PAGE WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, 1770-1850 Poetry and Poetic Diction. (1800) 1 SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, 1772-1834 Wordsworth’s Theory of Diction. (1817) 40 Metrical Composition. (1817) 57 WILLIAM BLAKE, 1757-1827 The Canterbury Pilgrims. (1809) 85 CHARLES LAMB, 1775-1834 On the Tragedies of Shakespeare, Considered with Reference to their Fitness for Stage Representation. (1811) 95 PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY, 1792-1822 A Defence of Poetry. (1821) 120 WILLIAM HAZLITT, 1778-1830 My First Acquaintance with Poets. (1823) 164 JOHN KEBLE, 1792-1866 Sacred Poetry. (1825) 191 JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, 1801-1890 Poetry with reference to Aristotle’s Poetics. (1829) 223 THOMAS CARLYLE, 1795-1881 The Hero as Poet. Dante; Shakespeare. (1840) 254 JAMES HENRY LEIGH HUNT, 1784-1859 An Answer to the Question: What is Poetry? (1844) 300 MATTHEW ARNOLD, 1822-1888 The Choice of Subjects in Poetry. (1853) 356 JOHN RUSKIN, 1819-1900 Of the Pathetic Fallacy. (1856) 378 JOHN STUART MILL, 1806-1873 Thoughts on Poetry and its Varieties. (1833, revised 1859) 398 WALTER BAGEHOT, 1826-1877 Wordsworth, Tennyson, and Browning; or, Pure, Ornate and Grotesque Art in English Poetry. (1864) 430 WALTER HORATIO PATER, 1839-1894 Coleridge’s Writings. (1866) 492 RALPH WALDO EMERSON, 1803-1882 Shakespeare; or, the Poet. (1850) 535 JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, 1819-1891 Wordsworth. (1875) 558 WILLIAM WORDSWORTH 1770-1850 POETRY AND POETIC DICTION [Preface to the Second Edition of _Lyrical Ballads_, 1800] The first Volume of these Poems has already been submitted to general perusal. It was published, as an experiment, which, I hoped, might be of some use to ascertain, how far, by fitting to metrical arrangement a selection of the real language of men in a state of vivid sensation, that sort of pleasure and that quantity of pleasure may be imparted, which a Poet may rationally endeavour to impart. I had formed no very inaccurate estimate of the probable effect of those Poems: I flattered myself that they who should be pleased with them would read them with more than common pleasure: and, on the other hand, I was well aware, that by those who should dislike them, they would be read with more than common dislike. The result has differed from my expectation in this only, that a greater number have been pleased than I ventured to hope I should please. * * * * *