02.

01 LITERARY CRITICISM

Romantic Movement:

The Romantic movement, originating in late 18th-century European literature and arts, served as a
robust reaction against the rationalistic principles of Neoclassicism. Emphasizing imagination and
emotions over reason, Romanticism became a pursuit of the unknown, mysterious, and
unattainable. Central to this movement was the archetype of the "romantic hero," characterized by
an aspiration towards transcendent ideals of boundless honor, generosity, and selfless devotion.

The concept of "romantic love," originating from the Trouvères in Northern France, portrayed love
as transcendent, boundless, and self-justifying despite rational dictates. Romanticism, broadly
characterized by individualism, nature worship, primitivism, spontaneity, and a persistent attraction
to the supernatural and melancholy, found its early English forerunners in Gray, Collins, Burns, Blake,
and Gothic novelists. Their works, such as Thomson's "Seasons" and Young's "Night Thoughts,"
displayed a preoccupation with death, decay, and a melancholic sentimentality, earning them the
label of the "Graveyard School of Poetry."

The pinnacle of English Romanticism (1789-1832) unfolded in the works of Wordsworth, Coleridge,
Shelley, Byron, Keats, Leigh Hunt, Scott, Charles Lamb, and Hazlitt. Notable American contributors
included Cooper, Irving, Bryant, Poe, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Longfellow, Lowell,
and Whitman.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850): A Revolutionary Visionary

As the 18th century gave way to the 19th, significant political rebellions and social upheavals
prompted a paradigm shift in worldview. William Wordsworth, a poetic luminary born in
Cockermouth, Cumberlandshire, played a pivotal role in championing this transformative shift.
Educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, Wordsworth embarked on a grand tour of the Continent,
leading to the publication of "Descriptive Sketches."

In collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Wordsworth published "Lyrical Ballads" in 1798, a
collection heralding the onset of British Romanticism. This marked the beginning of a prolific 15-year
period during which Wordsworth produced masterpieces like "Poems in Two Volumes," "The
Excursion," "Miscellaneous Poems," and "The Prelude." However, it was "Lyrical Ballads" that truly
ushered in the Romantic Age in English literature.

Wordsworth's revolutionary vision, expounded in the preface to the second edition of "Lyrical
Ballads," sought to redefine poetry. Departing from the aristocratic subjects of previous eras,
Wordsworth championed common men and women, finding the richness of essential human
passions in "humble and rustic life." He also challenged established norms of poetic language,
advocating for the use of everyday speech over the ornate diction of heroic couplets prevalent in the
18th century.

YAHYA RIFAI
02.01 LITERARY CRITICISM

In addition to reshaping poetry's subject matter and language, Wordsworth redefined poetry itself
as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." Emotion, not reason, became the core of
poetry, signaling a departure from the restrained, controlled, and reasoned approach advocated by
predecessors like Sidney, Dante, and Pope.

Furthermore, Wordsworth reconceptualized the role of the poet. No longer a mere preserver of
civilized values, the poet, in Wordsworth's view, became "a man speaking to men" endowed with
heightened sensibility, enthusiasm, and tenderness. Such a poet possessed a comprehensive
understanding of human nature, with the ability to freely express individualism and value emotions
peculiar to the artist.

Wordsworth's groundbreaking ideas on poetry emphasized the subjective experience, where the
poet and the reader shared emotions. This departure from mimetic and rhetorical theories of
criticism aligned with the expressive school, accentuating the individuality of both artist and reader.
Wordsworth's influence laid the foundation for English Romanticism, leaving an indelible mark on
literary criticism for the 19th and 20th centuries.

YAHYA RIFAI