LECTURE 5

ROMANTICISM IN
ENGLISH LITERATURE
(1789-1832)
UzSWLU
Name of the module: History of English and American literature
Lecturer: Muxamedova Shohista
Teacher, Chair of Linguistics and Literary Studies
 Plan
• General background
• Romanticism as a literary trend
• Pre-romanticism
• Lake school
• Revolutionary romantics
• Historical novel
• Gothic literature
 Romantic...
what does it mean?
 The origin of Romanticism
• “romantic” – French word “roman”- the name for medieval tales of
knights written in Romanic dialect.
• Exaggerated, unconvincing (17th century); the expression of personal
feelings and emotions
• Romances – a literary genre found in medieval Europe from the 12th
century describing the adventures of legendary knights, their
idealized behavior that combines loyalty, honor, chivalry and courtly
love (The Arthurian romances)
• Included love stories between a knight and his lady - resulting in the
modern meaning of romance.
 What is Romanticism?
• Romanticism was a European cultural movement which involved writers, artists and
philosophers in Germany, France, Italy and England
• A new literary trend came into being at the end of the 18th century (spanning roughly
1790–1850).
• The movement was characterized by a celebration of nature and the common man, a
focus on individual experience, an idealization of women, and an embrace of isolation
and melancholy. The suspicion of science and industrialization, and glorification of
the past with a strong preference for the medieval rather than the classical.
• It covers the period from the beginning of the French bourgeois revolution (1789-1793)
to the parliamentary reform in England (1832).
• English romanticism can be regarded as an offspring of two great historical events:
• 1) the Industrial revolution in England and
• 2) the French bourgeois revolution of 1789..
 Historical
Context

The Industrial Revolution in England: Manchester –

cotton, Sheffield – steel cutlery, Birmingham – light
engineering
The French Bourgeois Revolution, 1789
“liberty, equality and fraternity”
 Luddities (1811-1817)
• “Frame-breakers” objected to
the increased use of mechanized
looms and knitting frames.

• Named after Nedd Ludd – a

youth who allegedly smashed
two stocking frames in 1779.

• Peterloo Massacre, 16th August

1819 , wanted political reform
The effects of Industrial Revolution
• It played a significant role in shaping the themes, ideals, and sensibilities of the Romantic period.
Here's how the Industrial Revolution influenced the emergence of Romanticism:
• Negative Effects of Industrialization: The Industrial Revolution brought about rapid
urbanization, factory labor, and harsh working conditions. Many people, including writers and
artists, witnessed the negative effects of industrialization on the lives of ordinary workers, including
child labor, long working hours, and poor living conditions. This led to a sense of disillusionment
and concern for the well-being of the working class.
• Disconnection from Nature: As people moved from rural areas to crowded industrial cities, there
was a growing sense of disconnection from the natural world. Romantic writers and artists, such as
William Wordsworth and Caspar David Friedrich, reacted by celebrating the beauty and spiritual
qualities of nature. They saw nature as a source of solace and inspiration in an increasingly
mechanized world.
• Reaction Against Rationalism: The Enlightenment, which preceded the Romantic era, emphasized
reason, science, and rationality. Romanticism represented a reaction against this emphasis on
logic and embraced emotion, intuition, and the irrational. Romantic writers explored the emotional
and imaginative aspects of human experience, often contrasting them with the cold, mechanical
world of industry.
Celebration of Individualism: The Industrial Revolution brought about significant societal changes, including
the rise of the factory system and the standardization of work. In response, Romanticism celebrated the
uniqueness and individuality of each person. Romantic literature often explored the inner emotional lives of
characters and emphasized personal expression and creativity.
Interest in the Supernatural: The rapid changes and uncertainties brought about by industrialization led to an
interest in the supernatural and mysterious. Many Romantic works incorporated elements of the supernatural,
Gothic literature being a notable example, as writers explored the uncanny and the unknown.
Desire for Simplicity: The complexity and pollution of urban industrial centers prompted a yearning for
simplicity and purity. Romantic artists often idealized rural life, untouched by industrialization, and sought
refuge in pastoral settings.
Critique of Materialism: Romantic writers critiqued the materialism and consumerism associated with
industrialization. They questioned the value of material wealth and explored themes of spiritual and moral
significance.
Revolt Against Neoclassicism: Neoclassical literature, which emphasized order, restraint, and reason, was
dominant in the preceding era. Romanticism represented a rejection of these principles and a desire for more
freedom and expression in literature and the arts.
Nationalism: The Industrial Revolution contributed to the rise of modern nation-states and the development of
national identity. Romantic writers and artists often celebrated the history, folklore, and cultural
traditions of their own countries, contributing to the development of nationalism.
 Age of Reason vs. Romantic Era

In the Age of Reason, In the Romantic Era

Writers stressed:
•Reason and Judgement, Logic
•Concern with the universal
experience
•The value of society as a
whole
•The value of rules, tradition
Writers stressed:
•Imagination and Emotion
•Concern with the particular
experience
•The value of the individual
human being
•The value of freedom
 Characteristics of Romanticism

a shift from faith in reason to faith in the senses, feelings, and imagination;

a shift from interest in urban society to an interest in the rural and natural;

a shift from public, impersonal poetry to subjective poetry;

from concern with the scientific and mundane to interest in the mysterious
and infinite.
 Characteristics of the
Romantic Era

1. Common Man and Childhood over Urban Sophistication

Romantics believed in the natural goodness of humans, which is hindered by
the urban life of civilization. They believed that the savage is noble,
childhood is good and the emotions inspired by both beliefs causes the heart to
soar.

2. Emotions over Reason

Romantics believed that knowledge is gained through intuition rather than
deduction. This is best summed up by Wordsworth who stated that “all good
poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”
3. Nature over Artificial
Romantics stressed the awe of nature in art and language and the
experience of sublimity through a connection with nature. Romantics
rejected the ideas of the industrial revolution .

4. The Individual over Society

Romantics often elevated the achievements of the misunderstood,
heroic individual outcast.

5. Imagination over Logic

Romantics legitimized the individual imagination as a critical
authority.
 To be close to Nature, through Nature to
God

• Nature was
celebrated as a
source of delight,
an image of love,
and a model of
John Constable, The White Horse, 1819 (English) moral perfection.
Core principles of Romanticism

NATURE

THE
IMAGINATION
INDIVIDUAL
Core Principles: Imagination
Core Principles: Nature (wild, untamable.
pure)
Core Principles: The Individual

Emphasis on solitude, isolation,

meditation
 ENGLISH ROMANTICISM:

PRE-ROMANTICISM
• W. Blake, R. Burns

PROGRESSIVE - REVOLUTIONARY
• Byron, Shelley, Keats

REGRESSIVE – REACTIONARY
• W.Wordsworth, S.T.Coleridge, R.Southey
 PRE-ROMANTICISM
William Blake (1757 –1827)
 William Blake – poet, painter and printmaker
• son of a London hosier .
• went to school.
• favorite studies in early days were Shakespeare, Milton and
Chatterton.
• At the age of 14, apprenticed to James Basier, an engraver.
• After leaving him, began to earn his living as an engraver of
illustrations for various publishers.
• At the age of 24, married Catherine Boucher, an illiterate girl.
(Blake taught her to read and Catherine helped him in engraving.
Catharine proved to be an excellent wife, sympathizing with his
work and sharing in it.)
• Blake lived a life of solitude
and poverty. He was often
misunderstood by other
people, who would regard him
as gifted but mad.
• However, Blake’s genius in
poetry remained unknown in
his life time; he was
recognized only afterwards.
Poetical Sketches (1783), is a collection of
youthful verse. (joy, laughter, love and harmony are
the prevailing notes)

Songs of Innocence (1809) is a lovely volume

of poems, presenting a happy and innocent
world, though not without its evils and
sufferings.

Songs of Experience (1794) paints a different

world, a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and
repression with a melancholy tone.
• Childhood is
central to Blake’s
concern in the
Songs of Innocence
and Songs of
Experience ， but it
is depicted in a very
different tone.
 “The Chimney Sweeper”
• set against the dark
background of child labor
that was well-known in
England in the late 18th and
19th Century”.
• At the age of four and five,
boys were sold to clean
chimneys due to their small
size. These children were
oppressed, and had a
diminutive existence that was
socially acceptable at the time.
 Songs of Innocence

When my mother died I was very young,

And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!
So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,

That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved: so I said,
"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare,
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."
And so he was quiet; and that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight, -
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black.

And by came an angel who had a bright key,

And he opened the coffins and set them all free;
Then down a green plain leaping, laughing, they run,
And wash in a river, and shine in the sun.

Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,

They rise upon clouds and sport in the wind;
And the angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father, and never want joy.

And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark,

And got with our bags and our brushes to work.
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm;
So if all do their duty they need not fear harm.
 Blake’s Works

• The Marriage of Heaven and Hell -

written in imitation of biblical
prophecy but expressing Blake's
own intensely personal Romantic
and revolutionary beliefs.
• Blake's purpose is to create what
he called a "memorable fancy" in
order to reveal the repressive
nature of conventional morality
and institutional religion
• Ploughman Poet
• a Scottish poet and lyricist
• widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland
• best known of the poets who have written in the
Scots language, although much of his writing is
also in English
• He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic
movement
• Works: “John Barleycorn” ” is a poem full of
humor and cheerfulness.
• In Burns lyrics we can see wonderful pictures of
life of the people, deep feeling of nature and
great cordiality and joy. He has many splendid Robert Burns
verses devoted to love (“A Red, Red Rose”, “A
Fond Kiss”). (1759—1796)
 My heart is in the highlands…

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer -
A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe;
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North

The birthplace of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands forever I love.
 My heart is in the highlands…

Farewell to the mountains high cover'd with snow;

Farewell to the stratus and green valleys below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods;
Farwell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer
Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe;
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.
 ENGLISH ROMANTICISM:

PRE-ROMANTICISM
• W. Blake, R. Burns

PROGRESSIVE - REVOLUTIONARY
• Byron, Shelley, Keats

REGRESSIVE – REACTIONARY
• W.Wordsworth, S.T.Coleridge, R.Southey
 Lake School Poets (the Lake Poets):
• Members: The Lake School poets primarily consisted of three key poets: William Wordsworth,
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey. They were close friends and often associated with the
scenic Lake District in northwest England, hence the name "Lake Poets."
• Nature and Simplicity: Lake School poets had a profound love for nature and believed in its ability
to inspire and heal the human spirit. They emphasized the tranquility and beauty of the natural world
and sought to capture these aspects in their poetry. Wordsworth's "Lyrical Ballads" is a notable work
that exemplifies this focus on nature and simplicity.
• Ordinary Language: They aimed to use simple, everyday language in their poetry, in contrast to the
ornate and artificial language of the Neoclassical era. They believed that common language could
convey profound emotions and experiences.
• Emphasis on Imagination: While they valued the imagination, they tended to place more emphasis
on the ordinary and the real. They believed that poetry should derive its inspiration from the
experiences of common people.
• Spiritual Connection: Lake School poets often explored the spiritual and transcendental aspects of
nature. They saw nature as a source of moral and spiritual renewal, and their works often contained
William Wordsworth 1770-1850
• Born in Cockermouth,
Cumberland, England
• Mother died 1778
• Attended St. John’s College,
Cambridge
• “Vaudracour and Julia” for lover
and daughter
 Lake School poets
William Wordsworth 1770-1850

• Helped to launch the Romantic Age

• His most famous work is The Prelude chronicles the spiritual life of the
poet - autobiographical epic poem in blank verse
• Has an interest and sympathy for the life and troubles of the “common
man”
• He is considered the nature poet by focusing ordinary people in country
settings
• Lyrical Ballads “Tintern Abbey”
– Wordsworth used “real language of
men”
– Definition of poetry: “the
spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings from emotions recollected in
tranquility”
• An Evening Walk and Descriptive
Sketches

Wordsworth’s Works
 Recurring themes in
Wordsworth’s poetry Works and Themes

The Prelude or Growth of a

Poet’s Mind

Poems in Two Volumes

Samuel Coleridge
1772-1834
• Born October 21, 1772
• Father was a parish vicar
• Sent to London boarding school
• Not allowed to return home for
holidays
• Attended Jesus College at
University of Cambridge
• Won Browne Gold Medal for ode
Coleridge’s Errors
• Left college to join 15th Light
Dragoons
• Reenrolled in college
• Left without degree
• Joined poet Robert Southey to
build a Pantisocracy
• Married Sarah Fricker
• Unitarian minister
 Coleridge

• Opium addiction
• Lost friendship with
Wordsworth
• Lived with a apothecary
for care
• Died of heart failure
 Coleridge’s Works
First publication: Poems on
Various Subjects

Published Lyrical Ballads

Most famous works

• “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

• “Kubla Khan”
• Biographia Literaria
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Day after day, day after day,
We stuck nor breath nor motion:
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.

The very deep did rot: O Christ!

That ever this should be!
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs single click speaker to hear audio clip

Upon the slimy sea. >>>>

 Lyrical Ballads
• In 1798, with the publication of “Lyrical Ballads”, William Wordsworth
and Samuel Taylor Coleridge gave official birth to the Romantic Age in literature.
• The second edition of “Lyrical Ballads”, published in 1800, contained a preface in
which Wordsworth stated the poetic principles that he and Coleridge believed in:
• first, that ordinary life is the best subject for poetry because the feelings of simple
people are sincere and natural;
• second, that the everyday language of these people best conveys their feelings and
is therefore best suited to poetry;
• third, that the expression of feeling is more important in poetry than the
development of an action, or story;
• and finally, that “poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”.
 Revolutionary Romantic Poets (also
known as the Revolutionary Poets):
• Members: The term "Revolutionary Romantic poets" refers to a group of poets who were more politically
engaged and concerned with social issues. Prominent poets in this category include Lord Byron, Percy
Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats, among others.
• Political and Social Themes: These poets were deeply affected by the political and social upheavals of
their time, including the French Revolution and its aftermath. Their poetry often reflected their political
and social concerns, advocating for reform, individual rights, and the overthrow of oppressive
institutions.
• Emphasis on Imagination and Fantasy: While they shared a love for nature and the imagination with
the Lake School poets, the Revolutionary Romantic poets tended to place greater emphasis on the
imaginative and fantastical aspects of their work. They often explored the exotic, the supernatural, and
the mythological in their poetry.
• Experimentation with Form and Style: Revolutionary Romantic poets were more willing to experiment
with poetic forms and styles. They were open to pushing the boundaries of traditional poetic conventions.
• Skepticism and Irony: Some of these poets, such as Lord Byron, were known for their skepticism and
irony. They questioned established beliefs and conventions and often used satire and humor in their
work.
 D O N L O R D B Y R O N
G EO R G E G O R
1788-1824
 Family
• Mother: Catherine Gordon, was a Scottish Lady of honorable Kebirth
and respectable fortune.
• Father: Captain John "Mad Jack" Byron, an army officer, died when
the boy was only 3 years old.
• In 1798, when George was at the age of 10, his grand-uncle died and the
boy inherited the title of Lord
• Entered the Cambridge University and in 1808 graduated from it.
• Traveled on customary Grand Tour
• Made speech at House of Lords
Defended Roman Catholicism
• Bragged about sex with women in Italy
• Rumored incestuous relationship with
sister

Byron’s Exploits
Byron’s Exploits
o Married Anne Isabella Milbanke
o Divorced Anne
o Left England forever
o Befriended Percy Bysshe Shelley
o Created child in affair with Claire
o Seduced Italian Countess Guiccioli
o Gave 4,000 pounds to refit Greek fleet
 Byron’s Death
• Fell ill; remedy of bleeding
caused fever
• Greek national hero
• Heart buried under tree
• Westminster Abbey refused
body
• Monument in Westminster
Abbey 145 years
post-mortem
 Career
• 1st collection of poems “Hours of Idleness” (1807)
• visited Portugal, Spain, Albania, Greece and Turkey, and during his travels wrote the first two
cantos of “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”. “I awoke one morning and found myself famous”
• composed “Oriental Tales”: “The Giaour or Bride of Abydos”, “The Corsair,”, “Lara and
Siege of Corinth”, Parisina” etc (1813-16)
• encouraged oppressed workers to fight for freedom in his “Song for the Luddites”. (1816),
Hebrew Melodies (1815)
• The Switzerland period: “The Prisoner of Chillon”, the tragic fate of the Swiss revolutionary
Bonnivard; the dramatic poem “Manfred” and many lyrics.
• The Italian period: (1817- ­1823) “Beppo”(1818), a humorous poem in a Venetian setting, and his
greatest work “Don Juan”, “The Prophecy of Dante”, the dramas “Marino Faliero”, “Cain”,
satirical masterpieces “The Vision of Judgement” and “The Age of Bronze”.
• Sardanapalus (play 1821), The Two Foscari play 1821
Episode from The Corsair by Lord Byron, Eugène Delacroix
 The Giaour 1813

"Giaour" (Turkish: Gâvur) is an offensive

Turkish word for infidel or non-believer, and is
similar but unrelated to the Arabic word "kafir
".
The Death of Sardanapalus
French: La Mort de
Sardanapale 1827, 1844
She Walks in Beauty
She walks in beauty like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
 Byronic Hero
• The archetype, or character type, of the Byronic hero was first
developed by the famous 19th-century English Romantic poet Lord
Byron. However, many literary scholars and historians also point to
Lord Byron himself as the first truly Byronic hero, like Byron himself.
• A Byronic hero is a melancholy and rebellious young man, distressed by
a terrible wrong he committed in the past. (have a troubled or dark past
that haunts them..)
• He rejects or questions of standard social conventions and norms of
behavior, their alienation from larger society, he focus on the self as the
center of existence, and their ability to inspire others to commit acts of
good and kindness.
• They are often highly intelligent, well-read, and artistically inclined.
They may be poets, philosophers, or individuals with a keen intellectual
curiosity.
• Romantic heroes are not idealized heroes, but imperfect and often
flawed individuals who, despite their sometimes less than savory
personalities, often behave in a heroic manner.
• They engage in introspection and self-reflection, often pondering the
meaning of life, love, and existence. They may engage in self-
destructive behavior or have a fatalistic outlook on life.
Byronic heroes tend to be characterized as being:
• Intelligent
• Manipulative
• Cunning
• Self-serving
• Ruthless
• Spiritually doubtful
• Arrogant
• Often reckless or suicidal
• Depressive
• Prone to bursts of anger
• Violent
• Self-aware • Decidedly prone to substance abuse

• Emotionally and intellectually • Dedicated to pursuing matters of

tortured justice over matters of legality
• Traumatized • Given to self-destructive impulses
• Highly emotional
• Seductive and sexually appealing
 STUDY QUESTIONS

What kind of poem is Byron’s ‘Don Juan?

It is a comic (or satirical) epic consisting of sixteen cantos written in ottava rima, an 8-line
stanza he borrowed from Luigi Pulci’s ‘Morgante Maggiore’, a comic epic of the 15th century

How did Byron change the original Spanish legend?

Although inspired by the original Spanish legend, Byron’s hero is not a cynical adventurer
who builds his fortunes on cunning and on his sexual prowess. He is a naive, warm-hearted
young man to whom the most incredible adventures happen

The aim of writing ‘Don Juan’, is that Byron wanted to offer a

satire of his age characterized by lack of loyalty, sincerity, love,
and compassion. Although in its time it was thought to be immoral,
‘Don Juan’ is now considered Byron’s masterpiece.
 summarize the story
• The story starts in Seville where the 16-year-old Juan is initiated to the
pleasures of love by Donna Julia, married to a much older man. The
affaire is discovered and Juan is forced to leave the country by sea. He is
then shipwrecked on a Greek island where Haidée, the daughter of a
pirate, takes care of him. When her father finds out about them, he sends
Juan away to Istanbul, where he will be sold as a slave. After several other
adventures first in a harem in Istanbul and then in Russia, where tzarina
Catherine the Great falls in love with him, he reaches England where
Juan lives further adventures.
 PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
(1792-1822)
• His parents were Timothy Shelley, a squire and
member of Parliament, and Elizabeth Pilfold.
• As the oldest of their seven children, enrolled
at Eton College.
• While there, he was severely bullied, both
physical and mentally, by his classmates.
 Eton College

• While at Eton Shelley began writing poems, some of

which were published in 1810
• When Shelley went up to University College,
Oxford, in 1810 he was already a published and
reviewed writer
 In Paris

• Shelley and Mary fled to Paris.

When they finally returned home,
Mary was pregnant. So was
Shelley’s wife, Harriet.
• Harriet requested a divorce and sued
Shelley for alimony and full custody
of their children.
Paris (about 1816)
Rue de la Paix
 Oxford years

• The Oxford authorities acted swiftly

and decisively, expelling both
Shelley in March 1811.
• The result was a complete break
between Shelley and his father,
which entailed financial distress for
Timothy Shelley
Shelley. (Percy’s father)
 Life in Italy

• In 1818, for reasons of health and finances the

Shelleys and their children set out for Italy.
• During the four Italian
years, Shelley and Mary
moved from city to city.
• The change of climate
proved fruitful, for
Shelley was to write
some of his greatest
poetry.
Joseph Severn : “Posthumous Portrait of
Shelley Writing Prometheus Unbound” (1845)
 Death
• On 8 July, sailing back from Livorno to Lerici, a sudden
storm overcame the boat.
• Shelley’s and Williams’s bodies were discovered washed
ashore on 18 July.
• Italian quarantine laws required that bodies washed ashore
be burned, so Shelley was cremated on the beach.

The Funeral of Shelley by Louis

Édouard Fournier (1889); pictured in
the center are, from left, Trelawney,
Hunt and Byron. In fact, Hunt did not
observe the cremation, and Byron left
early.
 Losses and Views

Son and daughter died

Wrote Adonais upon Keats’ death

Wrote essay on radical political

views

Essay on vegetarianism

Believed in rights of all living things

 Shelley’s Death

• Drowned during storm at 29

• Possibly assassinated
• Body washed ashore
• Wife kept Shelley’s heart
• Shelley cremated on beach
• Ashes buried in Rome
Shelley’s Works

• “Ozymandias”
• “Ode to the West
Wind”
• “The Masque of
Anarchy”
• “To a Skylark”
• Prometheus Unbound
Ode to the West Wind
O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,

Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed

The wingèd seeds, where they lie cold and low,

Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow.
 Main Titles (from 1811 to 1821)
• The Necessity of Atheism pamphlet
• Queen Mab poem
• The Revolt of Islam poem
• Ode to the West Wind poem
• To a Skylark poem
• The Cenci [CHEN-chee] verse tragedy
• Prometheus Unbound lyrical drama
• Adonais poem
• Epypsychidion poem
• Defence of Poetry essay
 John Keats
1795-1821
• Born in London
• Four siblings
• Keats’ father died
• Mother remarried two
months later
• Children sent to live with
grandmother
• Mother died of tuberculosis
 Keats’ Medical Career
• Apprenticed to
apothecary/surgeon
• Student at Guy’s
Hospital
• Wrote first poem
• Became junior house
surgeon and dresser
• Qualified as apothecary
• Quit medicine
Writing, Relationships & • Published Poems
Illness • Friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley
• Brother George left for
America
• Brother Tom died of
consumption
• Fell in love with Fanny Brawne
• Symptoms of tuberculosis
• Traveled to warmer climate to
recover
 Keats’ Death
• Died in Rome at 25
• Buried in Protestant Cemetery in
Rome
• Tombstone reads:
“Here lies one whose
name was writ in water.”
• Fanny Brawne mourning
for years
• Poetic career lasted
3.5 years
 Keats’ Works
• Endymion
• Hyperion
• “Ode on a Grecian Urn”
• “Ode to the Nightingale”
• “Ode to Autumn”
• “The Eve of St. Agnes”
 Ode to the
Nightingale
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk;
Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness—
That thou, light-wingèd Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.
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 SIR WALTER SCOTT
(1771-1832)
 Born in Edinburgh; founder of historical
novel genre
 His father was a lawyer, on business trips
and visits the Highlands;
 In 1802, “Minstrelsy of the Scottish
Border”, a collection of traditional
ballads;
 In 1805 “The lay of the last minstrel”, a
collection of poems, his best work of
poetry
 in 1814 he writes his first work of fiction,
“Waverley”, the first historical novel. It
meets with a great success.
 The Scottish Theme
• Scott revives nationalism in literature and ...
• he uses all the previous cultural production – folk tales, folk
songs, ballads, poems etc – to give expression to a national
identity and pride.
• He is a traditionalist who regrets Scotland’s lost independence and
shows his deep attachment to the old values of the clans’ tribal
system in all his works.
 Main features of Scott’s fiction
1. His love for tradition, history and folklore.
2. His capacity for vivid descriptions of the Scottish scenery and way of
life.
3. His ability for story-telling.
many of his novels under the name of “The Author of Waverley”
 Grouping Scott’s historical novels
• The first group of novels are those devoted to Scottish history: ”Waverley, or “’The
Sixty Years Since” (1814), “Guy Mannering, or the Astrologer” (1815), “The Autiquary”
(1816), “Black Dwarf” (1816), “Old Mortality” (1816), “Rob Roy” (1817), “The Heart of
Midlothian” (1818), “The Bride of Lammermoor” (1819), “A Legend of Montrose”
(1819), “Redgauntlet” (1824), “The Fair Maid of Perth” (1828
• The second group of novels refer to English history: “Ivanhoe” (1819), the best of this
series; “The Monastery” (1820), “The Abbot” (1820), “Kenilworth” (1821), “The Pirate”
(1822), “The Fortunes of Nigel” (1822), “Peveril of the Peak” (1822), ’’Woodstock”
(1826).
• The third group comprises novels based on the history of Europe: “Quentin Durward”
(1823), “The Talisman” (1825), “Count Robert of Paris” (1832), “Anne of Geierstein”
(1829) and “Castle Dangerous” (1832).
His works
 The development of
historical novel – Sir W.
Scott.
 The Historical Novel

In Scott’s novels the focus is

He uses his heroes to
shifted from the central
The protagonists of Scott’s express his vision of history,
character to the forces
novels are historical periods. which is always impartial,
which operate and shape
never dogmatic;
the whole society.

his heroes are called

“mediocre heroes”, or
the position of the Scott, in fact, thinks that a
“middle heroes” because
middle course always
they never side with majority of the people in emerges after the clash
extreme positions, on the a period of crisis. between extreme positions.
contrary they prefer a
“middle” position, .......
 Scott’s popularity
• due to his ability as a story-teller;
• a great influence on European literature (for
instance, on Manzoni’s “Promessi Sposi”) and....

even if the plots of many of his Scottish history (in which he is

novels are rather poor and
constructed inaccurately, Scott is
considered to be the father of the
historical novel
more faithful to the historical
truth)
English history ( this type of novels
are more fictional)
The historical periods he portrays
refer to both contemporary life
and the Middle Ages.

His love for tradition,
history and folklore.
His capacity for vivid
descriptions of the Scottish
scenery and way of life.
His ability for story-telling.
• All these elements can
easily be found in
“Waverley”, particularly in
the description of :
• the Highlands landscape,
• the clans’ life and ....
• their brave behaviour in
battle.
Main features of Scott’s fiction
• In “Waverley”, the contrast/clash between the English and the Scottish
cultures is quite evident:
• when the protagonist meets Ben Lean, one of the Scottish chieftains, and ....
• in the description of the behaviour of the two armies:
• at first the writer describes the clan life and their army positively, then,
towards the end, ...
• he emphasizes their lack of humanity, their ferocity, their eagerness for
spoil during the battle, while .....
• on the contrary, he stresses the courage shown by the English army.
• In conclusion, the message Scott tries to convey is a very simple one :
human beings are always a mixture of good and evil.

An example of Scott’s impartial vision

of history
 Ivanhoe
• Was created in 1819.
• Action takes place in the 12th century, in England.
• Rise of the interest in the Middle Ages
• The action of the novel
takes place in medieval
England during the
Crusades. The central
conflict of the novel
lies in the struggle of
the Anglo-Saxon
landowners against the
Norman barons, who
cannot come to an
understanding.
 Gothic
literature
• refers to a mode of fiction
dealing with supernatural • Great importance given
or horrifying events.
to terror, characterised
• describes stories in which by obscurity and
strange, mysterious and
uncertainty, and,
adventurous happen in
dark and lonely places caused by evil and
such as the ruins of a atrocity.
castle.’
 The Gothic Novel
• Out of the late Romantic social climate, the
Gothic novel grew: “a new and fearful genre
for a new and fearful time. A crumbling way
of life emerges as a crumbling and haunted
Gothic manor; the loss of English social
identity becomes the Gothic hero or heroine's
search for identity.”

• The revolutions in America and France

helped developed a culture of fear present in
society and represented in Gothic literature--
*fear of
imprisonment or entrapment, Gothic literature gets its
*fear of rape and personal violation, name from the Gothic
*fear of evil triumphing over good and architecture that often
chaos over order. makes up its settings.
 Characteristics of Gothic
Fiction:
• Atmosphere and Setting: Gothic fiction is known for its eerie and atmospheric settings. These
settings often include ancient, decaying, and ominous locations such as castles, mansions, crypts, and
monasteries, isolated and mysterious abbeys with hidden passages, underground cellars, secret
rooms. The environment itself becomes a character, contributing to the mood of the story. Catholic
countries as the setting for the most terrible crimes, due to Protestant prejudices against Catholicism.
• Supernatural Elements: frequently incorporates supernatural elements, such as ghosts, demons,
vampires, and other supernatural creatures. These elements add a sense of mystery and fear to the
narrative.
• Emotion and Intensity: Characters often experience fear, terror, madness, and extreme passions.
These emotions are explored in depth, contributing to the psychological complexity of the characters.
• Mystery and Suspense: are known for their intricate plots filled with mysteries and secrets. The
suspense created by these mysteries keeps readers engaged and curious throughout the story.
• Villains and Antiheroes: often features complex and morally ambiguous characters, including
villains who may be seductive, charismatic, or sympathetic in some way. These characters challenge
traditional notions of heroism and villainy.
 Gothic characters
• Supernatural beings: vampires, monsters and ghosts.
• Heroines dominated by exaggerated passions and fears, and
persecuted by villains.
• Sensitive heroes: they save heroines.
• The villains: satanic, terrifying male characters, victims of
their negative impulses.
 British Gothic fiction
• Horace Walpole: The Castle of Otranto (1764), with the subtitle
“A Gothic Story”, he was the first to apply the word “Gothic” to
literature.
• Ann Radcliffe: The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794)
• Mary Shelley: Frankenstein (1818)
 Mary Shelley’s

Frankenstein
A Message on believe
and rejection of God
 Why is it a Classic?
It speaks
truths
It reveals
human
fears

It warns us of human’s
relentless search for power
 Setting the Stage . . .
What influenced Shelley to write this novel?

• The Romantic Period

• The Gothic Novel

• Scientific progress

• Her own life

Frankenstein

3. The influence of science

The latest scientific theories of chemistry and

electricity influenced Mary Shelley

The protagonist of
Frankenstein is the first
embodiment of the theme
of science
He creates a human
being through the use
of electricity and
chemistry
Frankenstein

4. Influences: from Prometheus to

Frankenstein
• The myth of Prometheus  Frankenstein is an example
of overreacher.

• Rousseau  The Monster is a noble savage.

• Locke  The Monster’s self-awareness and his

education.
 Frankenstein

5. Narrative structure: an epistolary novel

Walton’s narration to his sister Margaret Walton Saville

(chapters 1-10)
Frankenstein’s narration to Walton
(chapters 11-17)

The Monster’s narration to Frankenstein

(chapters 18-24)
Frankenstein

6. Main characters

• Both Captain Walton and Doctor Frankenstein

tried to go beyond human limits.

• The Monster is complementary to his creator:

they both suffer from isolation and they both
begin with a desire to be good.
Frankenstein

7. Themes

• The quest for forbidden knowledge (Walton and

Dr Frankenstein) is related to the theme of the
overreacher.

• The double (Dr Frankenstein and the Monster).

Frankenstein

7. Themes

• The overcoming of natural and divine rules  the creation

of a human being without the participation of a woman.

• Social prejudices  the Monster as an outcast.

• Education and experience  the Monster’s intellectual and

emotional development.
 What did we learn?
Romanticism as a literary trend has nothing to do with romantics
Main themes of Romanticism are: love nature and revolution
Romanticism in Britain had 5 main directions
Lake school representative were passive romantics
Lyrical Ballads the first work in Romantic epoch
Don Juan is not about womanizer, but describes Europe at eve of French
Revolution
Sir Walter Scott is a father of historical novel
Frankenstein was a product written under romantic gothic scientific and even
biographical influences
Feminine novel is not a novel which is written about a woman or by a woman
– it is a novel written FOR a woman
 • Use creative imagination
• Focus on nature
• Importance of myth and symbolism
• Focus on feelings and intuition
• Freedom and spontaneity
• Simple language
• Personal experience, democracy and
liberty
• Fascination with past
 JANE AUSTEN
(1775-1817)
• Was born in Hampshire, England
• She was the seventh child out of eight
• In 1783 she moved to Southampton
• 1785-1786 she went to Abbey boarding school
• 1782 and 1784 plays were staged by the Austen family
• In 1801 she and her family moved to Bath She died in Winchester in 1817,
aged 41.
 Works
• Juvenilia poems and stories for her own and her family's amusement.
• daily life are exaggerated, common plot are parodied, and the "stories are full
of anarchic fantasies of female power, licence, illicit behaviour, and general
high spirits", according to Janet Todd.
• containing work written between 1787 and 1793.
Novels
• Sense and Sensibility (1811)
• Pride and Prejudice (1813)
• Mansfield Park (1814)
• Emma (1815)
• Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous), Persuasion (1818, posthumous), Lady Susan (1871,
posthumous)
Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that emerged in the late 18th century and reached
its peak in the 19th century. It was a reaction against the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and rationality and
represented a shift towards emotion, imagination, and individualism. Romanticism had a profound influence on
literature, art, music, and philosophy. Here are some key characteristics of Romanticism:
1.Emotion and Imagination: Romanticism celebrated emotion, intuition, and the power of the human
imagination. It emphasized the individual's emotional experience and their connection to nature and the
supernatural.
2.Nature and the Sublime: Romantic writers and artists were often inspired by the beauty and awe-inspiring
qualities of nature. They saw nature as a source of spiritual and emotional inspiration, and they often depicted it in
their works.
3.Individualism: Romanticism celebrated the unique qualities and experiences of the individual. It often focused
on the inner emotional life of characters and the exploration of one's own identity.
4.Rejection of Industrialization: Many Romantics reacted against the negative effects of the Industrial
Revolution and urbanization, valuing the simplicity and purity of rural life.
5.Nationalism: Romanticism encouraged a sense of national identity and pride. Many Romantic works celebrated
the history, folklore, and traditions of a particular country or region.
6.Exoticism and the Supernatural: Romantic artists were drawn to exotic settings and often incorporated
supernatural elements, such as ghosts, magic, and the mysterious, into their works.
7.Love and Romantic Relationships: Romantic literature often explored themes of love, passion, and romantic
relationships, sometimes with a focus on tragic or unattainable love.
8. Revolt Against Neoclassicism: Romanticism represented a break from the Neoclassical tradition, rejecting
its emphasis on strict rules, order, and reason.
9. Literary Expression: Romantic writers explored a wide range of literary forms, including poetry, novels,
short stories, and essays. Prominent Romantic poets include William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats.
10. Music and Art: Romanticism had a significant impact on music, with composers like Ludwig van
Beethoven and Franz Schubert creating emotionally charged and innovative compositions. In art, Romantic
painters like Caspar David Friedrich and J.M.W. Turner created landscapes that conveyed a sense of the
sublime.
11. Political and Social Ideals: Some Romantics were politically engaged and advocated for social change and
reform. They were inspired by ideals of liberty, equality, and justice.
12. Continuation of Romanticism: While the Romantic movement reached its peak in the 19th century, its
influence continued into the 20th century and beyond, shaping various forms of literature, art, and culture.
Romanticism was a diverse and multifaceted movement that expressed a range of ideas and sentiments, but at
its core, it championed the primacy of human emotions and the individual's quest for meaning and connection
in a rapidly changing world.