William Wordsworth's description of his poetry in "Preface to Lyrical Ballads" gives the impression that it feel much like a modern newspaper to a reader; basic and with wide appeal. He emphasizes the idea of simplicity and familiarity of both topic and language, arguing the superiority of a poem that appeals to the common person. However, despite the value placed on simplicity, his poems are far above what many readers would perceive to be elementary. This is demonstrated by the fact that his poems are still a valuable piece of literature for study. The reason for this is that although...
figurative speech, writing in a language which people actually spoke, and piecing sentences together in new and innovative ways, Wordsworth was able to write poetry which has lasted hundreds of years, and brought pleasure to countless readers. His style, well defended in "Preface to Lyrical Ballads", is the reason why he stands out among so many. Although Wordsworth talks of poetry as being a powerful overflow of emotion, his words are perfectly sculpted to provide exactly the emotional image that he wants his readers to experience, and he does so in a way that is perfectly accessible to everyone.