1. Romanticism 1798-1832

2. What is it? A movement that reflected the dramatic changes of the time and expressed a desire for personal freedom and radical reform. It was an outgrowth of neoclassicism and a reaction against it.

3. Romanticism cont. Father of the movement: Jean Jacques Rousseau –He agreed that human society was based on a contract between the government and the governed. –He attributed no evil to human nature, but to society—he insisted man was essentially good and happy, a “noble savage.”

4. Basic tenets: Man is inherently good Emphasis was on the individual, personal, and emotional Literary romanticism began in Germany with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and in Britain with William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge

5. What’s going on at the time? War with France Growing cities were ignoring problems like crime, poor sanitation, child labor, and factory abuses Growing industrial centers had no representation in Parliament Britain loses American colonies Overseas empire is facing different problems ranging from corruption in India to slave trade

6. After the War There was still a fear of revolution in the country Thousands of discharged veterans were returning home to no work. Landowners pressured the government to continue Corn Laws keeping the price of food high by barring cheap foreign grain from British markets Workers were at the mercy of factory owners who did not allow the government to interfere and did not allow workers to form unions.

7. George IV Takes throne in 1820 Institutes social reforms

8. Reforms Harsh criminal code revamped –Before, there were more than 200 crimes warranted death penalties. Convicts were shipped to Australia which was used as a gigantic prison colony.

9. Reforms cont. First professional civilian police force is formed The Catholic Emancipation Act is enacted Reform of Bill of 1832—seats are more fairly distributed in Parliament, and it extended the vote to middle-class men –This bill marked the end of the Romantic period

10. English Language The concept of “acceptable” English is broadened Writers used natural speech, regional dialect, colloquialisms, and slang in literature In an effort to distinguish themselves from the British, Americans made changes to the spelling and pronunciation of words.

11. Changes: Was: –Publick, traffick –Colour, flavour –centre Changed to: –Public, traffic –Color, flavor –Center

12. Literary History Aspects of Romanticism emerged before 1798 with poems from Robert Burns and William Blake. Literature emphasized the lives of ordinary people.

13. Major Authors Lord Byron Percy Bysshe Shelley John Keats Mary Wollstoncraft Shelley Jane Austen