📔Intro to Comparative Literature Unit 7 – Romanticism: Nature, Imagination & Self

Key Romantic Concepts

• Emphasizes the importance of emotion, imagination, and intuition over reason and logic
• Values the beauty and power of the natural world as a source of inspiration and spiritual connection
• Celebrates the individual and their unique experiences, feelings, and perspectives
• Rejects the strict rules and conventions of Neoclassicism in favor of more organic and spontaneous forms of expression
  • Embraces the use of vivid imagery, metaphor, and symbolism to convey deep emotional truths
• Explores themes of freedom, rebellion, and the quest for transcendence beyond the limits of society and the material world
• Sees art as a means of personal and social transformation, capable of awakening the human spirit and inspiring change
• Recognizes the inherent goodness and potential of humanity, despite the corrupting influences of civilization

Historical Context

• Emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a reaction against the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and order
• Influenced by the political and social upheavals of the time, including the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution
  • These events challenged traditional hierarchies and sparked a desire for greater individual freedom and self-expression
• Shaped by the philosophical ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued for the inherent goodness of human nature and the corrupting influence of society
• Coincided with the rise of nationalism and the valorization of folk traditions, myths, and legends as expressions of national identity
• Responded to the increasing mechanization and urbanization of society by seeking solace and inspiration in the natural world
• Drew inspiration from the Gothic novels of the late 18th century, which explored dark and mysterious themes and evoked strong emotions in readers

Major Romantic Writers

• William Wordsworth (1770-1850): English poet known for his lyrical and meditative works, such as "Tintern Abbey" and "Ode: Intimations of Immortality"
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834): English poet and philosopher, famous for his visionary and symbolic poems like "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan"
• John Keats (1795-1821): English poet celebrated for his sensuous and melodic style, as seen in poems like "Ode to a Nightingale" and "Ode on a Grecian Urn"
• Lord Byron (1788-1824): English poet and leading figure of the Romantic movement, known for his flamboyant personality and works like "Don Juan" and "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage"
• Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822): English poet and radical thinker, author of poems like "Ode to the West Wind" and "Prometheus Unbound"
• Mary Shelley (1797-1851): English novelist, best known for her Gothic masterpiece "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus"
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832): German writer and statesman, whose works like "The Sorrows of Young Werther" and "Faust" exemplify Romantic themes and ideals

Nature in Romantic Literature

• Portrayed as a living, dynamic force with its own spirit and essence, rather than a mere backdrop or resource
• Seen as a source of beauty, wonder, and spiritual nourishment, capable of evoking deep emotions and insights in the observer
  • Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" describes nature as a "anchor of my purest thoughts" and a "nurse, / Guide, and guardian of my heart"
• Used as a symbol of the sublime, a concept that refers to experiences of awe, terror, and transcendence in the face of nature's vastness and power
  • Shelley's "Mont Blanc" depicts the mountain as a "giant brood" that "pierces the infinite sky," evoking a sense of both wonder and dread
• Contrasted with the artificiality and corruption of human society, serving as a refuge and a source of moral and spiritual renewal
• Linked to the idea of the "noble savage," a romanticized view of indigenous peoples as living in harmony with nature and uncorrupted by civilization
• Explored through vivid sensory descriptions and personification, which attribute human qualities and emotions to natural phenomena
  • Keats's "To Autumn" describes the season as a "close bosom-friend of the maturing sun" and a "gleaner" that "keep'st steady thy laden head across a brook"

The Romantic Imagination

• Celebrated as the supreme faculty of the human mind, capable of perceiving truths and beauties beyond the reach of reason and logic
• Seen as a creative and transformative power that allows individuals to transcend the limitations of the material world and access higher realms of experience
  • Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" is a product of the poet's opium-induced reverie, a "vision in a dream" that transports the reader to an exotic and fantastical landscape
• Associated with the concept of genius, the idea that certain individuals possess an innate and exceptional capacity for artistic and intellectual achievement
• Linked to the notion of inspiration, a sudden and inexplicable burst of creative energy that comes from within or from some external, divine source
• Expressed through the use of vivid imagery, symbolism, and metaphor, which evoke complex emotions and ideas in the reader's mind
  • Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" uses the wind as a symbol of the poet's own imagination, a "wild spirit" that can "quicken a new birth" and "drive [his] dead thoughts over the universe"
• Explored in works that blur the boundaries between reality and fantasy, dream and waking life, as a way of challenging conventional notions of truth and perception
  • Keats's "The Eve of St. Agnes" weaves together elements of folklore, romance, and the supernatural to create a dreamlike and atmospheric tale of love and enchantment

Self and Individual Expression

• Emphasizes the importance of personal experience, emotions, and perspectives as the basis for authentic and meaningful art
• Celebrates the unique qualities and talents of the individual, rather than conformity to social norms or artistic conventions
  • Byron's "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" presents a semi-autobiographical hero who embodies the Romantic ideal of the brooding, passionate, and rebellious outsider
• Encourages the exploration and expression of the inner self, including its darker and more irrational aspects, as a way of achieving self-knowledge and personal growth
• Links the individual to larger themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition, seeing the self as a microcosm of the universal
• Values sincerity, spontaneity, and originality as markers of genuine artistic expression, rather than adherence to established forms and techniques
  • Wordsworth's preface to "Lyrical Ballads" argues for a poetry that uses the "real language of men" and "takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility"
• Reflects the Romantic belief in the inherent goodness and potential of the individual, despite the corrupting influences of society and civilization
• Expressed through confessional and autobiographical forms of writing, such as the lyric poem and the personal essay, which foreground the author's own thoughts and feelings

Romantic Themes and Motifs

• The quest for freedom and liberation from social, political, and artistic constraints, as seen in works like Shelley's "Prometheus Unbound"
• The celebration of love and passion as powerful and transformative forces, often linked to nature and the sublime, as in Keats's "Bright Star" sonnet
• The exploration of the supernatural and the uncanny, as a way of probing the mysteries of the human psyche and the universe, as in Coleridge's "Christabel"
• The valorization of childhood and innocence as a state of natural wisdom and purity, untainted by the corruptions of adult society, as in Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality"
• The fascination with exotic and remote places, as symbols of the Romantic imagination's yearning for escape and transcendence, as in Coleridge's "Kubla Khan"
• The use of mythological and folkloric elements as a way of tapping into primal and universal human experiences, as in Keats's "La Belle Dame sans Merci"
• The theme of the artist as a visionary and prophet, capable of seeing beyond the veil of appearances and revealing higher truths, as in Shelley's "A Defence of Poetry"

Legacy and Influence

• Helped to establish the idea of the artist as a creative individual with a unique vision and voice, paving the way for later movements like Realism and Modernism
• Influenced the development of new literary forms and genres, such as the lyric poem, the personal essay, and the Gothic novel
• Contributed to the rise of nationalism and the valorization of folk traditions and vernacular languages as expressions of national identity
• Inspired later artistic and intellectual movements, such as Transcendentalism, Symbolism, and Surrealism, which built on Romantic ideas about nature, imagination, and the self
• Shaped the way we think about the relationship between art and society, as a means of personal and social transformation rather than mere entertainment or decoration
• Continues to resonate with contemporary readers and writers, who find in Romantic literature a powerful expression of timeless human concerns and aspirations
• Remains a vital and enduring presence in the literary canon, celebrated for its beauty, passion, and insight into the human condition