Question

Who criticized Wordsworth's poetic theories in "Biographia Literaria"?

• A. Coleridge
• B. Shelley
• C. Byron
• D. Arnold

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge criticized William Wordsworth's poetic theories in Biographia Literaria. Coleridge was a fellow poet and critic of Wordsworth. 

• Poetic diction

  Coleridge criticized Wordsworth's idea that the language of poetry should be the same as the language of everyday conversation. Coleridge argued that the language and feelings of a poem are not determined by social standing. 

• Choice of themes and characters

  Coleridge criticized Wordsworth's choice of rustic themes and characters. He argued that Wordsworth's characters in poems like Ruth, Michael, and The Brothers did not come from humble and rustic life. 

• Harmony of elements

  Coleridge argued that a poem's elements, such as sound, meter, communication, pleasure, and emotional affect, should be in harmony. He believed that a poem that does not contain the reason why it is so will not permanently please. 

Coleridge's criticism of Wordsworth's poetic theories appears in chapters 14, 17–20, and 22 of Biographia Literaria.