Comparative study of Wordsworth and Coleridge as the poet of Romanticism.

•       Comparative study of Wordsworth and Coleridge as the poet of Romanticism

            Sub                                             : Romantic literature

            Name                                                   : Gond Asmita   K

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          Submitted to                                         :    D. R. Dilip Barad     Maharaja          

                                                                                 Krishankumarsinhji                                            

                                                                            Bhavnagar University Gujarat                                                            

                                                                   

• Comparative study of Wordsworth and Coleridge as the poet of Romanticism

           Wordsworth  and Coleridge both the poets were related with Romantic  age both the poets were related with Romantic age both the poets were passionate and enthusiastic which was reflects  into their poems. So it is important to get the knowledge off Romanticism.

• Romanticism or Romantic age :---

                      Romanticism generally speaking, is the expression in terms of art of sharpened sensibilities and heightened imaginative feelings.  Emotion and imagination are the bedrock of romanticism; imagination is the flight of sensibility. Romanticism stands for freedom and liberty, and has therefore been designated as “liberalism in literature”. The poetry of this age was marked by intense human sympathy and a consequent understanding of the human heart.  Romanticism is the way of looking at life not the way of orderliness, clarity and tranquility but the way of exuberance and emotional enthusiasm.

“In youth from rock to rock I went

From hill to hill in discontent

Of pleasure high and turbulent

Most pleased when most uneasy”

                                                                               ---- By William Wordsworth

“The lady sank, belike through pain

And charitable with might and main

Lifted her up, a weary weight

Over the threshold of the gate”

                    -----------By Coleridge

 By studying the poems of both the poets we will realized that both have same power of imagination and both were wanted to do revival  of the poetry and so they started to write  poems which were related with  the new trend means romantic age. But can we say that both the poets have same skill of writing poems? Or what both the poets were stayed together during their collaboration of poetic career? To understand deeply about those things we have to do comparative study of Wordsworth and Coleridge. That how they both started to write poems and verses and how they become differ with each other.

                             Wordsworth was born at Ceckermouth Cumberland in 7^th April 1770. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in Ottery St. Mary in Devonshire. Both the poets have take education at Cambridge University. Both have started their career at the early age but Wordsworth has started his career when he was a student at Hawkshed Grammar school

        

                                Wordsworth and Coleridge both were wanted to bring revival into the poetry they wanted to give new trend into the 19^th century era. Wordsworth and Coleridge both were met at the Nether Stowery in 1797 which becomes momentous   meeting in to the history of English Literature. Both the poets were becomes best friends and it by their joint effort that the romantic revival in poetry was brought during the 19th century.

                                  Some how we can find that both the poets wanted to bring revival into the poetry and so  they started to revolt against the 18^th century poets to transform the new  trend  by their intelligence and knowledge.

                                             “All the things, in all nature, in the stars

                                              This active principle abides, from link to link

                                              It circulates the soul of all the worlds.”

                                                      ------By William Wordsworth

•  Life of Samuel  Taylor Coleridge :===

            Coleridge was born in Otter St.Mary in Devonshire. Was educated at Christ’s Hospital and Jesus College, Cambridge. Coleridge fond of meet new people and publish new poems and verses. He has published many poems and verses during his poetical career. Then he was met to Wordsworth and he has published ‘Lyrical Ballads’.

“He prayth best who loveth best

 All things both great and small

For the dear god who loveth us

He made and loveth all”

                                         ------------By Coleridge

“I with him believed

That a benignant spirit was abroad

Which might not be with stood, that poverty

Abject as this would in a little line

Be found no more that we should see

Better days to all mankind.”

---------------By William Wordsworth

              The above poem was written by William Wordsworth on that poem we can see that the poet now become interested in alleviating the sorrow and sufferings of men. Threw above stanza we can say that the poet has all kind of diction for writing the poetry and he also takes examples from everyday life of people.

 “So shalt thou see and hear

The lovely shapes and sounds intelligible

Of eternal language, thy God

Utters, who from eternity doth teach

Himself in all things in Himself”

--------------By Coleridge

                    By reading Coleridge’s above poem we can say that Coleridge have also the same multitudes of spirit like Wordsworth.

•  A revolt against the 18^th century canons of poetry

            Wordsworth and Coleridge were fed up with the decorative language of the 18^th century poets and were dissatisfied with the kind of poetry, which was written by the pseudo – Classical poets of 18^th century. Both of them felt that the type of poetry produced was neither desirable nor pleasing to the heart and soul of man.  They were both gifted with imagination, sensibility, and creative power. But there were certain marked differences in their temperament.   

“Coleridge ‘intellect was quick, versatile and penetrating" Wordsworth was less versatile but more deeply meditative. Coleridge was idealistic and ranged far in the realms of abstract thought;

                                                       Wordsworth thought he transformed them by the imagination sought     his inspiration among the things of every day life.”

                     If we can search the first successful piece of work with the collaboration of Wordsworth and Coleridge so that was ‘Lyrical ballads’ which was published with joint efforts of both the poets. The publication of Lyrical ballads was a land-mark in the history of English poetry.

                  Lyrical ballad was also called “romantic movement’ which was revolt against the Neo-classical age. Modern critics like J.W Bates and J .H. Buckley have challenged the traditional view that the Romantic Movement was a sudden revolution against the Augustan Age. J. H. Buckley in his book ‘The Victorian Tmper’ says “The so-calld romantic movement” in England.

              According to Myers the Lyrical ballads was also called “Lyrical blasts” because its publication created a profound sensation in the mind of the contemporary poetry reading public.

               After studying the Lyrical ballads minutely shows some similarities and contrasts in the outlook of Wordsworth and Coleridge as poets. So let’s see that how were find similarities to contrast with each-other. William Wordsworth studied the simple objects of nature and gave them the imaginative colour, in the world of supernaturalism. But it was left to Coleridge to introduce the world of supernaturalism, mystery and magic in poetry.

                        Thus, where as Wordsworth sought to give the objects of nature, the colour of his imagination, it was the work of Coleridge to make the poems full of mystery, magic and supernatural to the poetry.

                 “Beneath the rock upon the grass

                 Two boys are sitting in the sun

                 Boys that have had no work to do

                Or work that now is done “

                                    --------By William Wordsworth

                              On above poem we can find that how poet like Wordsworth has used the simple natural objects and gave them the charm of novelty by comparing nature with a child of six is a happy young boys whose life all lost in joy, which described threw his poems.

    “This saint will aid if men will call

    For blue sky bends overall”

                                         -----------By Coleridge from Cristabel

                                       The above poem is taken from Christabel is a tale of mystery and   
supernaturalism which was style of writing poetry of Coleridge.”

                                                      According to Coleridge he remarks that “It was agreed the supernatural Endeavour should be directed to persons and characters supernatural........”  

                                                  Wordsworth on the other hand was to propose himself as his subject to give the charm of novelty to things of every day.”  So he aimed at representing   “perfectly that side of the romantic imagination which seeks to lose itself in dream and marked.”

                 Coleridge introduced the dream like qualities which Romanticism upheld and clarified. By the power of his imagination he created a world of supernaturalism, magic and mystery in the ‘Ancient mariner’, ‘Christabel’ and’ Kublakhan’.  So let’s see some of his verses, his verses are...........

                                                                       He holds him with his skinny hand

                                                                'There was a ship,' quoth he.

                                                             'Hold off! Unhand me, grey-beard loon!'

                                                                         Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

                                                                

                                                            -----              By Coleridge ''  The Rhyme of Ancient Mariner'

The lovely lady, Christabel,

Whom her father loves so well,

What makes her in the wood so late?

A furlong from the castle gate?

She had dreams all yesternight

Of her own betrothèd knight;

And she in the midnight wood will pray

For the weal of her lover that's far away.

------------------- From Christabel

The shadow of the dome of pleasure

   Floated midway on the waves;

   Where was heard the mingled measure

   From the fountain and the caves.

It was a miracle of rare device,

A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

                                                                                        

                                  -------------------------       From Kublakhan

                        O the other hand Wordsworth presented the common and simple life of peasants and shepherds and realistically described what he felt and experienced in his own life. According to the whole career of Wordsworth poetry I can say that he was poets who only think about humanity after the French revolution the poor people facing many hurdles and so Wordsworth shows sympathy on them. He also thinks that poetry should be simple and in rustic language which can easily understand by the common people because they have not more educated people and so he writes his poem to the life of common people. Thus, we can say that instead of going to the world of imagination, mystery and magic. Wordsworth lived in a plain of common life of common people concentrating on the life that he saw around him.

Thus far, O Friend! did I, not used to make

A present joy the matter of a song,

Pour forth that day my soul in measured strains

That would not be forgotten, and are here

      Recorded: to the open fields I told                         

A prophecy: poetic numbers came

Spontaneously to clothe in priestly robe

A renovated spirit singled out,

Such hope was mine, for holy services.

My own voice cheered me, and, far more, the mind's

Internal echo of the imperfect sound;

To both I listened, drawing from them both

A cheerful confidence in things to come.

                                                            FROM PRELUDE 2 POEMS

                           After sometime we can say that Wordsworth and Coleridge has changed their way of writing poetry because it was divided into the two ways that is ‘subject’ and ‘style’.

                            And it was happened may be because quarrel between both of the poets or mismatch of writing poetry between both the poets.

                             We can see that Coleridge went to middle ages for creating the atmosphere of magic and mystery, but Wordsworth has not leave the earth and his own times. The call of middle ages was not for Wordsworth, it was purely for Coleridge.  He finds in the middle ages the suitable atmosphere and subject of his poetic treatment. The middle ages were a storehouse of legends, and the poet draws substance from them for his poetic treatment. ‘The ancient mariner’ is wrought with the glamour of Middle Ages. In fact Coleridge’s great contribution to English romanticism was the imaginative reaction on of the weird spirit of the middle ages.

                           

                                   In Wordsworth’s poems we find an imaginative record of the pastoral life as well as the pastoral beauties of place where he lived in. Wordsworth has not leaft his style and way of writing poetry he only walk on one way which was related with nature, common people and imagination. This is not so in the case of Coleridge. He lived in a world of his own thoughts and fancies, and did not take care of the external suggestions.

                                               

                                 ‘Love of nature’ one common thing we will find in Wordsworth and Coleridge that was love of nature, because both were lives into the world of nature and both appreciated the nature . Wordsworth and Coleridge both saw spirit of joy in Nature and at least in the early poems of Coleridge the spirit of joy is represented. Coleridge also noticed thr spirit of God permitting the objects of nature Wordsworth continued to believe throughout his life that the spirit of God lived through the objects of nature and formed the fountain of joy to humanity.

                           Wordsworth believes that the divine soul permits through all the objects of nature finds vigorous expression in Tintern Abbey where he says..........

“I have felt

A person that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime

of something far more deeply  interfused

Whose dwelling is the light of the setting sun

And the round ocean an d the living air

And the blue sky and the moral of man; ----------------------

A motion and a spirit that imp les

All thinking things all objects of all thought

And rolls through all things”

Coleridge also believes that a Divine spirit permits through the objects of nature.

 “O, the one like within us and abroad

A light sound, a sound like power in light

So shall though see and hears

The lovely shapes and soundintellligible

of that eternal language which thy god.”           -------------

                            In April, 1802 Wordsworth visited Coleridge at Keswick and read to him the first four stanzas of his Immortality Ode. Coleridge replied with the Ode on Dejection structurally the Ode on dejection id a magnified cent performance in a very difficult kind, finer even than the Ode to France. But it makes a parting of the ways in the Neather, Stowery days Coleridge had accepted Wordsworth view of nature as living being  and a Divine figure, since that time he had learned from Kant that nature furnished its own forms of thoughts.

               

                ‘A new earth and new heaven for Wordsworth Germany winter was crucial that melancholy dream as he called it taught him that his passion for Annett and for France was dead. He learned for England and his first love; the Lucy poems were born of that yearning. He possessed above all poets the ear for silence, silence.......

                   So we can say that both have same quality for love of nature and threw it they were created their poems but they found some melancholy into the nature but after at last it was solved.

                          Coleridge later on started to believing that Nature had not life of it’s own , nor there was a soul moving in the objects in Nature. He puts forth this idea in one of his Odes where he says........

                    

                     Wordsworth was all his life a teacher holding out moral lessins for the guidance of humanity. The teaching element in Coleridge’s poetry is almost nominal.  Coleridge was great artist than the claims of morality and teaching. In this respect he stands contrasted with Wordsworth.

                           Coleridge excelled Wordsworth in melody Coleridge was a master of sound. He has been an ‘epicure in sounds’ The Ancient Mariner is one of the best example of the witchery of his music. The Rime of ancient mariner contains a series of the cunning sound pattern. Quiller couch speaks highly of the lyrical genius of Coleridge. Wordsworth on the other hand was deficient in music. He did not have that ear for fine sounds as Coleridge exhibited in the ‘Rime of ancient mariner’

; Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.

                           The touch of Humanism marked both Coleridge and Wordsworth like Wordsworth and Coleridge dream of the political regeneration of mankind and hoped that humanity will advance on the path of nobility and virtue. Wordsworth’s love for humanity is present almost in all his poems of human life. Coleridge’s love for humanity is expressed in ‘Reflection on having. Left a place of retirement where he bids farewell to his cottage in order to go to the city and work for human relief from the distress. But both the lovers of humanity they do not do anything practically for humanity but they only wrote poems about humanity.

                          Wordsworth believed in the simplicity of diction and brought poetry to the level of ordinary speech of ordinary life. But Coleridge was disagree with the Wordsworth’s poetical diction and considered that the kind of language that Wordsworth sought to employ for poetic composition was not, the fitting vesture for poetic thought.


                                      Coleridge was the master of narrative verse. The Ancient Mariner is a fine example of narrative perfection. Wordsworth lacked the narrative skill. The ballads of Wordsworth do not have the fire and tilt of Scott and the free-flow of Coleridge.

                                                          Wordsworth believes in simplicity of diction and brought poetry to the level of the common speech of common life. Coleridge was disagree Wordsworth’s theory of poetical diction  he thinks tat Wordsworth’s poetry was” childish poetry”  and considered this the kind of language that Wordsworth found to  implement for the composition in the poetry was not the fitting vesture for poetic thought. It is happens because Wordsworth totally believes in the simplicity of diction and brought poetry to the level of the ordinary speech of ordinary life. Coleridge thinks tat Worthswoth’s poetic diction was no fit for the vesture for poetic thought.

          

                             In spite of the difference between Wordsworth and Coleridge the two poets considerably influenced each other. It is a question weather Coleridge owed more to Wordsworth or Wordsworth to Coleridge? Wordsworth was ideal for Coleridge. He always speaks of Wordsworh with great honor and felt a ‘little man’ by his side.

              

                       Clearly show that Wordsworth could not attain anything of that kind at that time of his poetical composition. While Coleridge excelled in writing poetry of a philosophic import, Wordsworth still writing ‘We are seven’,’Goodby Black or Simon Lee.’ It was later on that Wordsworth wrote about:

                             “   The still sad music of humanity or that nature

                                         Never betray the heart that loved her “

                                           If we give little attention to the chronological study it will show that Coleridge gave more it the Wordsworth than he actually received from him. In 1797 Coleridge wrote ‘This lime tree bower’ and ‘Frost at midnight’ and the following Ines are........

“   Yet still the solitary humble –bee

Sings in the bean- flower! Henceforth I shall know

That nature never deserts the wise and pure. “

               Once more in ‘Fears in solitude’ written three months before ‘Tintern Abbey’ Coleridge anticipates Wordsworth.

• Conclusion

              Thus, we can say that both the poets have some sort of similarities also and both were differing also with each other. Only thing we can noticed between both the poets that  Coleridge was lives into the free world which he has created in his own and was addicted with opium and other thing also and so many people  thought that it was the  end of Coleridge’s  writing of poetry  and poet felt that he could not write much. But Wordsworth continued to composing poetry have has not left his one way of looking side and result that before his mighty production , Coleridge’s poem appear to be very feeble and slender . Still in the little gold Coleridge has left behind, there is much to find than in the whole masses of the poem that Wordsworth has leaft for posterity leaving a few great poems. So we can say that Wordsworth and Coleridge’s contribution to English was a landmark for the Romance in English poetry.

                         

     

                         

    

     

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