Which of the following is not true about “Lyrical ballads”?

The correct option is: It is very particular about the form and structure of a poem

Explanation:

Lyrical Ballads, first published in 1798 by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is widely considered the landmark work that inaugurated the Romantic movement in English literature. In the famous "Preface" to the Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth argued against the rigid, artificial poetic structures, elevated language, and strict rules of form that dominated Neo-Classical seventeenth- and eighteenth-century poetry. Instead, he advocated for using "the real language of men" and believed that poetry should be a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" rather than something constrained by strict adherence to traditional forms and structures. Therefore, stating that it is very particular about the form and structure of a poem is incorrect (making it the correct choice for this "not true" question).

Let us look at why the other options are true statements about Lyrical Ballads:
1. It is a manifesto of romantic poetry: The Preface to the Lyrical Ballads serves as the defining manifesto of the Romantic movement, laying down its core philosophies, such as the focus on emotion, the imagination, and the common man.
2. It turns English poetry away from the social and intellectual sophistication of the seventeenth and eighteenth-century poetry: Wordsworth and Coleridge deliberately moved away from the intellectualized, urban, and highly sophisticated poetry of the Augustan/Neo-Classical era (like that of Alexander Pope), choosing instead to write about simple, rustic life.
3. It takes poetry out of the confines of reason and intellect to the unravished and unspoilt beauties of nature: Romanticism shifted the focus from rationalism and the Enlightenment intellect to the emotional appreciation of nature and the sublime, which is a central theme throughout the poems in this collection.