Please discuss the differences between Wordsworth and Coleridge regarding their perceptions of the Romantic literary movement in general.

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge are
considered by some to be the first-generation Romantic poets, having produced the volume
Lyrical Ballads, which is seen as the literary work that heralded
this new literary movement, which many cite as lasting a very short time, from
1800-1837.

Lyrical Ballads
included...

readability="9">

...[t]he poetic principles...[and] constitute a
key primary document of the Romantic era because they announce a revolution in critical
notions about poetic language, poetic subject matter, and the role of the
poet.

This posting
addresses not so much their poetry, but what aspects of their thinking and writing make
these writers Romantic poets, which started a new age of
poetry.

Wordsworth and Coleridge, at the beginning, were
closely aligned in an amazing way in bringing about this new literary movement as a
result of their combined genius.

readability="7">

Coleridge came to visit Wordsworth at Racedown in
1797, and the two discovered a powerful mutual admiration and
rapport.

The Wordsworths
moved to live closer to the Coleridges, and Coleridge became Wordsworth's
mentor.

In terms of their writing, the Romantic literary
movement embraced the idea that poetry was a realistic and honest reflection of what was
taking place in the poet's mind. This kind of writing included a renewed respect for
nature, the idealization of women and children, championing personal freedom, an
interest in the past (especially medieval), melancholy and the supernatural/occult.
Different characteristics emerged in the works of these authors. For instance, Coleridge
often included elements of the supernatural (using his stunning imagination), as in
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Both
authors agreed that writing (especially the "diction") of earlier poets was not an
honest likeness of their thoughts, but "was affected and
artificial." Wordworth...

readability="5">

...argued that there should be no difference
between the language of prose and that of
poetry...

Wordworth
interpreted the " href="http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/diction_def.html">diction"
of earlier authors in terms of "artifice and aristocracy." Coleridge's concentration was
focused on something different. Wimsatt and Brooks state that for
Coleridge...

readability="5.4432989690722">

...it seemed more like an issue
between propriety and impropriety, href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/congruous">congruity and
incongruity. ...

In other
words, he saw poetry in terms of whether the poems were guided by correctness and
suitability (or not), and whether there was a harmony "of the parts." Coleridges
"critical theories" were also much more deeply faith-based—he had a
"heavy grounding" in theology that was more prevalent than even the poetic
content; such was not the case with
Wordsworth.

Overall, Patrick Parrinder notes that the poets
had a:

readability="5">

...self-conscious awareness of the revolution
they were creating.