“Preface to Lyrical Ballads” Written by William Wordsworth and Coleridge in 1798 Tommaso Zentilin 5^C

It’s considered the manifesto of Romantic poetry It explains the aim of poetry and how it should be written Tommaso Zentilin 5^C

It contains four main themes: What should be the object of poetry What language should be used Who is the poet What is poetry Tommaso Zentilin 5^C

OBJECTS Incidents of common life Situations from simple and rustic life They should be written in an interesting way by the poem. The reason for his preference for humble life is because man is better when is closer to nature, far from the artificiality of civilization. Tommaso Zentilin 5^C

LANGUAGE Familiar Simple “The language really used by men” Without volgarity and artificiality It should express their feelings directly and forcefully. Tommaso Zentilin 5^C

POET He is more than a man, he is like a God He finds passions where men don’t find them He has more sensibility He has graeter knowledge He is a man speaking to men Tommaso Zentilin 5^C

POETRY It’s emotions recollected in tranquillity Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings It’s emotions recollected in tranquillity It is a memory in poet’s mind Tommaso Zentilin 5^C