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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Even though I'm prejudiced generally in favor of classics I did not care overall for this collection and its style. I liked a few of the poems (Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Nightingale, Tinturn Abbey), but I liked Rime a lot less than when I first read it in elementary school. I think the "asides" and forced rhyming got to me.
I picked this up because it was suggested by Hardcore Literature (Benjamin McEvoy) as a great complement to Middlemarch. I'll set it aside and try to come back to it later.
I picked this up because it was suggested by Hardcore Literature (Benjamin McEvoy) as a great complement to Middlemarch. I'll set it aside and try to come back to it later.
The original 1798 version without the preface. Certainly consolidates, in my mind, Coleridge as the better poet among the two.
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first edition's genesis was not as meticulously planned, as some might believe, and yet, the book is very cohesive, and all poems in it are up to a certain standard. I prefer Coleridge to Wordsworth, but still, both are rightfully outstanding poets in the English literary canon.
Although I like nature, which Wordsworth goes on about ad infinitem, I found Wordsworth himself to be rather bossy, which diminished my enjoyment of his writings.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
poems were very very hit or miss for me. some definitely need a couple more rereads to understand but others i think were just not good? i dont know. i love romantic era poetry and lyrical ballads is a keystone collection, but i expected more.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
It's interesting how modern the romantic poetry sounds. Yes, there's a bit more rhyme and metric, the language sounds old, but the structure still strucks as modern. Most of the poems were very narrative, with a focus on the emotional world of their characters. The lush descriptions of nature also resound to a modern audience worried about what we will lose as climate disaster approaches.