? Ø   John Dennis 7. According to Wordsworth, which language is more permanent and philosophic? Ø   A language arising out of repeated experience and regular feelings 8. What does Wordsworth say about personifications? Ø   A mechanical device 9. Which two forms Wordsworth refer as ‘Sisters’? Ø   Poetry and Paintin...