British Literary History Romanticism

Dates 5 th C – Medieval Period – 5 th C-1066 – Anglo-Saxon – – Later Medieval, Middle English ’s – Early Modern Period – th C – Renaissance, Tudors, Stuarts, Commonwealth, Restoration of Monarchy – Long 18 th C – Neoclassical and Augustan periods present – Modern Period

Medieval Period Socially characterized by – Small units of government, local control, strict hierarchal social rank based on birth status, importance of Christian belief, village and estate life, Latin, agriculture, wealth from land Its literature tends to be – Oral if in vernacular, widely different genres and forms, courtly lit more likely to have survived than popular lit, comic rather than tragic in structure, patronized by aristocrats

Early Modern Period Socially characterized by – Emerging national govs, colonization and expansion of known world, religious schism among Christians, urban life, vernacular languages, social mobility, wealth from both trade and land, vernacular languages, slowly increasing power of Parliament, early scientific revolution and “universal truth” Its literature tends to be – Both courtly and popular, tragic as well as comic, written in vernaculars, focused on a few popular forms such as tragic drama or the sonnet, much still patronized by aristocrats

Romanticism and Society Differs socially from earlier periods – Increasing disenchantment with urban life – Increasing dissatisfaction with both aristocracy and monarchy – Increased social mobility (largely because of the wealth which flows to Britain from colonies) – Religious schisms seen as “unsolvable” – splinter groups allowed to live unburned, but excluded from all public positions of power – Land ownership no longer the best predictor of wealth, but still conveys highest social status – Truth becomes particular, not universal

Romanticism and Ideas Not all late 18 th and early 19 th C Brits were “Romantics” – those who were: – Tended to be socially “liberal” or “radical” Dissatisfied with slavery, with lack of legal rights for married women, with horrid working conditions for poor, with child labor laws, with rapacious colonization – Saw C of E as complacent about social injustices – Saw ruling classes as indifferent to economic hardships of poor – Saw rebellion in France as harbinger of changes to come to all of Europe – Believed in a “transcendental” power, accessible to poetic genius

Romanticism and Lit Romantic Lit TENDS to share certain traits – Embraces many different sorts of literary forms – not likely to follow set forms slavishly – Unfinished or fragmentary – Symbolism, imagery, tone, allusion can be more dominant lit forms (metaphor not so much) Symbolism is sometimes personal to the poet – Interest in both natural and supernatural (natural rural settings over urban ones) Poetry should appear natural and not crafted Natural landscape imbued with human feelings – The Gothic revival – interest in an invented medieval history, nostalgic tone in some Romantic works

continued – Act of poetic creation aligned to God’s creation of universe Poetry becomes a sort of religion and of religious value Poetry defined as “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” by Wordsworth, and as “emotion recollected in tranquility” Poetry can allow one to touch the “sublime” or transcendental 1 st person lyric gains in popularity – and does not refer to a created lit character, but to the poet. – Ordinary people as subject of great poetry – Romantic hero as a man sufficient until himself – Literary criticism takes center stage – Poetry always becoming and never perfected