Poetic Diction_William Wordsworth

 (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 only possible for Wordsworth to impart these poetic themes in the poem only with the “real language of men”. He even stated that it will add a “certain colouring of imagination” on the readers so to evoke the ” state of excitement” which the common people share in their everyday lives. The “real language of men” will enable the other men can relate “the manner in which we associate ideas in a state of excitement”.

Moreover, he argues that the “language of men” is refined when the “humble and rustic” elements are used as a setting in the poem. He states that these moment of materials ensure a “plainer and more emphatic language” which become simple and the feelings “coexist” that ensure in more comprehensive and easy to communicate “because the manners of rural life germinate from those elementary feelings”. It not only refines the language but rejects the rational and logic elements which shows the clear rejection of Neo-Classical bombastic language and wits. He defended by implying that the men speak communicates with other men for hours with the best “objects” where the “best part of language is derived” and hence they “convey their feelings and notions in simple and unelaborated expressions”. He even further highlights that the “language” arising from “regular ” and “repeated experiences” are more philosophical and permanent.

Wordsworth argues that the “metrical compositions” may varies with each section of the poems but the poems has its own worthy “purpose”. These “purpose ” can only be delivered by the use of “real language of men” as the “external excitement” along with “pleasure” comes strongly along with the “purpose ” and he defends it by stating that it has been his “habits of meditation” that resulted in “regulated my feelings” which is seen in his description of the “objects” that will excite the readers and serve the “purpose”.

Wordsworth tries to state an argument regarding the use of literary style and devices in his poems. He states that there are several elements of literary devices including personification that “rarely occur in these volumes”. He rejected a heavy use of such devices in his poems “as an ordinary device to elevate the style, and raise it above prose”. He adds that the selection of “real language of men” was his “purpose” and such literary personifications “do not make any natural or regular part of that language”. He states his argument that though he rejected the use of literary rhetorical devices in the poem but did not given a prime importance or ” mechanical device of style” for his poetry.

Lastly, he further argues about the poetic diction that the reduction of rhetorical devices in his poems has a typical reason. He tries to suggest that the reason behind it was to “bring my language near to the language of men”. He adds that the “pleasure” he imparted in the poems are very different from other sets of poetry and it is only possible to impart it only by the use of “language of men” to be the proper “object of poetry”.