The Romantic Period 1798-1832

During this time period Mary Shelley published Frankenstein Romantic Period During this time period Mary Shelley published Frankenstein (Published in 1818)

Romantic Period REMEMBER… This period starts 732 years after the end of the Anglo-Saxon time period in England.

Romantic Period Thus, we are jumping ahead in English history and literature -The Anglo Saxons 449-1066 -The Middle Ages 1066-1485 -The Renaissance 1485-1660 -The Restoration and 18th Century 1660-1800 -The ROMANTIC PERIOD 1798-1832

Romantic Period The actual period is said to begin with the FRENCH REVOLUTION The period is said to end with the PARLIAMENTARY REFORMS OF 1832 that laid the political foundations for modern Britain

Romantic Period You may be wondering: What does the word “ROMANTIC ” mean in the context of this period?

Romantic Period The word “romantic’” comes from the term “ROMANCE,” and romance was one of the most popular genres of medieval literature.

Romantic Period The romance genre allowed writers to explore new, more PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MYSTERIOUS aspects of human experience.

Romantic Period The writers of the Romantic period lived in England during a time of SOCIAL UPHEAVAL. The INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION in England changed the way people lived, where people lived, and how business was done. (England changed from an agricultural society to an industrial nation w/ almost everyone living in the city)

Romantic Period Writers before this time period tended to rely on SCIENCE and REASON to base their writings on…(Remember, the Restoration was often called the “Age of Reason”) Writers soon after this time period, such as the Victorian era, wrote to AFFECT CHANGE in society.

Romantic Period In contrast, the Romantic writers focused on PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and IMAGINATION in their work. (This change in thinking was thought to be NEEDED b/c of all the political, economic, and social changes taking place…remember… INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION) Thus, they were not as concerned with “REASON”… Imagination was superior!

Romantic Period Romantic literature that included the elements of mystery, horror, and the supernatural is known as GOTHIC

Gothic Literature Gothic novels tended to feature TROUBLESOME TONES REMOTE SETTINGS MYSTERIOUS EVENTS

Gothic Literature The characters’ INNER EMOTIONAL LIVES receive a lot of attention.

The struggle between GOOD vs. EVIL is prominent Gothic Literature The struggle between GOOD vs. EVIL is prominent

Romantic Poets/Poetry The Romantic period could be argued to start with the selling of Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems

Romantic Poets/Poetry The era has been most identified with with six poets: William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Percy Bysshe Shelley John Keats George Gordon “Lord Byron”

Romantic Poets/Poetry Remember, before this time the American Revolution had taken place and the French Revolution was taking place.

Romantic Poets/Poetry The American Rev. not only cost England economically, but it was also a loss of prestige and confidence.

Romantic Poets/Poetry The French Rev. was a prime example of an anointed king being OVERTHROWN by a democratic mob. French Rev. meant the triumph of radical principles…the English worried this would spread.

Romantic Poets/Poetry The French called for a worldwide revolution In 1793 England declared war on France In 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself dictator of France. (Napoleon just as bad as executed king, associated w/ “tyrant”)

Romantic Poets/Poetry As a result of all the changes in western Europe, especially in France, conservatives in England institute severe repressive measures It outlawed collective bargaining and kept suspected spies in prison without a trial

Romantic Poets/Poetry However, many Romantics (including poets) supported the idea of revolution/change, and clung to their hopes for the “DAWN OF A NEW ERA” through peaceful change Hopes provoked and shaped by upheavals in English life brought about by the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Romantic Poets/Poetry Remember, Industrial Revolution brought many people to the city to work in factories where machines replaced handmade articles. City populations greatly increased and resulted in very POOR LIVING CONDITIONS.

Romantic Poets/Poetry Industrial Revolution also caused land to no longer be communally owned. This resulted in MANY LANDLESS PEOPLE Thus, these landless people MIGRATED TO THE CITY in search of work or charity.

Romantic Poets/Poetry The economic cause of all this misery was called “LAISSEZ FAIRE” Translated means “let (people) do (as they please)” Meaning economic forces were out of the government’s control Result = rich grew richer and the poor got poorer. (children also suffered because they were often times forced to work)

Romantic Poets/Poetry As a result… Frustrated by England’s resistance to political and social change during this age of revolution around the globe, the ROMANTIC POETS became dedicated to bringing about change.

Romantic Poets/Poetry These poets believed in the force of literature. They turned from the formal, public verse of the 18th century Augustans to a more private, spontaneous, lyric poetry. These lyrics expressed the belief that IMAGINATION, rather than reason, was the best response to the forces of change.

Romantic Poets/Poetry The term “Romantic” has at least THREE useful meanings relevant to the Romantic poets.

Romantic Poets/Poetry #1: A Child’s Sense of Wonder: “Romantic” signifies a fascination with youth and innocence…particularly the freshness and wonder of a child’s perception of the world. This perception seemed to resemble the age’s sense of a “new dawn”…like what Wordsworth saw in his first experience in France as “human nature being born again.”

Romantic Poets/Poetry #2: Social Idealism: The term “Romantic”refers to a view of cyclical development of human societies. This is the stage when people need to question tradition and authority in order to imagine better - that is, happier, fairer, and healthier - ways to live. Romantic in this sense is associated with idealism.

Romantic Poets/Poetry #3: Adaptation to Change: The term “Romantic”suggests an ability to change- an acceptance of change rather than a rigid rejection of it. In the so-called Romantic period of the first half of the 19th century (up to the Civil War in America), Western societies met the conditions necessary for industrialization. This demanded that people acquire a stronger and stronger awareness of change, and that they try to find a way to adapt to it.

Romantic Poets/Poetry Overall, the term “romantic” signifies a fascination with youth and innocence, a questioning of authority and tradition for idealistic purposes, and an adaptation to change.

Romantic Poets/Poetry It is a mistake to think of the Romantics as “nature poets.” Rather, these poets were “mind poets” who sought a deeper understanding of the bond between human beings and the world of the senses.

Romantic Poets/Poetry Their search led them to a third, more mysterious element present in both the mind and nature….this element is a creative power that makes things happen…this power is the IMAGINATION. The Romantics thought this superior to human reasoning.

Romantic Poets/Poetry Each of the Romantics had his or her own special view of the imagination. However, all of them believed that the imagination could be stimulated by both nature and the mind itself. These poets had a strong sense of nature’s mysterious forces, which both inspire the poet and hint at the causes of great changes taking place in the world.

Romantic Poets/Poetry Romantic poems usually present imaginative experiences as very powerful or moving. This suggests that the human imagination is also a kind of desire - a motive that drives the mind to discover things that it cannot learn by rational or logical thinking.

Restoration versus Romanticism Scientific observation of outer world; logic Pragmatic (practical) Science, technology General, universal experiences Optimistic about present Moderation, self-restraint Aristocratic; society as whole Nature controlled by humans Examine inner feelings, emotions, imagination Idealistic (optimistic) Mysterious, supernatural Concerned with the particular (very specific) Romanticizing the past Excess, spontaneity Concerned with common people and individuals Felt nature should be untamed

Important Dates 1775-1783: American Revolution (fighting ended in 1781) 1789-1815: French Revolution 1798: Publication of Lyrical Ballads 1798-1832: Romantic Period

“The Big Six” Romantic Poets William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Percy Bysshe Shelley John Keats George Gordon, Lord Byron

Other Romantic Writers Jane Austen Leigh Hunt Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Sir Walter Scott Robert Southey

Key Romantic Themes Irrational experiences (dreams and drugs) Awareness of process and current conceptions of art and introspection Longing for the infinite encounter through intense experiences of sublime nature (storms, mountains, oceans) Imagination Egotism The particular The remote The primitive The medieval The East The sublime Nature

Pastoral Definition: “The pastoral is a mode of poetry that sought to imitate and celebrate the virtues of rural life (a nature poem).” Examples: “To My Sister” by William Wordsworth and “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats

Ode Definition: “An ode is a formal address to an event, a person, or a thing not present. There are three types: Pindaric, Horatian, and Irregular.” Examples: “Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley and “To Autumn” by John Keats