Jaime, Ok, I will try. 

It is obvious that 'Lyrical Ballads' influenced the style of poetry that 
came after it (even David Latane admits this) by underplaying the 
importance of poetic form and the use of artifice in language with a 
more prose-like and prosaic style. This can’t be denied, indeed it is 
noted for it. Given this, when we look at poetry that came after it we 
see these innovations in operation—in Keats, Byron, Shelley, Browning 
etc. to a more or lesser extents (no one is saying that all poets 
influenced by Wordwsworth mimicked exactly his style, only that an 
influence is present). This should not be a controversial point. 

During the next 200 years this trend became more acute until by 1910 
most poetry in the UK, at least, was a poor imitation of Wordsworth’s 
poetry. One only has to look at Edward Thomas and the Georgian poets 
to see this. From 1910 till the end of the century, this sort of poetry 
was, more or less, despite the presence of Dylan Thomas, the New 
Apocalypse poets and all non-mainstream poetry of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 
and 90s, the predominating style. Again this is abundantly documented.

The significance of Hobsbaum is not that he was, in himself, a 
particularly important figure, but that he is responsible for the career of 
Heaney, who has admitted that Wordsworth (via Hobsbaum's teaching 
of him) influenced him greatly. And Heaney is, I think, an important 
figure in the UK, and is taught approvingly in schools etc. Therefore, 
the likelihood is that Wordwsworth's influence will continue long after 
Heaney.

This is, as I warned, a caricature of the situation, but it was requested 
of me.



On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:17:34 +0100, Jamie McKendrick 
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Jeff,
>   I'm didn't acknowledge it, I'm afraid. I just said "You've spoken 
about a
>prevailing tendency..." I'm still unconvinced about its existence, which 
is
>why I was asking for examples and not caricatures.
>    See my last post to Tim regarding - "conservative" - though, again, 
you
>may be using the term without political connotations.
>Best wishes,
>Jamie
>From: "Jeffrey Side" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 1:10 PM
>Subject: Re: "Has British Poetry had any significance since 
Wordsworth?"
>
>
>Jamie, I agree it may have seemed that my comment about 200 years
>of UK poetry hasn't been demonstrated with examples, but as you
>acknowledge it is a "prevailing tendency" and as such difficult to
>particularise without a caricature resulting.
>
>As far as I can tell, most of the responses from people on this forum
>(apart from Tim's) have been fairly conservative ones, despite any of
>their personal identification or not with poetry that is not conservative.
>I am particularly surprised at Peter's response in this respect, and also
>by Chris's. Perhaps, it just shows the extent of the conservative
>influence (acknoweledged or otherwise) even in the non-mainstream.
>
>
>On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:30:25 +0100, Jamie McKendrick
><[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>Jeff,
>>  I don't think that your point that "the mainstream always want 
proof
>from
>>dissenters but seldom back their own claims up" is entirely upheld by
>this
>>discussion. Again, it might help to give a few examples. You've
>spoken about
>>a prevailing tendency in 200 years of British poetry, and quite a lot of
>>people who I wouldn't imagine were affiliated with the mainstream
>have asked
>>you for some proof. And quite a few of us have given examples which
>might
>>refute it.