How did Lyrical Ballads help begin English Romanticism?

Published in 1798 by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads is widely considered the catalyst for English Romanticism. The collection signaled a revolutionary departure from the rigid, formal conventions of Neoclassical verse by prioritizing the individual experience and the power of personal feeling.123

The work helped initiate the movement through several key shifts:

• Language: The poets rejected the "stilted" and "gaudy" poetic diction of the 18th century, opting instead for "the language really used by men".23
• Subject Matter: They focused on humble, rustic subjects and everyday experiences to illustrate the primary laws of human nature.13
• Philosophy: Wordsworth famously defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings," emphasizing sincerity and the creative imagination over the mechanical rules of the past.12

By breaking the decorum of traditional genres and focusing on the internal workings of the mind, Lyrical Ballads established a new aesthetic that defined the Romantic era.23