Lyrical Ballads (Penguin Classics)

Description

“Lyrical Ballads” is a collection of poems jointly authored by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. The first edition of “Lyrical Ballads” was published in 1798, with subsequent editions and revisions released over the years. The book is considered a landmark in English literature and is often regarded as the beginning of the Romantic movement.

The collection consists of a diverse range of poems, including lyrical and narrative pieces, exploring themes such as nature, human emotions, imagination, and the supernatural. The poets sought to break away from the formal and ornate poetic styles of the time and instead focused on expressing feelings and experiences in simpler, more accessible language.

Notably, “Lyrical Ballads” includes some of Wordsworth’s most famous works, such as “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Coleridge. These poems, along with others in the collection, exhibit a renewed emphasis on the power of nature, the importance of individual perception, and the interplay between imagination and reality.

The Penguin Classics edition of “Lyrical Ballads” provides a reliable and widely available version of this seminal collection. It may include additional introductory material, annotations, and contextual information to enhance the reader’s understanding of the poems and the historical period in which they were written.

“Lyrical Ballads” continues to be highly regarded for its significant impact on English poetry and remains a valuable resource for those interested in Romantic literature and the works of Coleridge and Wordsworth.