1. Eras of Lit: Romanticism
Ap english lit

2. Essential Questions What can people learn from nature?
Is emotion stronger than reason?
When is the ordinary extraordinary?
How does war change our values?

3. Flowering of Romanticism (1798-1832)
Enlightenment ideals give way to grim realities
France’s revolution
Industrial Revolution
Romantic writers search for truth in its purest state
Nature – wild and majestic
Inside themselves – passion
Publication of The Preface to Lyrical Ballads

4. ”The Chimney Sweeper” by William Blake
Annotate important words or phrases as we read the two poems aloud.
Work with your table partner to paraphrase the two poems
Create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the two poems

5. Romantic Poetry’s Defining Features
A New Concept in Poetry
Shift in focus from human behavior to human emotion
A New Spontaneity and Freedom
Wordworth describes poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling”
Moving from artificiality to authenticity and freedom
Love of Nature
Not just describing, but using nature as a catalyst to explore their own thoughts and feelings
Importance of the Commonplace
Humble subjects and celebrated ordinary things

6. Romantic Works

7. “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron
Annotate important words or phrases as we read the poem aloud.
Work with your table partner to paraphrase each stanza.
Discuss how the author uses connotation, imagery, and figurative language to develop his central idea
Identify one or two labels for the tone these literary devices develop.