2. 1 The Romantic Period 1785-1830 Whitechapel High Street, ca. 1894

3. 2 In British Lit. The Romantic Period in British Literature was a time of nature- inspired poetry, political questioning, and individualism.

4. 3 History of the Term: “Romantic” Originally a “romance” was any lengthy prose or verse work written in a Romantic language. “Romance” came to mean the tales written during the medieval period specifically concerned with knights, chivalry and courtly love. Romanticism refers to a literary movement characterized by: The idealization of nature Freedom of thought and expression (poetry most exalted form) Heavy reliance on the imagination and subjectivity

5. 4 Dating the Romantic Period in British Literature is easy. Scholars attribute the onset of the period to a poet named William Wordsworth who co- published a “new kind” of poetry with his friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Their work entitled “Lyrical Ballads” was published in 1798. That’s the beginning of the Romantic Period according to some scholars. Dating a literary period is only useful in the sense that it reminds us of the historical context and world view of its authors. We can’t really consider 1797, for example, as a time completely without Romantic poetry!

6. 5 The Romantic Period Ended in 1830, by which time the major writers of the preceding century were either dead or no longer productive. It was a turbulent time period, when England changed from a primarily agricultural society to a modern industrial nation. Wealth and power shifted from the landholding aristocracy to large-scale employers, who found themselves against a large, unhappy working class.

7. 6 -Romantic literature questions authority and values individuals who question authority. Anything that infringes on personal liberty is suspect in this tradition. Rousseau championed individualism and freedom of thought: “I felt before I thought.” Individualism

8. 7 The poets who chose the Romantic style at this time investigated many topics. They wrote of time, love, death, art, and religion among other topics. But one topic in particular was a favorite among the Romantics - nature. As long as there have been poets, there have been poems about nature, but these nature poems were somehow different from the ones that had come before. These poems were not quaint, predictable, over-simplified glorifications of Nature on a purely observational level. These poems were designed to communicate Nature’s transformative power. Nature is portrayed as omnipresent and capable of altering human perception and perspective. The settings of these poems, therefore, are picturesque and exotic.

9. 8 The personal experiences documented in the Romantic literature of this time are epiphanies that alter the life of the speaker. But the catalysts for such events may have been ordinary, mundane, or less than remarkable. This ability to describe ordinary events as extraordinary is a characteristic of Romantic literature. ORDINARY = EXTRAORDINARY

10. 9 EMOTIONS RULE Because the Romantic poetry valued individual experience, the rationalism previously admired was replaced by a trust in one’s emotions. The literature in England prior to this movement was witty, intellectual, and social. Romanticism rejects the social ‘us’ and embraces the ‘me’! Intuitions, feelings, and emotions ruled. Man’s heart was a more valued guide than his head. So, another characteristic of Romantic poetry is this enlightenment by emotion.

11. 10 Another characteristic of Romantic literature is the inclusion of supernatural elements. Perhaps, for the Romantics, Nature was so powerful that it could not be contained. Nature takes on a mysterious, sometimes even scary quality in literature of the Romantics. Supernatural elements play a large part in these works.

12. 11 The Romantics searched for personal experiences and strove to communicate their power in meaningful ways. To achieve this, the Romantic writers employed simple and direct language. This was another way to reject the Neoclassical movement that hoped to emulate the ancient writers in lofty styles and language. Think of it this way… our most personal conversations, our most private, do not need elevated language to impress or ring true. This simple language is another Romantic characteristic.

13. 12 Marlon Brando in ‘’The Wild One’’ Special thanks to Filmsite’s ‘’Wild One’’ page for the image provided above. Click here for more information about the movie. http://www.filmsite.org/wild.html ‘’Hey, Johnny, What are you rebelling against’’? ‘’What’ve you got’’? - Movies such as Marlon Brando’s ‘’Wild One’’ have popularized the ideal of an irresistible bad boy, glamorous in his fatal passion, rivaling society with a hell-bent glare. This bad boy stereotype first entered our English culture in the Romantic poetry of Lord Byron. These ill-fated but beautifully emotional characters are called “Byronic Heroes.”

14. 13 Changes of Romanticism Feeling and Imagination vs. reason and logic Sensibility and Passion vs. science and satire Mixed Genres vs. Aristotles’ three unities (time, place and action) Spontaneity and Lyricism vs. regular meters and strict forms Grotesque and Complex Forms vs. accepted and simple forms Idiosyncratic and concerned with Rosseau’s “common man” vs. social conventions

15. 14 Poetry Wordsworth described all good poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” He believed that the source of all poetry was not in external things, but in the individual poet. The lyric poem, expressing the poet’s own feelings and temperament, became a major Romantic form. The natural scene became a primary poetic subject, and poets described natural phenomena with an accuracy of observation that had no earlier match. Poets bestowed attitudes and sentiments on the landscape that earlier writers had felt only for God, parents or a beloved. Humble, rustic life and plain style were elevated and the wonder of ordinary things was exalted.

16. 15 Robert Burns “To a Mouse” William Blake Songs of Innocence and Experience “The Tyger” “The Lamb” “The Chimney Sweeper” “A Poison Tree” Authors from the Early Romantic Period

17. 16 Cont.- Early Romantic William Wordsworth Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Kubla Khan

18. 17 George Gordon, Lord Byron Don Juan Late Romantic Poets

19. 18 Percy Bysshe Shelley “Oxymandias” “Ode to the West Wind” “To a Skylark” John Keats “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” “Ode to a Nightingale” “Ode to a Grecian Urn”

20. 19 Themes in Literature Nature Isolationism Exile – especially of a disinherited mind that cannot find a spiritual home in its native land Fascination with the outlaws of myth, legend, or history Mysticism/Supernatural Results of the industrial revolution England’s Lake District

21. 20 Although poetry was the most expected Romantic genre, Romantic novels were also written. A popular novel by Mary Shelley - Frankenstein - is also representative of the period.

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