Literature · 3
Which literary movement did Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth help define with 'Lyrical Ballads' (1798)?
Answer
Romanticism
'Lyrical Ballads,' published in 1798, is widely considered the manifesto of the Romantic movement in English literature. Co-authored by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, this groundbreaking collection of poems revolutionized English poetry by elevating emotion, imagination, and natural beauty above rationality and classical tradition. Wordsworth's preface articulated Romantic principles, advocating for accessible language and the experiences of common people as worthy subjects for serious poetry. The collection featured Wordsworth's contemplative nature poetry and Coleridge's supernatural imagination, establishing the core tenets of Romanticism: individualism, emotional authenticity, nature worship, and rebellion against Enlightenment rationalism. This work fundamentally reshaped European literature and influenced Romantic poets across the continent.
💡 Did you know?
'Lyrical Ballads' revolutionized poetry by celebrating ordinary people and common language as worthy subjects for serious verse, rather than aristocratic subjects.
Other options people guess
- Victorialism
- Modernism
- Realism
Topics
- poetry
- classic-lit
- authors
- literary-movements
- Romanticism
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