How a 1798 poetry collection captured the spirit of a revolutionary age
In short: In 1798, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge published Lyrical Ballads, a work that fundamentally shifted the landscape of English poetry. This lecture explores the intimate friendship behind the volume and explains why its new style was seen as deeply connected to the revolutionary movements of the time.
William Hazlitt famously described the experience of hearing Wordsworth read from Lyrical Ballads as the arrival of a new spirit in poetry. He noted that the work seemed to participate in the broader revolutionary fervor that defined the late 18th century. The collection remains one of the most influential volumes in literary history, marking a departure from established conventions.
Professor Sir Jonathan Bate, a scholar specializing in Romanticism and Ecocriticism, examines the collaboration between Wordsworth and Coleridge. Recorded on October 16, 2018, at Gresham College, the lecture contextualizes how these poets redefined the poetic voice and why their partnership continues to be a subject of critical significance.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Wordsworth, Coleridge and the Poetic Revolution - Jonathan Bate
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