The Poets Robert Burns 1759 1796 Scottish farmer

The Poets

Robert Burns (1759 -1796) *Scottish farmer - life on farm reflected in his poetry *dialect poems (Scottish) *wrote over 30 Scottish Folk songs (established his reputation) *died at 37 of Rheumatic heart disease *heavy drinker *wrote "Auld Lang Syne" at New Year's Eve *The presence of human live in his work came from his immersion in the lives of so many ordinary human beings.

To a Mouse *dialect - language, and particularly the speech habits, or a specific social class, region, or group *conversation between the speaker (farmer) and a mouse *relates destruction of mouse's home to the failing plans of humans *Romantics viewed nature as a source of truth, and therefore believed they should try to harmonize with it; hence the apology for the destruction of nature.

William Blake (1757 -1827) *uneventful life *happily married to same woman for entire life *born and raised outside of London *began artistic training at age 10 *worked as an engraver *during his lifetime, his work got very little attention; great deal of his poetry never published *when his work was read, people thought he was weird, confused, or mad

*near end of life young artists began to appreciate his work and became his disciples *purpose- to change the way people "see" and open up new worlds *in his 50's and 60's he lived in poverty *visual artist - he usually had pictures with each of his works *poetic vision - comprehensive view of life, the world, and our ordinary perceptions

The Lamb and The Tyger n The Lamb *speaker gentle and teacher *fulfilling the poet's task of singing the happy songs of innocence n The Tyger *he is poet filled with fear and wonder when he thinks of that other strenuous artist who created the "fearful symmetry" of the animal

The Chimney Sweeper *conventional religious beliefs about the miseries of child labor *Tom and speaker are young children forced to work *very religious content - God will provide

William Wordsworth (1770 -1850) *good friends with Samuel Taylor Coleridge (during his twenties and then again later in his life) *wrote his best works in his late twenties to mid-thirties *after 1805, his "poetic powers" began to decline *his brother John died at sea in 1805 and there was a note of resignation in his work *felt a "strange duality" like he was composed of "two consciousnesses" one remembers and the other is remembered -his work and life have a similar doubleness *mother died in 1778 and he and his brother were sent to school in Hawkshead *sister sent to live with relatives *father died in 1783 and all the boys' "financial resources" were under the care of two uncles *he and sister, Dorothy, were reunited in 1787 before he left to study at Cambridge

*1791, got a college degree with little to no chance of a job (except in a church) *time of birth and rebirth - also known as French Revolution *was beginning of 10 painful years of growth which ended with him becoming a poet *in his 40's he centered his life on his family, settled in Lake District in 1800 *became a literary monument after his poetry lost power and politics became more conservative *largest work published in his lifetime was The Excursion *1843 became Poet Laureate *(duality) early years (up to 30's) were erratic and difficult, later years uneventful *disillusioned about his hopes for change because he was sickened by way between England France (drove him back to poetry)

*1795, fortunes began to change, inherited some money from a friend and Coleridge comes into his life *wrote together; influences and inspired one another, but eventually weren't friends anymore because of their differences *Wordsworth found delight in the simply nuances of perception and experiences, and in the way the mind and nature adapted to one another *wrote in vivid, direct, and seemingly immediate images and descriptions (yet wrote mostly in past tense) *Coleridge called him "poet of the age"

Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey *lyric - single speaker expresses personal emotions and observations *has tone of a passionate conversation, some lines meant to be exclamations while others whispered *illustrates author's belief in nature as a healer and teacher *speaks to his sister, Dorothy *contrasts children's lack of reason with adults' possession of it *poet's willingness to focus on self was a dramatic departure from the social poetry of before *focuses on relationship between nature and the soul *personifies Nature as having a personal bond with humans

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 -1834) *Wordsworth called him, "The most wonderful man that I have known". *said to have a "seminal mind" and be a "genius" *"When scholars finish collecting Coleridge's works, including letters, journals, and comments made in the margins or books, there will be over thirty volumes, more than most encyclopedias. " *youngest child *after father died, went to school in London and later attended Cambridge University *wrote an ode in Greek on the abolition of slavery *left the university in 1794 without a degree

*by 1797 had persuaded Wordsworth to live close by. They helped on another out *called a philosopher *lectured on Shakespeare *marriage collapsed *became addicted to opium, but could discipline his mind to concentrate *became known as "Sage of Highgate" *when Coleridge and Keats met, Coleridge had already accomplished more than enough to fill two careers (poet, critic, journalist, essayist, and philosopher) *spent the next fifteen years pushing his philosophic powers to higher insights *became an influential theologian and political theorist *compare Coleridge to Samuel Johnson - both had wide-ranging interests and an ability to see the heart and connections of every problem -both deeply and naturally religious and self-critical *said to have great talents he couldn't live up to

Rime of the Ancient Mariner *wrote as collaboration with Wordsworth *made a poetic division of labor based on their interests in the two powers of poetry: (1) to represent ordinary events and objects in an unfamiliar way so as to make them fresh and interesting (2) to make believable the unfamiliar and strange *employs alliteration, consonance, assonance, and internal rhyme *based on a dream of a friend *illustrates how guilt can isolate one from society *captures interdependence of humans and nature

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788 -1824) *inherited flamboyance and unconventional behavior form his father and grandfather *"original" name was George Gordon Byron - received current name when his cousin was killed in battle and he learned that he was first in line to be the sixth Baron Byron (assumed title at age 10). *1812, first publication (instant celebrity) *grandfather was an admiral ("Foulweather Jack") and his father was a sea captain, a psychopath, and a spender of women's fortunes *Byron was handsome although he was born with a deformity (clubfoot)

*lifestyle aggravated a glandular problem and a tendency toward grotesque obesity, so he would go on binge diets *was said to be a genius (was schooled at Cambridge University) *had notorious, unconventional behavior *was unhappily married, and had many affairs with other women most of who were married *Byron's marriage to Annabella Milbanke, a well-educated young heiress, was stormy from the start. After their daughter Augusta was born, Lady Byron believed her husband's violent and eccentric behavior indicated madness. When Byron ejected his wife from their home, Lady Byron demanded a separation, a scandalous decision at the time. Later documents seem to show that his wife accused Byron of incest with his half-sister.

*famous for lyrics, satires, dramas, and narratives *came into contact with Shelley and Shelley's wife's stepsister, who threw herself at Byron *because of association with Shelley, Byron's writing career began in ernest *was not a "Romantic" in style; more Neoclassical *became regarded as a "incarnation" of "Romantic" *Byronic heroes - brooding characters with ironic attitudes, rebellious *was a very public person, could attract an audience *on a personal level, drew people to him naturally and excelled in conversation *died at the age of 36

She Walks in Beauty *employs simile, metaphor, and personification *sublime - a sense of the power in nature that escapes human understanding *sonnet *links beauty to universal images

Don Juan *considered Byron's finest work even though he didn't finish it *mock epic poem *satirizes political and social problems *dispenses advice based on speaker's 30 years experience

Speech to Parliament: In Defense of the Lower Classes *political commentary - offers opinions on political issues, building arguments on evidence and assumptions *rhetorical questions - asked for dramatic effect, not expecting an answer *balanced clauses - two or more clauses in the same sentence with similar structure *argument *assumption *addresses "deathbill" by Parliament to punish workers for wrecking factory equipment

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 -1822) *was expelled from Oxford for not responding to an atheist pamphlet *was better known for his shocking domestic life and opinions than for his writing *was a political activist - said, "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" *was convinced that human thought and expression had the power to change human life for the better - optimism was never subverted *19, was estranged from his family and he dated girls who were considered "unconventional" *to rescue 16 year-old Harriet Westbrook from an abusive father, Shelley eloped with her

*ran away three years later with Mary Godwin another 16 year-old - she became Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley (author of Frankenstein) *after Harriet committed suicide at 21, he was free to marry Mary *denied custody of he and Harriet's children *Shelley's were shaken by death of four children, including Percy's first two with Mary *Percy drowned on his sailboat when he was not even thirty. Twelve days later, Shelley's body washed ashore with a copy of Sophocles in one pocket and Keats in the other *literary productivity was unceasing - unlike other Romantic poets *wrote all kinds of literature *went into self-exile because the government feared radical opinions of any sort, and it was his mature poetic period

Ozymandias and Ode to the West Wind n Ozymandias *employs imagery *ironic take on human pride and ambition *based on actual Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses II n Ode to the West Wind *speaker awed by nature, specifically the West Wind *affirms that decay leads to renewal

To a Skylark and A Song: Men of England n To a Skylark *contrasts nature's unending beauty to human limitations *contradictions between joy and suffering *nature can be so pure it is beyond human understanding n A Song: Men of England *intended to incite revolution *uses rhetorical questions to instruct workers to stop giving away their power to the already powerful upper classes

John Keats (1795 -1821) *already incredibly influential before his death at 25 *born to working-class family, not an aristocrat like contemporaries *developed a reputation for fighting for worthy causes *1815, began study of medicine in London *1818, published first major work - received very negative reviews *1818, lost brother to tuberculosis and met Fanny Brawne (became engaged) *1819, wrote poems for which he is most famous (following a year of grief, new love, and his own health issues) *moved to Italy because the warmer climate was believed to help with Tuberculosis, his diagnosis *wrote his own epitaph, "Here lies one whose name was writ in water. " (stresses brevity of life) *did not believe in using poetry for politics - he worked as an artist

Ode on A Grecian Urn *ode - lyric poem characterized by heightened emotion and paying respect to a person or thing *Keats created his own form of ode using 10 -line stanzas *realizes the eternal nature of truth through depictions on an urn *contains his best-remembered line, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty"

Jane Austen (1775 -1817) *lived a quiet life devoted to family *wrote six novels about love, marriage, and beauty - though she never married *one of eight children of a minister *employs satirical wit against the common social ills of the day (gossip, scheming, etc. ) *published anonymously, but later honored once discovered

On Making an Agreeable Marriage *social commentary - writing or speech that offers insight into society *persuasive techniques - logical appeal, moral/ethical appeal, emotion appeal *response to her niece's letter about concerns with her suitor *concerned with monetary considerations in marriage *concerned with marriage based on social conventions

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 -1797) *recognized as one of first major feminists *movement for women's rights influenced by her writings on women's education and freedoms *grew up in poverty but defied tradition and sought education *became a governess and a lady's companion *established a girl's school in London *married a radical philosopher in 1797, but died in childbirth shortly thereafter

A Vindication of the Rights of Women *reflects on the poor educational opportunities for women *reflects on the society's drive to make women meek and models of feminine beauty *begins almost sadly, but becomes more adamant as she writes

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797 -1851) *created Gothic literature from a contest of telling ghost stories with her husband friends *1818, published Frankenstein (was praised by authors such as Sir Walter Scott) *raised by her father after her mother died giving birth to her *surrounded by famous writers of the day *strongly resented stepmother and therefore went to live with a family friend *left penniless and a single mother at 24 when her husband drowned *returned to England continued to write to support her she and her son *became an invalid at 48 *died of a brain tumor at 54