New writing
Apart from new subjects for poets to write about, there were new poets who wanted to write in a different style as well. These poets didn't want to be like the poets who lived and wrote before them. So, what was new about their writing? What was different about their poems?
Let's hear what Wordsworth himself has to say about this:
Good poetry is .... "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings".
In other words, a poet writes about his feelings. He writes about the feelings he experiences spontaneously. This was something new. People, poets, didn't write anbout their feelings before this. People didn't write about themselves like this. This was unheard of! Since this meant writing about one self, it also meant writing in the first person. This too, was new.
Wordworth also says:
The poem is about.... "emotions recollected in tranquility".
This means that you simply didn't jot down what you felt on the spot. No, you went home, lay back on your couch and thought things over, and then you wrote a poem.
Let's hear what Wordsworth himself has to say about this:
Good poetry is .... "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings".
In other words, a poet writes about his feelings. He writes about the feelings he experiences spontaneously. This was something new. People, poets, didn't write anbout their feelings before this. People didn't write about themselves like this. This was unheard of! Since this meant writing about one self, it also meant writing in the first person. This too, was new.
Wordworth also says:
The poem is about.... "emotions recollected in tranquility".
This means that you simply didn't jot down what you felt on the spot. No, you went home, lay back on your couch and thought things over, and then you wrote a poem.
Coleridge, Wordsworht's friend and close colleague, said:
"... deep thinking is attainable only by a man of deep feeling".
So, according to Coleridge, someone without feelings cannot think (right). This is certainly a different voice in an age of technological development and worship for practical and economical thinking.
Romantics like Wordsworth often wrote about nature. This was a reaction against growing cities, places Romantic poets kept away from. In Wordsworth's words:
They wanted to balance "the harmful effect of urbanization" (developing and growing cities).
For the Romantic poets observations of nature were a stimulus of thinking. One could say they liked to meditate. Romantic poets also expressed feelings towards nature the same way people used to feel about God.
Here are a few more quotes by Wordsworth about writing poetry:
"... choose incidents and situations from common life".
subjects are "... found in humble and rustic life".
"... simple treatment of simple subjects".
"... essential passions of the heart"
"... use of language really spoken by men".
This explains why, in Wordworth's poems you will find humble countryfolk, the disgraced, the outcast, the poor, idiot boys, convicts, gypsies, vagrants etc.
"... deep thinking is attainable only by a man of deep feeling".
So, according to Coleridge, someone without feelings cannot think (right). This is certainly a different voice in an age of technological development and worship for practical and economical thinking.
Romantics like Wordsworth often wrote about nature. This was a reaction against growing cities, places Romantic poets kept away from. In Wordsworth's words:
They wanted to balance "the harmful effect of urbanization" (developing and growing cities).
For the Romantic poets observations of nature were a stimulus of thinking. One could say they liked to meditate. Romantic poets also expressed feelings towards nature the same way people used to feel about God.
Here are a few more quotes by Wordsworth about writing poetry:
"... choose incidents and situations from common life".
subjects are "... found in humble and rustic life".
"... simple treatment of simple subjects".
"... essential passions of the heart"
"... use of language really spoken by men".
This explains why, in Wordworth's poems you will find humble countryfolk, the disgraced, the outcast, the poor, idiot boys, convicts, gypsies, vagrants etc.
Task 7:
One quote above mentions "passions of the heart". What would these passions be?
Look up any words you do not know. Discuss the meaning of the quotes with a classmate.
Task 8:
Make a word cloud using the information from this section. Make this wordcloud on paper. Use colours and different sizes for your letters, vary the direction of writing. Remember, the more important a word is or the more frequent it is mentioned in the text, the bigger it is printed in your word cloud. If you would like to see an example you can look one up on Google. Simply type 'word cloud' and 'images'and you will find a number of good examples.