Central to the creative process of the Romantic poets that followed him, Wordsworth’s Preface to the Lyrical Ballads has been both a gift and a thorn in the side of critics for over a century. Readers find themselves drawn back to the essay repeatedly as they seek to untangle the ideas and contradictions within it. The Preface is a statement of Wordsworth’s poetic vision and offers an explanation of the poetic process behind the poems, which fused the rusticity of the ballad form with the psychological introspection of modernity. But to the generation of Romantic writers that emerged in its wake, the Preface announced a new understanding of the creative process and of the high purposes of poetry: to reveal the human condition, and to awaken in its readers the profoundest emotions and the most enduring truths of existence.

Preface to the Lyrical Ballads The Preface to the Lyrical Ballads is an essay, composed by William Wordsworth, for the second edition (published in January 1801, and often referred to as the "1800 Edition") of the poetry collection Lyrical Ballads, and then greatly expanded in the third edition of 1802.

"The classic Wordsworth poem is depicted in vibrant illustrations, perfect for pint-sized poetry fans."

This accessible collection of essays provides an essential introduction to the volume of poetry that defined British Romanticism.

A comprehensively revised classic with the 1798 and 1800 editions of Lyrical Ballads reprinted together - the complete text of one of the most important documents of the Romantic movement with introduction, textual variants and copious notes.This is a comprehensively revised second edition of a classic student text with the 1798 and 1800 editions of Lyrical Ballads reprinted together. It contains the complete text of one of the most important documents of the Romantic movement - now with new introduction, textual variants and fully up-dated, copious notes.