ROMANTIC PERIOD IN ENGLISH LITERATURE: 1785-1830

1
ROMANTIC PERIOD IN ENGLISH LITERATURE 1785-1830

• A BRIEF OVERVIEW

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SOCIAL POLITICAL CONTEXT

• A PERIOD OF GREAT CHANGE IN ENGLAND
• AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY WITH POWERFUL LANDHOLDING
  ARISTOCRACY WAS GIVING WAY TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL
  NATION OF LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYERS AND A GROWING,
  RESTLESS MIDDLE CLASS.

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PERIOD OF CHANGE

• AMERICAN FRENCH REVOLUTIONS WERE HUGELY
  IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE.
• THREATS TO EXISTING SOCIAL STRUCTURE WERE BEING
  POSED BY NEW, REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS.

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PERIOD OF CHANGE

• A TIME OF HARSH POLITICAL REPRESSION IN ENGLAND,
  IN SPITE OF NEED FOR CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE
  INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

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PERIOD OF CHANGE

• MILL TOWNS GREW
• THE LANDSCAPE WAS INCREASINGLY SUBDIVIDED
• FACTORIES SPEWED POLLUTION OVER SLUMS
• THE POPULATION WAS INCREASINGLY DIVIDED INTO
  RICH POOR.

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PERIOD OF CHANGE

• REFORMS DID NOT OCCUR BECAUSE THE PHILOSOPHY OF
  LAISSEZ-FAIRE (LET ALONE) PREVAILED.

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LACK OF REFORM

• CONSEQUENCES OF THE LACK OF REFORM
• LOW WAGES
• HORRIBLE WORKING CONDITIONS
• LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN CHILDREN IN
  BRUTALLY HARD OCCUPATIONS (SUCH AS COAL MINING).

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LACK OF REFORM

• IN THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT
  POVERTY, WORKERS (WHO COULD NOT VOTE) HAD TO
  RESORT TO PROTESTS RIOTS, INCURRING FURTHER
  REPRESSION.
• BUT WHILE THE POOR SUFFERED, THE LEISURE CLASS
  PROSPERED.

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PLIGHT OF WOMEN

• TREATMENT OF WOMEN OF ALL CLASSES
• WERE REGARDED AS INFERIOR TO MEN
• WERE UNDEREDUCATED
• HAD LIMITED VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
• WERE SUBJECT TO A STRICT CODE OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
• HAD ALMOST NO LEGAL RIGHTS.
• OVERALL, THE CAUSE OF WOMENS RIGHTS WAS LARGELY
  IGNORED.

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ROMANTICISM IN LITERATURE

• TERM ROMANTICISM IS DIFFICULT TO DEFINE BECAUSE
  OF THE VARIETY OF LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS, AND
  WRITERS OF THE PERIOD WERE ONLY LATER LABELLED
  ROMANTIC.

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ROMANTICISM IN LITERATURE

• BUT MANY WRITERS HAD A SENSE OF THE SPIRIT OF
  THE AGE
• A GREAT RELEASE OF CREATIVE ENERGY WAS OCCURING
  AS ACCOMPANIMENT TO POLITICAL SOCIAL
  REVOLUTION.
• IT WAS SEEN AS AN AGE OF NEW BEGINNINGS
  LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES.

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POETIC THEORY PRACTICE

• WILLIAM WORDSWORTH TRIED TO ARTICULATE THE SPIRIT
  OF THE NEW POETRY IN THE PREFACE TO LYRICAL
  BALLADS (1800, 1802).

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CONCEPT OF POETRY, THE POET

• POETRY WAS SEEN AS THE SPONTANEOUS OVERFLOW OF
  POWERFUL FEELINGS THE ESSENCE OF POETRY WAS THE
  MIND, EMOTIONS, IMAGINATION OF THE POET (NOT
  THE OUTER WORLD).
• GREATLY CONTRASTED WITH THE REASON, BALANCE, AND
  LOGIC THAT CHARACTERIZED THE LITERATURE OF THE
  ENLIGHTENMENT.

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POETRY THE POET

• FIRST-PERSON LYRIC POEM BECAME THE MAJOR ROMANTIC
  LITERARY FORM, WITH I OFTEN REFERRING DIRECTLY
  TO THE POET.
• THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF BECAME A MAJOR TOPIC
  OF ROMANTIC POETRY.

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POETRY THE POET

• POETS OFTEN SAW THEMSELVES AS PROPHETS IN A TIME
  OF CRISIS, REVISING THE PROMISE OF DIVINE
  REDEMPTION IN TERMS OF A HEAVEN ON EARTH.

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POETIC SPONTANEITY, FREEDOM

• INITIAL ACT OF POETIC COMPOSITION MUST ARISE FROM
  IMPULSE
• FREE FROM THE RULES INHERITED FROM THE PAST
• RELY ON INSTINCT, INTUITION, FEELING.

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ROMANTICISM NATURE

• ACCURATE OBSERVATION DESCRIPTION OF WILD NATURE
  BECOMES EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
• NATURE SERVES AS A STIMULUS TO THINKING TO THE
  RESOLUTION OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS CRISES.

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ROMANTICISM NATURE

• LANDSCAPE WAS OFTEN GIVEN HUMAN QUALITIES OR SEEN
  AS A SYSTEM OF SYMBOLS REVEALING THE NATURE OF
  GOD.
• CLOSENESS WITH NATURE WAS SEEN AS BRINGING OUT
  HUMANITYS INNATE GOODNESS.

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GLORIFICATION OF THE COMMONPLACE

• HUMBLE, RUSTIC SUBJECT MATTER PLAIN STYLE
  BECAME THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT MEDIUM OF POETRY.
• POETS SOUGHT TO REFRESH READERS SENSE OF WONDER
  ABOUT THE ORDINARY THINGS OF EXISTENCE, TO MAKE
  THE OLD WORLD SEEM NEW.

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THE SUPERNATURAL STRANGE

• MANY ROMANTIC POEMS EXPLORE THE REALM OF MYSTERY
  MAGIC
• INCORPORATE MATERIALS FROM FOLKLORE, SUPERSTITION
• OFTEN SET IN DISTANT OR FARAWAY PLACES.

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THE SUPERNATURAL STRANGE

• RENEWED INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE AGES (AND THE
  BALLAD FORM) AS A BEAUTIFUL, EXOTIC, MYSTERIOUS,
  BYGONE ERA.
• THERE WAS ALSO GREAT INTEREST IN UNUSUAL MODES OF
  EXPERIENCE
• VISIONARY STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
• HYPNOTISM
• DREAMS
• DRUG-INDUCED STATES

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INDIVIDUALISM STRIVING

• HUMAN BEINGS WERE SEEN AS ESSENTIALLY NOBLE
  GOOD.
• HUMANS BEINGS WERE CORRUPTED BY SOCIETY.
• HUMANS POSSESSED GREAT POWER POTENTIAL THAT HAD
  FORMERLY BEEN ASCRIBED ONLY TO GOD.

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INDIVIDUALISM

• THERE WAS A GREAT BELIEF IN DEMOCRATIC IDEALS
• CONCERN FOR HUMAN LIBERTY
• GREAT OUTCRY AGAINST VARIOUS FORMS OF TYRANNY.

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INDIVIDUALISM

• THE HUMAN MIND WAS SEEN AS CREATING (AT LEAST IN
  PART) THE WORLD AROUND IT
• HUMAN MIND BELIEVED TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE
  INFINITE VIA THE FACULTY OF IMAGINATION.

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INDIVIDUALISM

• REFUSING TO ACCEPT LIMITATIONS, HUMAN BEINGS SET
  INFINITE, INACCESSIBLE GOALS, THUS MAKING FAILURE
  IMPERFECTION GLORIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

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INDIVIDUALISM

• THIS REFUSAL TO ACCEPT LIMITATIONS FOUND
  EXPRESSION IN BOLD POETIC EXPERIMENTATION.
• MANY WRITERS DELIBERATELY ISOLATED THEMSELVES
  FROM SOCIETY TO FOCUS ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL VISION.
• THEME OF EXILE WAS COMMON WITH THE ROMANTIC
  NONCONFORMIST OFTEN SEEN AS A GREAT SINNER OR
  OUTLAW.