ROMANTIC PERIOD IN ENGLISH LITERATURE 1785 1830 A

ROMANTIC PERIOD IN ENGLISH LITERATURE: 1785 -1830 A BRIEF OVERVIEW

SOCIAL & POLITICAL CONTEXT o PERIOD OF GREAT CHANGE IN ENGLAND: n AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY W/ POWERFUL LANDHOLDING ARISTOCRACY WAS GIVING WAY TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL NATION OF LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYERS & A GROWING, RESTLESS MIDDLE CLASS.

PERIOD OF CHANGE (cont. ) o AMERICAN & FRENCH REVOLUTIONS WERE HUGELY IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE. o THREATS TO EXISTING SOCIAL STRUCTURE WERE BEING POSED BY NEW, REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS.

PERIOD OF CHANGE (cont. ) o A TIME OF HARSH POLITICAL REPRESSION IN ENGLAND, IN SPITE OF NEED FOR CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

PERIOD OF CHANGE (cont. ) o MILL TOWNS GREW, THE LANDSCAPE WAS INCREASINGLY SUBDIVIDED, FACTORIES SPEWED POLLUTION OVER SLUMS, & THE POPULATION WAS INCREASINGLY DIVIDED INTO RICH & POOR.

PERIOD OF CHANGE (cont. ) o REFORMS DID NOT OCCUR BECAUSE THE PHILOSOPHY OF LAISSEZ-FAIRE (“LET ALONE”) PREVAILED.

LACK OF REFORM (cont. ) o CONSEQUENCES WERE LOW WAGES, HORRIBLE WORKING CONDITIONS, LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN & CHILDREN IN BRUTALLY HARD OCCUPATIONS (SUCH AS COAL MINING).

LACK OF REFORM (cont. ) o IN THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT & POVERTY, WORK-ERS —WHO COULD NOT VOTE—HAD TO RESORT TO PROTESTS & RIOTS, INCURRING FURTHER REPRESSION. o BUT WHILE THE POOR SUFFERED, THE LEISURE CLASS PROSPERED.

PLIGHT OF WOMEN o WOMEN OF ALL CLASSES WERE REGARDED AS INFERIOR TO MEN, WERE UNDEREDUCATED, HAD LIMITED VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, WERE SUBJECT TO A STRICT CODE OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, AND HAD ALMOST NO LEGAL RIGHTS.

PLIGHT OF WOMEN (cont. ) o IN SPITE OF THE ABOVE, THE CAUSE OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS WAS LARGELY IGNORED.

ROMANTICISM o TERM “ROMANTICISM” IS DIFFICULT TO DEFINE B/C OF THE VARIETY OF LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS, AND WRITERS OF THE PERIOD WERE ONLY LATER LABELLED “ROMANTIC. ”

ROMANTICISM (cont. ) o BUT MANY HAD A SENSE OF “THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE”—THAT A GREAT RELEASE OF CREATIVE ENERGY WAS OCCURING AS ACCOMPANIMENT TO POLITICAL & SOCIAL REVOLUTION. IT WAS SEEN AS AN AGE OF NEW BEGININGS & LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES.

POETIC THEORY & PRACTICE o WORDSWORTH TRIED TO ARTICULATE THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW POETRY IN THE PREFACE TO LYRICAL BALLADS (1800, 1802).

CONCEPT OF POETRY, THE POET o POETRY WAS SEEN AS THE “SPONTANEOUS OVERFLOW OF POWERFUL FEELINGS”; THE ESSENCE OF POETRY WAS THE MIND, EMOTIONS, & IMAGINATION OF THE POET (NOT THE OUTER WORLD).

POETRY & THE POET (cont. ) o FIRST-PERSON LYRIC POEM BECAME THE MAJOR ROMANTIC LITERARY FORM, WITH “I” OFTEN REFERRING DIRECTLY TO THE POET. n THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF BECAME A MAJOR TOPIC OF ROMANTIC POETRY.

POETRY & THE POET (cont. ) o POETS OFTEN SAW THEMSELVES AS PROPHETS IN A TIME OF CRISIS, REVISING THE PROMISE OF DIVINE REDEMPTION IN TERMS OF A “HEAVEN” ON EARTH.

POETIC SPONTANEITY, FREEDOM o INITIAL ACT OF POETIC COMPOSITION MUST ARISE FROM IMPULSE; BE FREE FROM THE RULES INHERITED FROM THE PAST; AND RELY ON INSTINCT, INTUITION, & FEELING.

NATURE o IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE OBSERVATION & DESCRIPTION OF WILD NATURE, WHICH SERVES AS A STIMULUS TO THINKING & TO THE RESOLUTION OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS & CRISES.

NATURE (cont. ) o LANDSCAPE WAS OFTEN GIVEN HUMAN QUALITIES OR SEEN AS A SYSTEM OF SYMBOLS REVEALING THE NATURE OF GOD. o CLOSENESS W/ NATURE WAS SEEN AS BRINGING OUT HUMANITY’S INNATE GOODNESS.

GLORIFICATION OF THE COMMONPLACE o HUMBLE, RUSTIC SUBJECT MATTER & PLAIN STYLE BECAME THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT & MEDIUM OF POETRY.

THE COMMONPLACE (cont. ) o POETS SOUGHT TO REFRESH READERS’ SENSE OF WONDER ABOUT THE ORDINARY THINGS OF EXISTENCE, TO MAKE THE “OLD” WORLD SEEM NEW.

THE SUPERNATURAL & STRANGE o MANY ROMANTIC POEMS EXPLORE THE REALM OF MYSTERY & MAGIC; INCORPORATE MATERIALS FROM FOLKLORE, SUPERSTITION, ETC. ; & ARE OFTEN SET IN DISTANT OR FARAWAY PLACES.

THE STRANGE (cont. ) o RELATED TO THIS WAS A RENEWED INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE AGES (AND THE BALLAD FORM) AS A BEAUTIFUL, EXOTIC, MYSTERIOUS BYGONE ERA.

THE STRANGE (cont. ) o THERE WAS ALSO GREAT INTEREST IN UNUSUAL MODES OF EXPERIENCE, SUCH AS VISIONARY STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, HYPNOTISM, DREAMS, DRUGINDUCED STATES, AND SO FORTH.

INDIVIDUALISM & STRIVING o HUMAN BEINGS WERE SEEN AS ESSENTIALLY NOBLE & GOOD (THOUGH CORRUPTED BY SOCIETY), AND AS POSSESSING GREAT POWER & POTENTIAL THAT HAD FORMERLY BEEN ASCRIBED ONLY TO GOD.

INDIVIDUALISM (cont. ) o THERE WAS A GREAT BELIEF IN DEMOCRATIC IDEALS, CONCERN FOR HUMAN LIBERTY, & A GREAT OUTCRY AGAINST VARIOUS FORMS OF TYRANNY.

INDIVIDUALISM (cont. ) o THE HUMAN MIND WAS SEEN AS CREATING (AT LEAST IN PART) THE WORLD AROUND IT, AND AS HAVING ACCESS TO THE INFINITE VIA THE FACULTY OF IMAGINATION.

INDIVIDUALISM (cont. ) o REFUSING TO ACCEPT LIMITATIONS, HUMAN BEINGS SET INFINITE, INACCESSIBLE GOALS, THUS MAKING FAILURE & IMPERFECTION GLORIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

INDIVIDUALISM (cont. ) o THIS REFUSAL TO ACCEPT LIMITATIONS FOUND EXPRESSION IN BOLD POETIC EXPERIMENTATION.

INDIVIDUALISM (cont. ) o MANY WRITERS DELIBERATELY ISOLATED THEMSELVES FROM SOCIETY TO FOCUS ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL VISION. n THEME OF EXILE WAS COMMON, W/ THE ROMANTIC NON-CONFORMIST OFTEN SEEN AS A GREAT SINNER OR OUTLAW.