Romanticism

Questions to consider…  What were the essential features of Romanticism?  How did the Romantic writers respond to nature?  What conception of the imagination did Romanticism express?

Romanticism…  A broad movement in art and thought that valued feeling and imagination over reason.  British Romantic writers found inspiration in nature, folk culture, the medieval past and their own passions.

Historical, Social and Cultural Forces TTTThe Industrial Revolution –L–L–L–Late 1700’s- a shift from economies based on farming to economies based on manufacturing by machines in factories –C–C–C–Coal and steam –C–C–C–Cities and town grew –W–W–W–Widespread poverty and poor working conditions for most TTTThe French and American Revolution LLLLatin American Revolutions TTTThe Napoleonic Wars RRRRomanticism –A–A–A–A reaction against enlightenment values

The Stirrings of Romanticism  The “State of Nature”- –“Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” –Jean- Jacques Rousseau  Sensibility and Emotions- the hearts representation as the origin of emotion –Inner moral sympathy and virtue  The Imagination –Blends sensory impressions with fantasy –William Blake believed that “imagination, rather than science, held the secrets of the universe” (700).  The Pre-Romantics –William Blake –Robert Burns –Thomas Gray

Nature and the Imagination  What is Nature? –Enlightenment thinkers: nature should be tamed and made more productive as farms or orderly gardens. –Nature is changing- cities, towns, factories, railroads –Romantics preferred nature to be wild and untamed: wilderness, winding paths, tangled woods

The Child and the Common Man  Children led the most natural life; they had not yet been touched by society or educated in schools yet.  Romantics viewed children as innocent and imaginative rather than ignorant.  Romantics were also interested in exploring the lives of common folk  Poets subjects were drawn from the experiences of ordinary, uneducated people.

Dreams and Nightmares  Romantics criticized the methods and benefits promised by science.  What was the motivation for studying nature?  The Romantics believed that science deforms nature- Frankenstein  Romantics were fascinated by subjects science could not explain; they focused on the irrational and unnatural hoping to capture the entire human experience.

The Quest for Truth and Beauty TTTThe Revolutionary Spirit –I–I–I–Ideals of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” –R–R–R–Romantics supported revolt at home and abroad TTTThe Spirit of Nationalism –I–I–I–Interest in folk culture had political and literary consequences EEEExotic Places and Times –I–I–I–Interest in strange and exotic cultures- the allure of the unknown –F–F–F–Frankenstein- Swiss and Italian Alps, Scotland, rough peaks –T–T–T–The past- medieval “Dark Ages” –G–G–G–Gothic settings- weird landscapes, haunted castles TTTThe Poetic Quest –M–M–M–Manifestos declaring the supremacy of poetry –t–t–t–the quest for truth and beauty guided many Romantic poets

 Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. et al. “The Triumph of Romanticism.” Glencoe Literature The Reader’s Choice. New York: McGraw Hill,