Wordsworth: Forming Poetry

I found Wordsworth’s preface to Lyrical Ballads an interesting piece because he describes the current poetry style as a contract between the author and reader, suggesting that the reader is expecting to see certain aspects of poetry and the author is meant to fulfill this agreement. Contradictory to these ideas, Wordsworth claims his poetry differs from that of his contemporaries. He explains he is interested “in what manner language and the human mind act and re-act,” so he purposefully writes in a way that opposes most of the poetic norms other poets are following (334). Further, he describes that each of his changes “has a purpose,” and the differences do not lessen the meaning of the work (335). I imagine that for Wordsworth to write this at the turn of the century meant he wanted to experiment with language in a way that hadn’t been done and matched the enthusiasm of the new century. Throughout the work, Wordsworth proposes the reader wishes “to be pleased in that particular way in which we have been accustomed to be pleased,” and the responsibility of the writer is to challenge that feeling of security in the reader (340).

In his poem “Michael,” Wordsworth writes in prose, yet structures the poem in a poetic form. This contrast of form and language may have confused readers of the nineteenth century at first, but the meaning of the poem is not hard to find. “Michael” reads like any other poem and depicts a strong story about a family. The advantage of prose is the poem reads easier. But if the poem is in prose does that make it a poem? Though his changes may have been radical for nineteenth century readers, Wordsworth’s poetry is as valid as his contemporaries who wrote in rhyme.