Romantic Period (1785 – 1832)
A definition of “Romanticism”:
"A literary movement, and profound shift in sensibility, which took
place in Britain and throughout Europe roughly between 1770 and
1848. Intellectually it marked a violent reaction to the
Enlightenment. Politically it was inspired by the revolutions in
America and France... Emotionally it expressed an extreme assertion
of the self and the value of individual experience...together with the
sense of the infinite and the transcendental. Socially it championed
progressive causes... The stylistic keynote of Romanticism is
intensity, and its watchword is 'Imagination" (Drabble 842-843 [The
Oxford Companion to English Literature])
Put it into context
Before:
Restoration (or Neoclassicism)
1660-1798
Order, reason, clarity, logic, scientific, universal experiences
Gulliver's Travels (Swift)
After
The Victorian Age
1833-1901
Depicting realism and naturalism (detail- loaded), optimism
education, morality
A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
Restoration versus Romanticism
Restoration: Romanticism:
Scientific observation of Examine inner feelings,
outer world; logic emotions, imagination
Pragmatic (practical) Idealistic (optimistic)
Science, technology Mysterious, supernatural
General, universal Concerned with the
experiences particular (very specific)
Optimistic about present Romanticizing the past
Moderation, self-restraint Excess, spontaneity
Aristocratic; society as Concerned with common
whole people and individuals
Nature controlled by Felt nature should be
humans untamed
,The role of imagination
Imagination now replaced reason as the supreme faculty of the mind-
hence the flowering of creative activity in this period. For Romantic
thinkers, the imagination was the ultimate "shaping," or creative power,
the approximate human equivalent to divine creative powers.
As the poet Wordsworth would suggest, humans not only perceive and
experience the world around them; they also, in part, create it. The
imagination unites reason and feeling, enabling humans to reconcile
differences and opposites-this reconciliation is a central ideal for
Romantics. Finally, the imagination enables humans to "read " nature
as a system of symbols.
Celebration of nature
Nature often presented as a work of art from the divine imagination
Nature as a healing power
Nature as a refuge from civilization
Nature viewed as "organic," (alive) rather than "mechanical" or
"rationalist"
Nature viewed as a source of refreshment and meditation
Emotion, lyric poetry, and the self
Greater emphasis on the importance of intuition, instincts, and feelings
Wordsworth's definition of good poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings" was a turning point in literary history.
Ultimate source of poetry found in the individual artist and his/her
traditions (present and past)
“The Big Six” Romantic poets
William Blake: The Tyger & The Lamb & O Rose, thou art sick!
William Wordsworth: Lyrical Ballads & Tintern Abbey
His great theme remained the world of simple, natural things, in the
countryside or among people.
Wordsworth revisits Tintern Abbey after five years, reflecting on how its serene
beauty has provided solace, inspiration, and moral guidance. While his youthful
passion for nature has evolved into a deeper, spiritual connection, he expresses
gratitude for its transformative power and hopes his sister will find similar joy and
wisdom in nature.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Lyrical Ballads & The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner
, He achieves the illusion of reality by relating strange, exotic and
clearly unreal events.
An old mariner stops a wedding guest to recount his tale. After killing an albatross that
guided his ship, the mariner brings a curse upon himself and his crew. Supernatural
events follow, leading to the crew's death and his isolation. Only after enduring
suffering and repenting does he find redemption. The mariner is compelled to wander
the world, sharing his story as a moral lesson about respecting all forms of life and the
power of nature.
Percy Bysshe Shelley: Ode to the West Wind
His poems show the eventual victory of human goodness over
external evil which ultimately leads to love.
The speaker addresses the powerful West Wind, describing its dual role as a destroyer
and preserver in nature. The wind scatters leaves, seeds, and clouds, symbolizing both
death and renewal. The speaker longs for the wind's strength to inspire him, comparing
himself to the natural elements it influences. He ultimately pleads for the wind to
spread his ideas like seeds, bringing renewal and change, with the hopeful message
that after the hardships of winter, spring and rebirth will come.
John Keats: Ode on a Grecian Urn & To Autumn
Paved the way of writing sensuous poetry for the Victorians later
that century.
The poem celebrates the beauty and abundance of autumn, portraying it as a season of
ripeness, fulfillment, and maturity. Keats personifies autumn as a close companion of
the sun, working together to bring the harvest to fruition. The poem captures the
serene, languid atmosphere of the season and its sounds, from buzzing insects to soft
winds. It reflects on the inevitable passage of time, suggesting that autumn’s rich
beauty is a prelude to winter, but also a time to appreciate life's fullness and
transience.
George Gordon/ Lord Byron: Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage & Don Juan
Other Romantic writers
Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice & Sense and Sensibility & Mansfield
Park & Emma
Part of the transition to realism.
Austen’s plots, though fundamentally comic, highlight the
dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and
economic security.
Little personal fame during her lifetime, became popular after.
Bridget Jones’s Diary is the modern-day remake of Pride and
Prejudice.
Elizabeth Bennet, an intelligent and independent young woman, navigates love, social
expectations, and family pressures in Regency-era England. Initially prejudiced
against the aloof and wealthy Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth gradually discovers his true
character as he overcomes his own pride. Through misunderstandings, societal
challenges, and personal growth, the two find love and mutual respect, highlighting
themes of class, marriage, and self-awareness.
A definition of “Romanticism”:
"A literary movement, and profound shift in sensibility, which took
place in Britain and throughout Europe roughly between 1770 and
1848. Intellectually it marked a violent reaction to the
Enlightenment. Politically it was inspired by the revolutions in
America and France... Emotionally it expressed an extreme assertion
of the self and the value of individual experience...together with the
sense of the infinite and the transcendental. Socially it championed
progressive causes... The stylistic keynote of Romanticism is
intensity, and its watchword is 'Imagination" (Drabble 842-843 [The
Oxford Companion to English Literature])
Put it into context
Before:
Restoration (or Neoclassicism)
1660-1798
Order, reason, clarity, logic, scientific, universal experiences
Gulliver's Travels (Swift)
After
The Victorian Age
1833-1901
Depicting realism and naturalism (detail- loaded), optimism
education, morality
A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
Restoration versus Romanticism
Restoration: Romanticism:
Scientific observation of Examine inner feelings,
outer world; logic emotions, imagination
Pragmatic (practical) Idealistic (optimistic)
Science, technology Mysterious, supernatural
General, universal Concerned with the
experiences particular (very specific)
Optimistic about present Romanticizing the past
Moderation, self-restraint Excess, spontaneity
Aristocratic; society as Concerned with common
whole people and individuals
Nature controlled by Felt nature should be
humans untamed
,The role of imagination
Imagination now replaced reason as the supreme faculty of the mind-
hence the flowering of creative activity in this period. For Romantic
thinkers, the imagination was the ultimate "shaping," or creative power,
the approximate human equivalent to divine creative powers.
As the poet Wordsworth would suggest, humans not only perceive and
experience the world around them; they also, in part, create it. The
imagination unites reason and feeling, enabling humans to reconcile
differences and opposites-this reconciliation is a central ideal for
Romantics. Finally, the imagination enables humans to "read " nature
as a system of symbols.
Celebration of nature
Nature often presented as a work of art from the divine imagination
Nature as a healing power
Nature as a refuge from civilization
Nature viewed as "organic," (alive) rather than "mechanical" or
"rationalist"
Nature viewed as a source of refreshment and meditation
Emotion, lyric poetry, and the self
Greater emphasis on the importance of intuition, instincts, and feelings
Wordsworth's definition of good poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings" was a turning point in literary history.
Ultimate source of poetry found in the individual artist and his/her
traditions (present and past)
“The Big Six” Romantic poets
William Blake: The Tyger & The Lamb & O Rose, thou art sick!
William Wordsworth: Lyrical Ballads & Tintern Abbey
His great theme remained the world of simple, natural things, in the
countryside or among people.
Wordsworth revisits Tintern Abbey after five years, reflecting on how its serene
beauty has provided solace, inspiration, and moral guidance. While his youthful
passion for nature has evolved into a deeper, spiritual connection, he expresses
gratitude for its transformative power and hopes his sister will find similar joy and
wisdom in nature.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Lyrical Ballads & The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner
, He achieves the illusion of reality by relating strange, exotic and
clearly unreal events.
An old mariner stops a wedding guest to recount his tale. After killing an albatross that
guided his ship, the mariner brings a curse upon himself and his crew. Supernatural
events follow, leading to the crew's death and his isolation. Only after enduring
suffering and repenting does he find redemption. The mariner is compelled to wander
the world, sharing his story as a moral lesson about respecting all forms of life and the
power of nature.
Percy Bysshe Shelley: Ode to the West Wind
His poems show the eventual victory of human goodness over
external evil which ultimately leads to love.
The speaker addresses the powerful West Wind, describing its dual role as a destroyer
and preserver in nature. The wind scatters leaves, seeds, and clouds, symbolizing both
death and renewal. The speaker longs for the wind's strength to inspire him, comparing
himself to the natural elements it influences. He ultimately pleads for the wind to
spread his ideas like seeds, bringing renewal and change, with the hopeful message
that after the hardships of winter, spring and rebirth will come.
John Keats: Ode on a Grecian Urn & To Autumn
Paved the way of writing sensuous poetry for the Victorians later
that century.
The poem celebrates the beauty and abundance of autumn, portraying it as a season of
ripeness, fulfillment, and maturity. Keats personifies autumn as a close companion of
the sun, working together to bring the harvest to fruition. The poem captures the
serene, languid atmosphere of the season and its sounds, from buzzing insects to soft
winds. It reflects on the inevitable passage of time, suggesting that autumn’s rich
beauty is a prelude to winter, but also a time to appreciate life's fullness and
transience.
George Gordon/ Lord Byron: Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage & Don Juan
Other Romantic writers
Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice & Sense and Sensibility & Mansfield
Park & Emma
Part of the transition to realism.
Austen’s plots, though fundamentally comic, highlight the
dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and
economic security.
Little personal fame during her lifetime, became popular after.
Bridget Jones’s Diary is the modern-day remake of Pride and
Prejudice.
Elizabeth Bennet, an intelligent and independent young woman, navigates love, social
expectations, and family pressures in Regency-era England. Initially prejudiced
against the aloof and wealthy Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth gradually discovers his true
character as he overcomes his own pride. Through misunderstandings, societal
challenges, and personal growth, the two find love and mutual respect, highlighting
themes of class, marriage, and self-awareness.
