Lake poets in English Literature

 

Introduction:

Lake poets in English Literature referred to a group of poets lived in the "Lake District" of England. This group some time is known as a "Lake School" Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey are the main characters of the Lake poets in English Literature. This group of poets had a distinct position among all literary men. William Wordsworth and Coleridge mutual work Lyrical Ballads is called Magna Charta for all the writers of the Romantic Age. You can say without any doubt the lake poets are founder and pioneer of Romantic Movement in England.

Lake poets in English literature's summery is that they lived in lake district.Lake poets definition mean group of   three poets  Wordsworth Coleridge and Southey.Wordsworth one of the lake poets who is the most  prominent among all Lake poets

 Common Ideas among the Lake poets:

 Lake poets in English Literature had many common things among them, First of all, they all were close friends and lived together in the Lake District. They all spent almost long and short period of their lives in this district. The lake poets were cooperative and had  same revolutionary ideas. It is  pertinent to mention here that all were young at the time of French Revolution 1789 and American War of Independence of 1776.These historical events created a hope and excitement among these lake poets. Wordsworth in the Prelude wrote "bliss was it in that dawn to be alive" it was an  indication of hope for the future in the spirits of young poets. Besides, Wordsworth other writers are also expecting same changes in England.

 

Like French Revolution 1987 that brought freedom from Social Authority ,Lake poets also desired some revolutionary changes or freedom from literary rules and conventions laid by classical school in English literature.These rules and conventions prevented a poet to work freely or express his experiences in exact real form. Moreover! In the age of classical School no creative work is done by the classic writers. They just interpreted work of ancient writers and followed their rules. Poetry has no worth, more importance is given to the prose. Poetry in that age was in prose form. Artificial and  Dry intellectualism were salient features of classical school, in such circumstances ,lake poets in English literature especially, William Wordsworth  had  refused to abide by the rules and conventions and introduced a new type of poetry that was simple ,easy to understand ,natural and sentimental. William Wordsworth naturalism and Coleridge Super-naturalism are considered main characters of Romantic Movement in England.

 Wordsworth told ,a poet should have more capacity or qualities comparative to a common man. According to Wordsworth "A poet is man endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature and a more comprehensive soul, than are supposed to be common among mankind" this statement was an attack on the ideal of convention based on reason and rationality which had been blindly followed .He had also opposed the "gaudiness and inane phraseology" of the classical style. He stressed to adopt simple language of the  lower or middle class people as a medium of poetry.

Wordsworth and Coleridge reaction against classical school appeared in the form of "Lyrical Ballads” published in 1798. It was a collectively work of Coleridge and Wordsworth.Second Edition published in 1800. These Lyrical Ballads replaced complex diction  of classical writers to a simple and common diction of a common man's language ,Rules of predecessor's were violated or revolted by these lake  poets .In the first Edition of Lyrical Ballads only simplicity and natural diction was discussed whereas in the second edition theories of imagination were described. That's why, lyrical Ballads, according to some critics, called "Magna Charta of Romantic Age English poetry"

According to new form of poetry introduced by Romantics, Poet had at liberty to write on anything that he desired or experienced. We may observe this fact, in romantic age each poet wrote according to his interest and choice Wordsworth showed  interest in naturalism, Coleridge favorite field is Super-naturalism, Keats loves beauty, some poets went to Greek and medieval age  and others liked Golden Age .it was also very interesting thing to note that the romantic age produced more poets comparatively all others ages of English Literature ,it is due to freedom in poetry/ writing .Credit of this freedom went to lake poets. Besides, William Wordsworth and Coleridge third main character of Lake Poets is Southey. He had not enough creative faculty as Wordsworth and Coleridge had. But he was close to them cooperative and acclaimed their works. He wrote some poems and short description. Therefore, he falls among the Lake poets in English literature.

Conclusion

 

To conclude, we can say Lake Poets in English Literature not only got distinct position at the time of Romantic Age but also got supreme place in the history of English Literature.