The age of Romanticism

Late 18th - Early 19th Centuries

ca. 1789 to 1830
 Romanticism in England

Emerged in the “Age of

Revolutions”.
Revolution in literature
- marked by departures
from past literary
philosophies and
practices
 (1789 - 1795)
& the ROMANTIC LITERARY REVOLUTION
1789-1792: Phase 1 - Idealistic Hope & Possibility
1792-1795: Phase 2 - Disillusionment
1789-1792: French Revolution Phase 1 - Idealistic
Hope & Possibility
Writers were inspired to address themes of democracy
and human rights
the French Revolution seemed to offer opportunities
for political and social change.
climate of new beginnings and infinite possibilities
was created
the high excitement - William Blake welcomed both
the American and French Revolutions as heralds of a
new millennium.
1792-1795: French Revolution Phase 2 -
Disillusionment
Later phases of the French Revolution brought
disillusionment and feelings of betrayal.
The Reign of Terror, 1792-1795.
Thousands were guillotined, including the King and
Queen of France
Years of economic chaos, the rise of nationalism, and
European wars of aggression followed, during which
Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power and ultimately
crowned himself Emperor in 1804.
But even after the failure of the revolutionary
promise, Romantic writers did not give up their hope
for a radical reformation of humankind and its social
and political worlds.

Romantic writers believe in the power of the

imagination not only to democratize and revolutionize
literature, but also to radically transform society and
the world;

Romantic writers turned inward, shifting their focus

from political revolution to a revolution in
consciousness
New sources of "Romantic" literary inspiration:
common people’s life & language;
innocent child and simple peasant,

“natural,” intuitive, original genius - poetry by

supposedly uneducated peasants or working folk ;
noble savage, somebody who is 'naturally'
intelligent and moral;
Exotic, remote past/places, “Romantic” associated
with medieval & Gothic;
irrational, supernatural; worlds of fantasy, myth,
dream, magic;
sublime Nature
Nature was one of the main sources of enthusiasm
of poets. They concentrated on the emotional reply
of the individual. The nature seemed to be
substantial, because the Romantic poets lived in the
age related to the Industrial Revolution which
caused them to move away from nature.
Writing from this period has several of the key characteristics:
1. Glorification of Nature
Nature 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.

2. Awareness and Acceptance of Emotions

A focus on emotion is a key characteristic of nearly all writing
from the Romantic period. Feelings are described in all forms,
including 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.
3. Celebration of Artistic Creativity and Imagination
In contrast to the previous generations’ focus on reason,
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.

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.
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.

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.
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.
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 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.
9. Use of Personification
Romantic poets and prose writers also used personification in
their work - of everything from birds and animals to natural
events or aspects. These works even personify feelings like
love or states like death.

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.
Autobiographical influences are found 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.
Literary "Dark Romanticism" - Solitary Quests &
dangerous Self-Explorations
Motivated by longing for the infinite, for elusive ideals, for
higher wisdom & "invisible" truths
Explorations of dark side of self & the unconscious, hidden,
subterranean
"Dark" heroes - outlaws, rebels, outcasts, non-conformists,
exiles
Journeys into hell & human nature’s dark side
Solitary quests & dangerous self- exploration often doomed
to failure, like search for the “Holy Grail”, but self-
conscious meditation on failure to obtain goal can yield
reward of higher wisdom & “invisible” truths.
Augustan vs Romantic
Reason and order feelings and intuition

Control of emotion and imagination free play of imagination, desire

to go beyond human limits

Society more important than individual; Importance of the poet’s inner

life; he is a rebel but also a
prophet

Sophisticated, literary language Everyday language (esp.

Wordsworth)

References to Classical world Observation of nature and

everyday situations; reference
to the Middle-Ages and Greek
mythology
William Blake (1757–1827) - a central figure in the history
of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.
Largely disconnected from the major streams of the
literature of the time and generally unrecognized during
his lifetime;
Held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness
and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical
undercurrents within his work.
William Wordsworth
and Samuel Taylor
Coleridge joined
together to publish
“Lyrical Ballads” in
1798.

The Preface to the

“Lyrical Ballads”
declares the dawn of
English Romantic
Movement.
It set a new style by
using everyday
language and fresh
ways of looking at
nature.
Wordsworth’s famous definition of poetry,
as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings" which "takes its origin from
emotion recollected in tranquility."
Wordsworth’s poems indicate advantageous
impact of nature, the power of human mind
and the splendor of childhood innocence.
According to Wordsworth children were a
part of the natural world, rather than a part
of the social world.
 The poems in Lyrical Ballads
were mostly by Wordsworth,
though Coleridge contributed,
one of the great poems of
English literature, the long
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner",
a tragic ballad about the
survival of one sailor through a
series of supernatural events on
his voyage through the South
Seas, and which involves the
symbolically significant slaying
The second generation of Romantic poets includes Lord Byron (1788–
1824), Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) and John Keats (1795–1821).
Byron - the least 'romantic' of the three
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage - a mock-heroic epic of a young man's
adventures in Europe, but also a sharp satire against London society;
discontented with social and political life, he raised his voice to
condemn them;
current of gloom and pessimism in most of his poetry;

Percy Bysshe Shelley - an atheist, a radical thinker and a marginal;

expelled from Oxford.
became an idol of the next three or four generations of poets;
Influential poem The Masque of Anarchy (1819); a statement of the
principle of nonviolent protest.

John Keats – the youngest and supposedly the most talented of the
three;
Themes – Beauty, Hellenism, sensuousness, nature, pessimism.
Romantic age created favorable
conditions for women to express
themselves through writing.

Mary Shelley (1797–1851) - the author of

Frankenstein (1818).
 Jane Austen (1775-1817) -
one of the important novelists;
literary style included
mockery, a combination of
parody, and a degree of
realism;
used irony as a literary
technique.
The themes - education and
reading, morality, religion,
gender, politics, individual
and society.
Her first published work was a
novel called “Sense and
Sensibility”.
 “Pride and prejudice”
(1813) - a novel of
manners.

Themes - morality,
manners, marriage,
money, upbringing,
and education of the
landed gentry