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    Notes1 - The Romantic Period

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    David Williams
    Lecture notes for the Romantic Period of British Literature, focusing on the era generally.

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    Notes1 - The Romantic Period

    Uploaded by

    David Williams
    2 views1 page
    Lecture notes for the Romantic Period of British Literature, focusing on the era generally.

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

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    Lecture notes for the Romantic Period of British Literature, focusing on the era generally.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    2 views1 page

    Notes1 - The Romantic Period

    Uploaded by

    David Williams
    Lecture notes for the Romantic Period of British Literature, focusing on the era generally.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    The Romantic Period (1785-1830)

    While the editors of the Norton Anthology of English Literature do a very good job of
    introducing the Romantic Period in pages 1-16 of volume D, I would like to reinforce a
    few points that I find particularly important.

    Romanticism:
     Named after the medieval Romance (a story of heroic knights), Romanticism and
    Romantic literature (both always capitalized) do not have any particular
    association with love and affection.
     Romanticism is a movement in art that emphasizes powerful emotions,
    individuality, simplicity, and an appreciation for both natural beauty and uncanny
    supernatural phenomena. The Romantics craved overpowering emotion, and were
    largely indifferent whether that emotion was positive (joy, love, etc.) or negative
    (sadness, anxiety, etc.). The important thing is that it was powerful. Events which
    trigger the most powerful of emotions are called Sublime.
     Romantic writers (called Romantics) turned their back on rational thought in
    favor of intuition and creativity. In this way they can be said to be revolting
    against the popular beliefs of the historical period called the Enlightenment.
     The French Revolution strongly influenced the Romantics. They saw in the
    French Revolution the potential for a new type of society, free of traditional
    aristocrats, and based on secularism and equality. However, as the French
    Revolution degenerated into violence and infighting, that potential was
    demonstrably wasted. This sense of wasted potential is present in many Romantic
    writings.
     Things to look for in Romantic writing (largely poetry): celebration of the
    sublime, nationalism, a longing for a simpler society, respect for medieval
    tradition, fascination with natural beauty and the pastoral way of life, appreciation
    for the weird and uncanny, imperfect anti-heroes (called Byronic heroes after
    Lord Byron), a wistful view of youth, and a sense of unfulfilled potential. Not
    every Romantic work will have all of these characteristics, of course.

    The Romantics:
    While there were many 19th century writers we can safely label Romantics, six great
    poets stand out: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron (George
    Gordon), Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, and William Blake. I will be posting notes
    about each over the course of the semester.

    Look for notes concerning Wordsworth and Coleridge to be posted soon.

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