Romanticism

It isn’t possible to place a definite date on the start and end of the Romantic Period as there are several
conflicting opinions. Generally, it is regarded that the period began in 1798 with the publication of “Lyrical
Ballads” by the forefathers of Romanticism; Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. Some scholars
argue that it began as early as 1789 with “Songs of Innocence” by William Blake. In terms of its ending, some
believe it ended with the crowning of Queen Victoria in 1837, although some say it died off by 1830. For the
purpose of this essay, the consensus is that the period began in 1798 and ended in 1830.

Pre-Romantic Period
The Romantic period was one of major social change in England, due to

1. Reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature.[

2. Revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment,
3. Rapid development of overcrowded industrial cities that took place roughly between 1798 and 1832.
The movement of so many people in England was the result of two forces:
4. The Agricultural Revolution, which involved enclosures that drove workers and their families off the land.
Villages became depopulated and in a way agriculture badly decline in Europe.
5. The Romantics were on the brink of the Industrial Revolution which was seen as a negative, horrendous
thing. The poets emphasized on the importance of nature in life and society, seeing big, smoke expelling
factories as monstrous and completely unnatural. They feared that society would become corrupted and
evil as it lost contact with nature and further integrated to an industrialized life.
6. American independence was another factor that was against imperialism.
7. Resources were not distributed appropriately as the nobles lived in great luxury while lower classes
starved
8. French Revolution in 1789 and its aftermath had the strongest impact on the political thinking of many
notable Romantic figures. There was little to no expression of free speech in France and poverty was
widespread.

Rousseau Said:
Man has been free but,
put in chain everywhere

Rousseau gave the slogan of justice, freedom and equality he said,

Man by nature is good, but is corrupted by the

artificialities of life
9. Graveyard poets and Gothic Fiction
The Romantic Movement in English literature of the early 19th century has its roots in 18th-century
poetry, the Gothic novel and the novel of sensibility.  The graveyard poets in the 1740s are characterized
by their gloomy meditations on mortality, in the context of the graveyard. Horace Walpole's 1764
novel ‘The Castle of Otranto’ created the Gothic fiction genre, combining elements
of horror and romance.
 Some major Gothic poets include Thomas Gray , whose Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (1751) is
"the best known product of this kind of sensibility";
William Cowper, Christopher Smart, Thomas Chatterton, Robert Blair , author of The Grave, "which
celebrates the horror of death"; and Edward Young, whose The Complaint, or Night-Thoughts on Life,
Death and Immortality is another "noted example of the graveyard genre". Other precursors of
Romanticism are the poets James Thomson and James Macpherson.
 
10. Sentimentalism
Sentimental novels are a genre which developed during the second half of the 18th century and relied on
emotional response both from their readers and characters. Scenes of distress and tenderness are
common, and the plot is arranged to advance emotions rather than action. The result is a valorization of
"fine feeling", displaying the characters as models for refined, and sensitive emotional effect. The ability
to display feelings was thought to show character and experience, and to shape social life and
relations. Among the most famous sentimental novels in English are Samuel Richardson's Pamela
(1740), Oliver Goldsmith's ‘The Vicar of Wakefield' (1766), Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy
(1759), Henry Brooke's The Fool of Quality (1765), Henry Mackenzie's The Man of Feeling (1771)
and Maria Edgeworth's Castle Rackrent (1800).

Characteristics of Romanticism in Literature

Although literary Romanticism occurred from about 1790 through 1850, not all writers of this period worked
in this style. There are certain characteristics that make a piece of literature part of the Romantic movement.

1. Glorification of Nature
The physical landscape is prominent in the poetry of this period. The Romantics, and especially Wordsworth,
are often described as "nature poets". However, these "nature poems" reveal wider concerns in that they
are often meditations on "an emotional problem or personal crisis".[ Nature, in all its unbound glory, plays a
huge role in Romantic literature. Nature, sometimes seen as the opposite of the rational, is a powerful
symbol in work from this era. Romantic poets and writers give personal, deep descriptions of nature and its
wild and powerful qualities.
Natural elements also work as symbols for the unfettered emotions of the poet or writer
For Example “To Autumn” by John Keats. Keats was aware that he was dying of consumption throughout
much of his short life and career, and his celebration of autumn symbolizes the beauty in the ephemeral.

2. Awareness and Acceptance of Emotions

A focus on emotion is a key characteristic of nearly all writing from the Romantic period. When we read
work of this period, we’ll see feelings described in all forms, including romantic and filial love, fear, sorrow,
loneliness, and more. This focus on emotion offered a counterpoint to the rational, and it also made
Romantic poetry and prose extremely readable and relatable.
 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein offers a perfect example of this characteristic of Romanticism. Here,
Frankenstein’s monster shows great self-awareness of his feelings and offers a vivid emotional description
full of anger and sadness.

3. Celebration of Artistic Creativity and Imagination

In contrast to the previous generations’ focus on reason, writers of the Romantic Movement explored the
importance of imagination and the creative impulse. Romantic poets and prose writers celebrated the power
of imagination and the creative process, as well as the artistic viewpoint. They believed that artists and
writers looked at the world differently, and they celebrated that vision in their work.
You can see this in William Wordsworth’s poem, “The Prelude."

4. Emphasis on Aesthetic Beauty

Romantic literature also explores the theme of aesthetic beauty, not just of nature but of people as well.
This was especially true with descriptions of female beauty. Writers praised women of the Romantic era for
their natural loveliness, rather than anything artificial or constrained.
A classic example of this characteristic is Lord Byron’s, poem “She Walks in Beauty."

5. Themes of Solitude
Writers of the Romantic era believed that creative inspiration came from solitary exploration. They
celebrated the feeling of being alone, whether that meant loneliness or a much-needed quiet space to think
and create.
We can see solitary themes in many literary works from this period, including in this excerpt from Samuel
Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Frost at Midnight."

6. Focus on Exoticism and History

Romantic-era literature often has a distinct focus on exotic locations and events or items from history.
Poems and prose touch on antiques and the gifts of ancient cultures around the world, and far-away
locations provide the setting for some literary works of this era.
One great example is Percy Byssche Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias."

7. Spiritual and Supernatural Elements

The writers of the Romantic era did not turn away from the darker side of emotion and the mysteries of the
supernatural. They explored the contrast between life and death. Many pieces have Gothic motifs, such as
manor houses in disrepair, dark and stormy nights, and more.
Some of the supernatural elements serve as symbols for emotions of guilt, depression, and other darker
feelings, as we can see in this excerpt from The Fall of the House of Usher by 
Edgar Allan Poe.
8. Vivid Sensory Descriptions
Another essential characteristic of nearly all Romantic-era literature is vivid sensory descriptions. The poems
and prose of this period include examples of simile and metaphor, as well as visual imagery and other
sensory details. Poets and other writers went beyond simply telling about things and instead gave the
information readers need to feel and taste and touch the objects and surroundings in Romantic-era writing.
Wordsworth uses vivid descriptions, including similes and metaphors, in his famous poem, “I Wandered
Lonely as a Cloud."

9. Use of Personification
Romantic poets and prose writers also used personification in their work. We can see examples of
personification of everything from birds and animals to natural events or aspects. These works even
personify feelings like love or states like death.
We can see Romantic personification in the work of the famous naturalist and writer, Karl von Martius.

10. Focus on the Self and Autobiography

Many works of Romantic-era literature are deeply personal, and they often explore the self of the writer. We
can see autobiographical influences in poems and prose of the period. One characteristic of this movement
was the importance placed on feelings and creativity, and the source of much of this emotional and artistic
work was the background and real-life surroundings of the writer. One key example of Romantic
autobiography is Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions.

The Two Generations of Romantic Poets

Romantic poetry in English has been divided into two periods distinguished by two generations of poets.

First Generation Poets Second Generation Poets

William Blake Jane Austen

Robert Burn Lord Baron
Wiiliam Wordsworth Percy Bysshe Shelley
Samuel Tylor Coleridge John Keats
Robert Southey Mary Shelley
Walter Scott
Charles Lamb
Romantic Poets
Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb is most famous for his poem “The Old Familiar Faces” and his essay “Essays of Elia.” At one
point he was mentally ill and spent some time in a psychiatric hospital. His sister went insane and stabbed
their mother to death, greatly affecting his writing for a long time and forcing him to take care of her.

Sir Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott is known for his poems like “The Lady of The Lake” and his ballads. He focused and showed
an interest for Scottish history in his works. Scott was read all around the world during his time including
readers in parts of Europe and North America.

Jane Austen
Jane Austen is most commonly known for her novels “Sense and Sensibility” and “Pride and Prejudice.” Her
novels were not accepted very well and didn’t bring her much fame while she was alive, but now she has
been accepted as one of the best authors of the English language. “Northanger Abby” was published once
she had passed away and sold excellently for a year.

Lord Byron
When Byron’s first volume of poetry Hours of Idleness (1807) received a negative critical response, he
revenged himself with a scornful, satirical attack on the critics and on the established culture of his times in
English Bards and Scottish Reviewers (1809).
Byron spent the following years with travelling. His trips provided him with abundant inspiration for his
trademark character: The Byronic villain hero. The character first appeared in Byron’s Childe Harold’s
Pilgrimage (1812-1818) that became an immediate success after its publication and turned Byron into a real
celebrity figure, and a fashion icon of the Byron mania. His major works include Don Juan, Manfred, Prisoner
of Chillon, and Beppo.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

The dominant conflict of Shelley’s poetry was rooted in his simultaneous attraction to revolutionary poetic
radicalism and (neo) Platonic idealism. His major works include Adonis, Ode to the West Wind, Song to the
Men of England, England 1819, The Masque of Anarchy, To a Skylark and Prometheus Unbound.

John Keats
JOHN KEATS (1795-1821) was a major figure of the second generation of Romantic poets despite his short
writing career (1816-1821) terminated by his premature death from tuberculosis at the age of 25. His was an
escapist, idealist and coined the concept of negative capability.
Keats’s interest in social conditions was not as revolutionary as Shelley’s, and not as satirical as Byron’s. His
themes mainly dealt with personal conflicts, philosophical implications concerning human existence, the
longing for freedom, and the unattainability of beauty. His major works includes “Endymion” (1818) , Ode to
Nightingale, Ode on a Grecian urn, Ode to Autumn Ode to Psyche, Ode on Melancholy, Bright Star, La Belle
Dame Sans Merci”