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The Characteristics of Romantic Poetry

April 09, 2011

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"Romanticism is the art of presenting people with the literary works which are capable of affording them the
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greatest possible pleasure, in the present state of their customs and beliefs.
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Classicism, on the other hand, presents them with the literature that gave the greatest possible pleasure to
poetry

their great-grandfathers."-Stendhal (1783 - 1842), French writer, Racine and Shakespeare Romantic Period

UGC NET
 

The Roman c Movement lasted from about 1750 to about 1870, is often defined as second Renaissance.

Romanticism cannot be identified with a single style, technique, or attitude, but romantic writing is generally

characterized by a highly imaginative and subjective approach, emotional intensity, freedom of thought and

expression, an idealization of nature, and a dreamlike or visionary quality.

  The Romantic Movement is both a revolt and revival .This movement in literature and the revolutionary

idealism in European politics are both generated by the same human craving for freedom from traditions and

tyranny. The Roman c Movement revives the poetic ideals of love, beauty, emotion, imagination, romance and

beauty of Nature. Keats celebrates beauty, Shelley adores love, Wordsworth glorifies nature Byron idealizes

humanism, Scott revives the medieval lore and Coleridge amalgamates supernatural. As a result, the Romantic

Movement revolts against the ideals, principles, intellectualism, aristocracy and technicality of Augustan period

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and smoothed the run of broad emotional gallery of substance relinquishing the rigidity of ‘form’. 

  From sociological and political perspective it is not

unfair to say that Romanticism and French Revolution

are synonymous. In fact, Rousseau’s social theory

roughly embodies in the familiar phrase of ‘the return

to nature’ while the battle cry of French Revolution –

liberty, equality and Fraternity – are influential on the

youthful imagination of Roman c poets. Read More Roman c Period Rousseau establishes the cult of the

individual and championed the freedom of the human spirit. Rousseau’s sentimental influence touches Blake,

Wordsworth and Coleridge; his intellectual influence Godwin, and through Godwin Shelly. Byron and Shelley also

share the champion of liberty and revolutionary idealism. A wonderful humanitarian enthusiasm and gorgeous

dream of progress and perfection are thus kindled in ardent young souls. This is the central creed of Romantic

poetry. Here is the prophecy of a new day, forwarding immediately into an era of realized democratic ideals –

          “The trumpet of a prophecy! O wind,

          If winter comes, can spring be far behind?”

                                                (Ode To The West Wind – Shelley)

                  The other most important feature of Roman c poetry is emotionalism. Here is effusion of feelings,

emotions and heartfelt appreciation of beauty in all form – human or natural. Read More Roman c Period It

springs from the heart and makes an appeal to the heart. It is spontaneous and natural, and no laboured

exercise. The  preface  to  the  second edition of Lyrical Ballads (1800), by English poets William Wordsworth

and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the prime importance as a manifesto of literary romanticism, affirms the

importance of feeling and imagination to poetic creation and disclaimed conventional literary forms and

subjects. Thus imagination, emotions ,intuition rolls over to the literary output of sensibility and passion.

          Lyricism, rather than intellectual or satirical, is the basic preoccupation of Roman c poetry. Here is the

full expression of one’s own personal feelings and sentiments towards an object. As such there is an abundance

of lyrics, songs, sonnets, odes, and egotistical poems in Romantic poetry. Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats

and Byron are all famous lyrical poets. All these lyrics favour subjectivity, emotionalism, impulse and free play

of imagination. Such intensity of feeling can be read in Shelley’s To A Skylark:

         

We look before and after,

          And pine for what is not;

          Our sincerest laughter

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          With some pain is fraught

Our sweetest songs are those that tells of saddest thought.

          In their choice of subject matter, the romantics showed an affinity for nature, especially its wild and

mysterious aspects, and for exotic, melancholic, and melodramatic subjects likely to evoke awe or

passion.Read More Roman c Period Nature comes to the new light in Roman c poetry. It takes the widest

possible connotation. Nature, for the Roman c poets, includes landscape, trees, plants, hills, rivers,

mountains as well as rural folks together with their cottages, sheep, goats and rural festivals. Keats visualizes

its nature; Shelley intellectualizes; Wordsworth mystifies and Byron revolutionizes it. Wordsworth, the

worshiper and high priest of Nature, thus says –

          “ ………….. and that I, so long

          A worshipper of Nature, hither come

          Unwearied in that service; rather say

          With warmer love – Oh! With far deeper zeal

          Of holier love …..”

                                                ( Tintern Abbey- William Wordsworth )

                  The medieval age – the magic of distance, spirit of adventure, knight – errant, duels, battles and

tournaments and voyages over unchartared seas offer a store-house of fascination for Roman c poets.

Coleridge creates a ‘make believe world’ on the doctrine of willing suspension of disbelief. Keats explores

Hellenism as if a Greek born in England. This lure of exotic is everywhere in their text.

          Apart from these the pictorial quality, the subtle harmony of phrase, extensive use of poetic imagery and

simplicity of diction are the other characteristics of Roman c poetry.

                  Thus both in manner and matter Romantic poetry are far different from Augustan Age. Read More

Roman c Period Though the Romantic age and literature stops with the accession of Queen Victoria to the

throne of England in 1837, its spirit is still relevant in present day literary production.

Ardhendu De 

LABELS: LITERARY TERMS, POETRY, ROMANTIC PERIOD, UGC NET SHARE

Comments

Anonymous · May 7, 2011 at 6:24 AM

great thanks a lot 'tota'
REPLY

Anonymous · July 5, 2011 at 11:37 AM

sir nice article on romantic poetry. request oyu to give characteristics of nature poetry.
thanks
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thanks
REPLY

Dr. K. V. Lakshmi · June 17, 2014 at 7:46 PM

Very well written. I guess your blog is immensely useful to sincere students of
literature.
REPLY

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Ardhendu De
An English Teacher; M. A.(English) , D.
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