What, according to Wordsworth, are the qualities of an ideal critic?

 

Ans. A competent critic, according to Wordsworth, has certain qualifications. In short, they are as follows:

 

(i)                He must be poetical and philosophical.

(ii)              He should have a taste for poetry.

 

(iii)            He should not appreciate poetry in a fit of enthusiasm.

 

(iv)            He should judge poetry strictly and impartially.

        (V) He should be free from any kind of prejudice - literary personal or religious.

        (vi) His sensibility should have been trained by a continuous study of poetry

       (Vii) He should be of a mature age.