🧁English 12 Unit 4 – British Literature – Romantic Period

Key Figures and Authors

• William Wordsworth known for his lyrical poetry that celebrated nature and the individual imagination (Lyrical Ballads, "Tintern Abbey")
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge collaborated with Wordsworth on Lyrical Ballads and wrote visionary, supernatural poems ("The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," "Kubla Khan")
  • Developed the concept of "suspension of disbelief" in his Biographia Literaria
• John Keats renowned for his sensuous, highly imaginative poetry ("Ode to a Nightingale," "Ode on a Grecian Urn")
  • Died at the young age of 25, but left a significant impact on the Romantic movement
• Lord Byron famous for his dark, brooding heroes and adventurous lifestyle (Don Juan, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage)
• Percy Bysshe Shelley known for his idealistic, politically charged poetry ("Ode to the West Wind," "Prometheus Unbound")
  • Husband of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein
• Mary Shelley wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein, which explored the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition
• William Blake visionary poet and artist who created intricate, mythological works (Songs of Innocence and of Experience, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell)

Historical Context

• The Romantic Period roughly spanned from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century (1780s-1830s)
• Influenced by the Age of Enlightenment, which emphasized reason and individualism
• Reaction against the Industrial Revolution and the negative effects of urbanization and mechanization
  • Romantics valued nature, emotion, and imagination as a counterpoint to the rationality and materialism of the time
• French Revolution (1789-1799) had a significant impact on Romantic thought
  • Initial enthusiasm for the revolution's ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity
  • Disillusionment with the revolution's violence and the rise of Napoleon
• Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) and their aftermath shaped the political and social landscape of Europe
• Rise of nationalism and interest in folk traditions, mythology, and the medieval past

Major Literary Movements

• Romanticism emphasized emotion, imagination, and individualism over reason and classical restraint
  • Rejected the strict rules and conventions of Neoclassicism
• Gothic literature explored the dark, irrational, and supernatural aspects of human nature (Frankenstein, The Castle of Otranto)
• The "Lake Poets" (Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey) were a group of poets associated with the English Lake District
  • Focused on nature, simplicity, and the power of the imagination
• The "Cockney School" (Keats, Leigh Hunt) was a group of poets from middle-class London backgrounds
  • Known for their sensuous, highly ornate poetry and their political radicalism
• The "Satanic School" (Byron, Shelley) was a term used to describe poets who were seen as rebellious and unconventional
  • Explored themes of individualism, freedom, and social critique

Themes and Motifs

• Nature as a source of inspiration, beauty, and spiritual truth
  • Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" celebrates the restorative power of nature
  • Keats's "To Autumn" depicts the cyclical beauty of the natural world
• The individual imagination as a creative and transformative force
  • Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" explores the power of the poetic imagination
  • Blake's "The Tyger" questions the nature of creation and the divine
• The sublime, or the awe-inspiring and terrifying aspects of nature and human experience
  • Shelley's "Mont Blanc" contemplates the sublime power of the mountain landscape
• Revolution, social critique, and the desire for political and personal freedom
  • Byron's Don Juan satirizes social conventions and political oppression
  • Shelley's "Prometheus Unbound" reimagines the mythical figure as a symbol of human liberation
• The supernatural, the Gothic, and the exploration of the irrational and subconscious
  • Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" features supernatural elements and moral allegory
  • Mary Shelley's Frankenstein delves into the consequences of transgressing natural boundaries
• The idealization of childhood, innocence, and the natural world
  • Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience contrasts the purity of childhood with the corruption of adulthood
  • Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" reflects on the loss of childhood wonder

Influential Works

• Lyrical Ballads (1798) by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  • Groundbreaking collection that marked the beginning of the Romantic movement in English literature
  • Included poems such as "Tintern Abbey" and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
• Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley
  • Iconic Gothic novel that explores the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition
  • Considered an early example of science fiction
• Don Juan (1819-1824) by Lord Byron
  • Epic satirical poem that critiques social and political conventions
  • Features Byron's trademark wit, irony, and digressive style
• Prometheus Unbound (1820) by Percy Bysshe Shelley
  • Lyrical drama that reimagines the Greek mythological figure Prometheus as a symbol of human liberation
  • Reflects Shelley's radical political and philosophical views
• Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1789) by William Blake
  • Illustrated collection of poems that explores the contrasting states of human existence
  • Features Blake's unique visual and poetic style, combining text and engraved illustrations
• "Ode to a Nightingale" (1819) and "Ode on a Grecian Urn" (1820) by John Keats
  • Famous examples of Keats's highly sensuous and imaginative poetry
  • Reflect on themes of beauty, art, and the human condition

Literary Techniques and Styles

• Use of vivid, sensory imagery to evoke emotion and convey meaning
  • Keats's "Ode to a Nightingale" is rich in visual, auditory, and tactile imagery
• Emphasis on the lyric "I" and the expression of personal emotions and experiences
  • Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" is a deeply introspective meditation on the poet's relationship with nature
• Experimentation with form, meter, and rhyme to create new modes of poetic expression
  • Coleridge's "Christabel" employs a unique meter and rhyme scheme to create a sense of supernatural mystery
• Use of symbolism and allegory to convey complex ideas and themes
  • Blake's "The Lamb" and "The Tyger" use animal symbolism to explore the nature of innocence and experience
• Incorporation of folklore, mythology, and the supernatural into literary works
  • Keats's "La Belle Dame sans Merci" draws on medieval folklore to create a haunting, otherworldly atmosphere
• Emphasis on the beauty and power of natural language and vernacular speech
  • Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads aimed to use the "real language of men" to create poetry accessible to a wider audience
• Development of the concept of the poet as a visionary, prophetic figure
  • Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" portrays the poet as a vessel for the transformative power of nature and imagination

Impact on Later Literature

• Romanticism's emphasis on emotion, imagination, and individualism influenced the development of later literary movements such as Transcendentalism and Symbolism
• The Romantic focus on nature and the environment inspired the works of American writers such as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Gothic literature, popularized by works like Frankenstein, had a lasting impact on the development of horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres
• The Romantic poets' experimentation with form and language paved the way for the innovations of modernist poetry in the early 20th century
  • Poets like T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound were influenced by the Romantic emphasis on symbolism and the power of the imagination
• Romantic themes of revolution, social critique, and individual freedom continued to resonate in the works of later writers and thinkers, from the Beat Generation to contemporary postcolonial literature
• The Romantic idealization of childhood and innocence influenced the development of children's literature as a distinct genre in the 19th and 20th centuries
• Romantic poetry's emphasis on the beauty and significance of the natural world has had a lasting impact on environmental literature and nature writing

Critical Debates and Interpretations

• The relationship between Romanticism and the Enlightenment
  • Some critics see Romanticism as a reaction against Enlightenment rationality, while others argue that the two movements share certain values and ideas
• The political and social implications of Romantic literature
  • Critics have debated the extent to which Romantic writers were engaged in radical politics and social critique
  • Some argue that the Romantics were essentially conservative, while others see them as proto-revolutionary figures
• The role of gender and sexuality in Romantic literature
  • Feminist critics have examined the ways in which Romantic writers both reinforced and challenged traditional gender roles and expectations
  • Queer theorists have explored the homoerotic undertones in the works of writers like Byron and Shelley
• The relationship between Romanticism and colonialism
  • Postcolonial critics have interrogated the ways in which Romantic writers both perpetuated and critiqued colonial ideologies and practices
  • The Romantic interest in the "exotic" and the "Oriental" has been seen as both a form of cultural appropriation and a means of critiquing Western society
• The legacy and relevance of Romanticism in the contemporary world
  • Critics have debated the extent to which Romantic ideas and values continue to shape our understanding of art, nature, and the self
  • Some argue that Romanticism's emphasis on emotion and individualism has contributed to the rise of consumerism and narcissism in modern culture, while others see it as a necessary counterbalance to the alienating effects of modernity