The Romanticism and the Romantic Poets Study Guide/Notes William Wordsworth John Keats Lord Byron Percy Shelley Samuel Coleridge
About the Romantic Period 1785-1830 About the word “Romanticism: Derives from Roman and the 'Romances' written during the Middle Ages (King Arthur…) 'Romantick' was often used in the 18th century to mean magical, dramatic, surprising.
Defining the Romantic Period 1785-1830 Artistic and intellectual movement that originated in the late 18th century Impacted literature, art, music Stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from classical correctness in art forms, and rebellion against social conventions Rejected order, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality.
Characteristics of Romantic Poetry Subjective (internal, not external realities) Irrational (crazy, psychotic) Imaginative (dreamlike) Personal (experiences related to) Spontaneous Visionary Transcendental (going outside of reality to experience feelings, emotions…)
About the Romantic Period 1785-1830 Central theme: Nature and its interaction with humanity The American and French Revolutions were being fought during this timer period.
Literary Terms – 4 minutes Allusion a brief reference to a person, event, or place, or to a work of art that is drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion. Dian’s visage (from Othello, referring to the goddess Diana) Alliteration Repetition of the initial sounds of several words in a group. EXAMPLE: I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet.“
Literary Terms 5 minutes Apostrophe when the speaker of a poem speaks to something non-human EXAMPLE: Busy old fool, unruly sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows, and through curtains call on us? Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds. Hear the mellow wedding bells- Consonance The repetition of consonant sounds with differing vowel sounds in words near each other in a line or lines of poetry. We rush into a rain That rattles double glass.
Literary Terms - 5 minutes Figurative Language - a type of language that varies from the norms of literal language, in which words mean exactly what they say. Examples of figurative language include a simile and metaphor. Imagery is language that evokes one or all of the five senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching. Internal Rhyme rhyming within a line. Example: I awoke to black flak.
Literary Terms - 5 minutes Metaphor – A comparison of two unlike things using the verb "to be" and not using like or as as in a simile. Example: He is a pig. Thou art sunshine. Personification- is giving human qualities to animals or objects. Example: a smiling moon, a jovial sun Simile - Comparison of two unlike things using like or as Example: He eats like a pig. Vines like golden prisons.
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) Born in the Lake District Wrote “Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” Wrote “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” Wrote “She was a Phantom of Delight” Worked closely with Samuel Coleridge Published “Lyrical Ballads” – ( a collection of poems) Uses simple diction in his poetry
Lord Byron (1788-1824) Wrote “She Walks in Beauty” Wrote “We’ll Go No More a-Roving”
John Keats (1795-1821) Wrote “Ode to A Grecian Urn” Wrote “O Solitude” Was friends with William Wordsworth and Percy Samuel Coleridge. Died when he was 25 years old. During his short life, his work was the subject of constant politically motivated critical attack, and it was not until much later that his work was fully appreciated.
Percy Shelly (1792-1822) Wrote “Ozymandias” Wrote “Ode to the West Wind” Married to Mary Shelley (his second wife) , who wrote Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus died drowning in a storm.
Samuel Coleridge (1772-1884) Coleridge is probably best known for his hypnotic long poem - The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Also wrote “Kublah Kahn”
Samuel Coleridge (1772-1884) In roughly 1796, at 24 years of age, Coleridge started using opium for medical purposes to cure his rheumatism. Opium has been a major item of trade for centuries, and widely used as a painkiller and sedative. Many patent medicines of the 19th century were based around laudanum (a solution of opium in alcohol). Opium can also be smoked, sometimes in combination with tobacco.