"Holy Willie's Prayer": An Analysis of Romanticism This three page graduate essay examines the Robert Burns poem, "Holy Willie's Prayer." The author notes that this poem should be considered a work of Romantic poetry, for it features many of the definitive elements of Romanticism described by William Wordsworth in his “Preface to Lyrical Ballads.” Wordsworth’s observation that Romantic poems must have a “worthy purpose” and are products of “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” is relevant to this analysis of “Holy Willie’s Prayer” for it provides the criteria needed to evaluate the Romantic elements in Burns’ poem. Pages: 3 Bibliography: 3 source(s) listed Filename: 21645 Price: 26.85