The Romantic Period

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The Romantic Period

• Triumph of Imagination over Reason

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Dont let the word romantic fool you!
Romanticism is not related to love, romance
novels, or Valentines Day.
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What Is Romanticism?
Romanticism is a philosophical, literary, and
artistic movement that developed during the late
eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as a
reaction against neoclassicism.

• Neoclassicism valued
• reason
• order
• harmony
• restraint
• balance

• Romanticism valued
• emotion
• imagination
• intuition
• freedom
• beauty of nature

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The Beginning of Romanticism

• As a philosophical movement
• Romanticism began with the French Revolution in
  1789.
• As a literary movement
• Romanticism began with the 1798 publication of
  Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems by
  William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
• As an artistic movement
• Romanticism began in the 1760s and 1770s as
  British artists began painting nontraditional
  subjects and experimenting with light and shade.

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A Philosophical Movement

• Romanticism is the idea that
• imagination and naturalness should be celebrated
• ones emotions and sense of will and identity
  should guide actions
• nature is transformativethe human mind and
  nature mirror the others creative properties
• individual liberties are essential and rebelling
  against tyranny is good
• people should question tradition and imagine
  better ways to live

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A Literary Movement

• Romantic literature
• expresses personal experiences and emotions in
  simple, unadorned language
• favors the lyric poem for expression of feelings,
  self-revelations, and imagination
• often turns to a magical past or inner dream
  world
• celebrates the beauty and majesty of nature
• redefines the role of the poet as
• a man speaking to men
• a bard, teacher, and prophet

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An Artistic Movement

• Romantic art
• reflects landscapes and the beauty of the natural
  world
• emphasizes emotions, inspiration, and a dreamlike
  quality
• usually omits scenes of industry

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What Paved the Way for Romanticism?

• Revolution paved the way.
• The British Industrial Revolution (17601830)
• The French Revolution (17891799)

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The Industrial Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution created a miserable
  world for the working class. It
• celebrated machinery and progress
• resulted in overcrowded cities, deplorable living
  conditions, and miserable working conditions

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The Industrial Revolution

• Romantic writers responded to the Industrial
  Revolution by emphasizing

• the power of imagination as a force for change
• the beauty and restorative powers of nature

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The French Revolution

• The beginning of the French Revolution
• signaled the demise of tyranny and the rise of
  democratic principles
• gave the Romantics hope that the world could
  change
• Romantic writers responded to the French
  Revolution by emphasizing
• individual liberty
• the need to question tradition and authority

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The French Revolution

• However, the Romantics optimism was displaced by
  disillusionment as

• the revolution turned more violent and Napoleon
  Bonaparte took power first as a dictator and then
  as emperor of France
• England instituted repressive measures to keep
  radical principles and the revolutionary fever
  from spreading

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Some Romantic Poets

• William Wordsworth (17701850)
• Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (17721834)
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• George Gordon, Lord Byron (17881824)
• She Walks in Beauty
• John Keats (17951821)
• Ode to a Nightingale

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Romantic Legacies

• Poetry and prose continue to use the everyday
  speech of common people.
• The poet is still viewed as a creative individual
  whose work speaks to readers.
• People are concerned about the impact of industry
  on the environment and quality of life.

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What Have You Learned?
1. Romanticism is _____________ movement. a. a
literary b. an artistic c. a philosophical d.
all of the above 2. Romantic writers valued a.
reason b. order c. imagination d.
balance 3. The Industrial Revolution and French
Revolution influenced the Romantic movement. a.
true b. false
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The End