a key difference between Wordsworth and Coleridge’s poetic philosophies was that Wordsworth promoted simplicity, while Coleridge emphasized the transformative power of language.
Key Differences:
Wordsworth: Simplicity and Natural Language
Believed poetry should use the everyday language of common people, especially rural folk.
Focused on ordinary experiences and emotions, presented in a simple and direct style.
Saw poetry as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”, recollected in tranquility.
Coleridge: The Transformative Power of Language
Argued that poetry should not just imitate common speech but elevate it through imagination, rhythm, and figurative language.
Emphasized the role of the poet’s imagination in transforming ordinary experiences into something extraordinary.
Believed that meter, structure, and artistic expression distinguished poetry from prose.
