English Romanticism 1795 1835 Defining Features of Romanticism

English Romanticism 1795 -1835

Defining Features of Romanticism 17 TH AND 18 TH CENTURY CHARACTERISTICS ENGLISH ROMANTICISM CHARACTERISTICS The Restoration A rejection of eighteenth- century classicism and rationalism ◦ Monarchy restored to Charles II The Industrial Age ◦ Economic revolution of 1700 s increased wealth ◦ British inventions perfected the use of the steam engine, manufacture of cloth, global impact of world trade The Enlightenment/ Age of Reason ◦ Scientific Revolution focused on human ability to reason ◦ Rediscovery of classical texts and focus on harmony restraint and clarity ◦ Emphasis on the trials and dreams of the common people ◦ Deep attachment to nature and a pure and simple past A reaction to nearly a century of progress in science and industry ◦ Refocus on the common man, the overused factory worker, farmer, peasant ◦ No faith in the reason of science and reason A questioning of the power of human understanding

Historical Context • The American Revolution (last half of 18 th century) • The French Revolution (1789 -99): • Declaration of the Rights of Man (Woman) • 1792: The French First Republic (waging war upon England) • 1793: King Louis XVI executed • 1793 -94: The Reign of Terror (under the Jacobin Club) • 1804: Napoléon Bonaparte crowned Emperor of the First French Empire • 1815: Napoléon defeated at Waterloo "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" Joseph Mallord William Turner 1806 -08 The Battle of Trafalgar as Seen From the Mizen Starboard Shrouds of the Victory

Romanticism saw a shift from faith in reason to faith in the senses, feelings, and imagination; a shift from interest in urban society to an interest in the rural and natural; a shift from public, impersonal poetry to subjective poetry; and from concern with the scientific and mundane to interest in the mysterious and infinite. Mainly they cared about the individual, intuition, and imagination. Caspar David Friedrich 1818 Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

Tenets of Romanticism Imagination and emotion are more important than reason and formal rules Emphasis on intuition and a reliance on natural feelings to guide conduct Focus on love of nature, the common man, primitivism Belief that the ills of mankind come from modernization and urbanization Interest in the supernatural, the mystical, the gothic and the exotic Attraction to rebellion and revolution especially in regards to human rights, individualism and freedom from oppression Thomas Cole 1832 A Wild Scene Emphasis on introspection, the melancholy, sadness and pshycology

Romantic Poetry The expression of the poet’s inner feelings Wordsworth: poetry is “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” The poet-prophet Shelley: “Poets are the mirrors of the gigantic shadows that futurity casts upon the present” Disregard conventional rules and the deliberate act of composing poetry Keats: “if poetry comes not as naturally as the leaves to a tree it had better not come at all” The essential role of passion in art and in thinking in general Coleridge: “Deep thinking is attainable only by a means of deep feeling” All things (notably ordinary, humble, and trivial) are equally fit subjects for poetry Wordsworth: urges poets “to choose incidents and situations from common life” and describe them in a “language really spoken by men” De-familiarize the familiar and thereby arouse the sense of wonder

William Wordsworth 1770 -1850 William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge released a collection of poems called Lyrical Ballads in 1798. With it, the pair revolutionized theory and practice of poetry. Its release is often considered the beginning of the Romantic Period. Wordsworth writes of feelings, memories, and observations. He wrote in simple, common language about simple subject matter. The poet lived in Paris at the beginning of the French Revolution. He supported the French Revolution when he saw it grounded in liberty, but opposed it when it began to threaten freedom, liberty. Wordsworth wrote poetry all of his life, but his best work was penned in his youth and up to 1808; in his old age he became increasingly conservative and conventional. He became England’s poet laureate in 1843.

William Blake 1757 -1827 A true romantic in thought and style yet his poetry was hardly known in his lifetime and therefore not considered a founder of the Romantic Movement, despite his timing. Blake designed his own books, writing poems and carving engravings that illustrated them. Blake, who viewed the poet as both artist and prophet, was interested in the relationship of Innocence and Experience “two contrary states of the human soul, ” as he called them. Blake was strongly influenced by the Bible. He saw the French Revolution’s violence as purifying, and believed it would lead to redemption and reunification of humankind. Blake believed Nature viewed through the human imagination could lead us to Eden, which we became alienated from. Redemption occurs with unification of bodily senses and imagination.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772 -1834 Samuel Taylor Coleridge is probably remembered most for his darkly symbolic “Khubla Khan” and his timeless “Rime of the Ancient Mariner, ” which was published in Lyrical Ballads. Coleridge was a close friend of William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy, until he and Wordsworth had a falling out. Coleridge’s poetry is especially recognized for its atmospheric power, melodic subtlety and strong visual and other sensory effects. He is known as one of the leading intellectuals of the romantic era, chiefly because of his literary criticism, which is marked with a sensitivity and subtlety, often articulately arguing the finest distinctions in literature. Coleridge used laudanum as a pain reliever and although there was no stigma attached to consumption of opium at the time, there was also little understanding of the nature or dangers of addiction. “Khubla Khan” was in fact written after an opium-fueled dream, according to Coleridge.

John Keats 1795 -1821 John Keats was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley despite his work having been in publication for only four years before his death. Although his poems were not generally well received by critics during his life, his reputation grew after his death, so that by the end of the 19 th century, he had become one of the most beloved of all English poets. He had a significant influence on a diverse range of poets and writers. Jorge Luis Borges stated that his first encounter with Keats was the most significant literary experience of his life. The poetry of Keats is characterized by sensual imagery most notably in the series of odes. Today his poems and letters are some of the most popular and most analyzed in English literature.

Percy Byce Shelley 1792 -1822 In terms of writing, Shelley is known for his purely lyrical style of poetry. He is also known as an Idealist …he believed man is naturally good yet thwarted by corrupt social forces. Shelley, a vegetarian, was an advocate for social justice, including animal rights. According to Shelley, who died in a boating accident just after his 30 th birthday, Nature is the embodiment of love, beauty, and liberty, and will eventually triumph in which Man, Nature, and God will live in harmony. Shelley’s uncompromising life and idealism made him a figure of scorn during his lifetime but a hero to generations of poets that followed. Shelley was famously associated with Lord Byron and John Keats, while his second wife was Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.

George Gordon, Lord Byron 1788 -1824 Byron was a study in contrasts: Some critics accuse him of poor command of language and slipshod verse. He was appreciated more on the ‘continent’ then in England. Other critics find great value and mastery in his poems. By some he was considered the “greatest of all” English Romantic poets. Other contradictions: His poem Don Juan gave him a reputation as a great lover and his exploits with women were numerous and infamous, but he was fundamentally homosexual. Byron was a political radical, yet skeptical about the effectiveness of reform or revolution. He yearned for fame, yet knew its pitfalls. He ranted about literary critics negative assessment of his work, yet he was even harder on his own writing. Critics accuse him of poor command of language and slipshod verse. He was appreciated more on the ‘continent’ then in England. Other critics find great value and mastery in his poems.