Which edition of the Lyrical Ballads was the first one to have the Preface by Wordsworth?

Correct option is B

Explanation:

The Lyrical Ballads was first published in 1798 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. However, the first edition to include the famous "Preface" by Wordsworth was the 1800 edition.

The preface was a landmark statement of Romantic ideals, advocating for the use of common language in poetry and the expression of emotion, and it helped establish Wordsworth as a key figure in the Romantic movement.

1800 Edition: The preface included in the 1800 edition set out Wordsworth's theory of poetry, emphasizing the importance of nature and the emotional response of the poet.

The preface served as a defense of the principles that underpinned the poetry of the Lyrical Ballads, including the rejection of the formal, neoclassical style in favor of a more natural, expressive form.

Information Booster:

The Lyrical Ballads collection was a turning point in English literature, marking the shift from the Augustan style of poetry to the Romantic movement.

The 1800 preface is considered one of the most important documents in the history of Romantic poetry, laying the foundations for the movement.

In the preface, Wordsworth emphasized that poetry should be written in "the language really spoken by men" and should express common human emotions.

Wordsworth's theory of poetry in the 1800 preface was central to Romantic poetry's focus on the personal and subjective experience, especially in nature.

The 1798 edition of Lyrical Ballads did not have the preface, and instead, it included the first examples of the new Romantic style.

The preface also responded to critics of the Lyrical Ballads and helped establish the book as a key work in the development of Romanticism in literature.