ROMANTIC

POETS
FIRST AND SECOND GENERATION:
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCIES
FIRST GENERATION
o WORDSWORTH
o COLERIDGE
 THE TWO SOULS
OF FIRST
GENERATION
WORDSWORTH AND COLERIDGE REPRESENT THE TWO OPPOSITE AND
COMPLEMENTARY SIDES OF ENGLISH ROMANTICISM
They are different in terms of poetic style and What they share is:
themes because: - Blake’s enthusiasm for revolution;
- WORDSWORTH: Tend to draw moral lessons
from the observation of domestic nature. - Beliefe in natural order and in a reconciliation
- COLERIDGE: moves more freely in fantastic between the natural and the human sphere
or dreamlike worlds because his works are - Their poems were published in a collected
pervaded by mysterious characters and volume called «lyrical ballad»
supernatural events in a dreamlike atmosphere.
SECOND GENERATION
o BYRON
o SHELLEY
o KEATS
 THE THREE POETS OF SECOND
GENERATION
BYRON, SHELLEY AND KEATS

Their voices and their aims are extremely

singular
They re the true incarnation of romantic revolt

Shelley is the most politically active poet because

he believed the poet had the moral duty to change
the world
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN
FIRST AND SECOND
GENERATION
• INSPIRATION FROM NATURE

• EXPRESSION OF INNER AND PERSONAL FEELINGS

• REFERENCES TO SUPERNATURAL

• IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN IMAGINATION

MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FIRST AND
SECOND GENERATION
FIRST GENERATION
THEY CRITICIZE MANY SOCIAL
CONVENTIONS AND THEY SEE SOCIETY AS
AN EVIL FORCE. THEY SUPPORT THE IDEALS
OF FRENCH REVOLUTION BUT THEY ARE
CONSERVATIVE.
THEY SEE NATURE AS A REPRESENTATION
OF GOD AND A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
THE POET IS A CREATOR BECAUSE HIS
POETRY IS THE RE-CREATION OF AN
EMOTION GIVEN BY NATURE. SO NATURE
ALLOWS ART AND LIFE.
THEIR POEMS FOCUS ON THE DEPICTION
OF HUMBLE, RUSTIC LIFE AND THEY USE
COMMON AND SIMPLE LANGUAGE OF
ORDINARY PEOPLE
SECOND GENERATION
THEY ARE THE TRUE INCARNATION OF
ROMANTIC REVOLT. THEY ARE REBELS
AND VERY POLITICALLY INVOLVED (IN
PARTICULAR SHELLEY).
THEY SEE NATURE AS A SOURCE OF
INSPIRATION AND AS A FURTHER FORM OF
BEAUTY
THEY ARE AWARE OF THE DISTANCE THAT
SEPARATES ART FROM LIFE AND THEY
SHARE A SENSE OF THE ULTIMATE FAILURE
OF ART TO CAPTURE THE IDEA IT TRIED TO
EXRESS.
THEIR POEMS FOCUS ON COMPLEX AND
UNSTABLE CONSCIOUSNESS, ON THE
POETIC PROCESS ITSELF AND ON THE
LIMITS OF LANGUAGE