Question

What was Coleridge’s criticism of Wordsworth’s preference for rustic language?

• A. He believed poetry should not be limited to a single form of speech.
• B. He thought rural dialects were the only poetic language.
• C. He agreed completely with Wordsworth’s views.
• D. He rejected the use of common language in poetry.

Answer 1

Answer:

A. He believed poetry should not be limited to a single form of speech.

Coleridge criticized Wordsworth’s preference for rustic language because he believed that poetry should not be limited to a single form of speech. In Biographia Literaria (1817), Coleridge offered several objections to Wordsworth’s argument that poetry should be written in the ordinary language of rural people.

Coleridge’s Key Criticisms:

1. Poetry Requires Elevated and Artistic Language

   • Coleridge argued that poetry should not be restricted to the language of common people but should instead be shaped by the poet’s imagination and artistic refinement.

   • He believed that poetic language should be more vivid, expressive, and aesthetically pleasing than ordinary speech.

2. Rustic Speech is Not Always Poetic

   • While Wordsworth claimed that rural people spoke in a natural and emotionally authentic way, Coleridge pointed out that much of their speech is unremarkable, plain, or even crude.

   • Not all ordinary speech is suited for poetry, and a poet must carefully select and refine language to create beauty.

3. Poetry is an Act of Creation, Not Mere Imitation

   • Coleridge believed that poetry should transform language rather than simply imitate real-life speech.

   • The poet’s role is not just to record the way people speak but to elevate and refine language to express deeper truths.

4. Language Should Vary with Subject and Speaker

   • Unlike Wordsworth, who sought a universal poetic language based on common speech, Coleridge argued that the style of poetry should depend on the subject matter and the speaker’s character.

   • Different themes and emotions require different linguistic registers, and poetry should not be confined to a single type of speech.

5. Poetry Differs from Prose in More Than Just Meter

   • Wordsworth had argued that the only difference between poetry and prose was meter, but Coleridge strongly disagreed.

   • He believed that poetry had a unique quality of imagination, rhythm, and unity that set it apart from ordinary language.