ROMANTIC PERIOD IN ENGLISH LITERATURE: 1785-1830 A BRIEF OVERVIEW

SOCIAL & POLITICAL CONTEXT A PERIOD OF GREAT CHANGE IN ENGLAND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY WITH POWERFUL LANDHOLDING ARISTOCRACY WAS GIVING WAY TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL NATION OF LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYERS AND A GROWING, RESTLESS MIDDLE CLASS.

PERIOD OF CHANGE AMERICAN & FRENCH REVOLUTIONS WERE HUGELY IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE. THREATS TO EXISTING SOCIAL STRUCTURE WERE BEING POSED BY NEW, REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS.

PERIOD OF CHANGE A TIME OF HARSH POLITICAL REPRESSION IN ENGLAND, IN SPITE OF NEED FOR CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

PERIOD OF CHANGE MILL TOWNS GREW THE LANDSCAPE WAS INCREASINGLY SUBDIVIDED FACTORIES SPEWED POLLUTION OVER SLUMS THE POPULATION WAS INCREASINGLY DIVIDED INTO RICH & POOR.

PERIOD OF CHANGE REFORMS DID NOT OCCUR BECAUSE THE PHILOSOPHY OF LAISSEZ-FAIRE (“LET ALONE”) PREVAILED.

LACK OF REFORM CONSEQUENCES OF THE LACK OF REFORM: LOW WAGES HORRIBLE WORKING CONDITIONS LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN & CHILDREN IN BRUTALLY HARD OCCUPATIONS (SUCH AS COAL MINING).

LACK OF REFORM IN THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT & POVERTY, WORKERS (WHO COULD NOT VOTE) HAD TO RESORT TO PROTESTS & RIOTS, INCURRING FURTHER REPRESSION. BUT WHILE THE POOR SUFFERED, THE LEISURE CLASS PROSPERED.

PLIGHT OF WOMEN TREATMENT OF WOMEN OF ALL CLASSES: WERE REGARDED AS INFERIOR TO MEN WERE UNDEREDUCATED HAD LIMITED VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES WERE SUBJECT TO A STRICT CODE OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR HAD ALMOST NO LEGAL RIGHTS. OVERALL, THE CAUSE OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS WAS LARGELY IGNORED.

ROMANTICISM IN LITERATURE TERM “ROMANTICISM” IS DIFFICULT TO DEFINE BECAUSE OF THE VARIETY OF LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS, AND WRITERS OF THE PERIOD WERE ONLY LATER LABELLED “ROMANTIC.”

ROMANTICISM IN LITERATURE BUT MANY WRITERS HAD A SENSE OF “THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE” A GREAT RELEASE OF CREATIVE ENERGY WAS OCCURING AS ACCOMPANIMENT TO POLITICAL & SOCIAL REVOLUTION. IT WAS SEEN AS AN AGE OF NEW BEGINNINGS & LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES.

POETIC THEORY & PRACTICE WILLIAM WORDSWORTH TRIED TO ARTICULATE THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW POETRY IN THE PREFACE TO LYRICAL BALLADS (1800, 1802).

CONCEPT OF POETRY, THE POET POETRY WAS SEEN AS THE “SPONTANEOUS OVERFLOW OF POWERFUL FEELINGS”; THE ESSENCE OF POETRY WAS THE MIND, EMOTIONS, & IMAGINATION OF THE POET (NOT THE OUTER WORLD). GREATLY CONTRASTED WITH THE REASON, BALANCE, AND LOGIC THAT CHARACTERIZED THE LITERATURE OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT.

POETRY & THE POET FIRST-PERSON LYRIC POEM BECAME THE MAJOR ROMANTIC LITERARY FORM, WITH “I” OFTEN REFERRING DIRECTLY TO THE POET. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF BECAME A MAJOR TOPIC OF ROMANTIC POETRY.

POETRY & THE POET POETS OFTEN SAW THEMSELVES AS PROPHETS IN A TIME OF CRISIS, REVISING THE PROMISE OF DIVINE REDEMPTION IN TERMS OF A “HEAVEN” ON EARTH.

POETIC SPONTANEITY, FREEDOM INITIAL ACT OF POETIC COMPOSITION MUST ARISE FROM IMPULSE FREE FROM THE RULES INHERITED FROM THE PAST RELY ON INSTINCT, INTUITION, & FEELING.

ROMANTICISM & NATURE ACCURATE OBSERVATION & DESCRIPTION OF WILD NATURE BECOMES EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NATURE SERVES AS A STIMULUS TO THINKING & TO THE RESOLUTION OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS & CRISES.

ROMANTICISM & NATURE LANDSCAPE WAS OFTEN GIVEN HUMAN QUALITIES OR SEEN AS A SYSTEM OF SYMBOLS REVEALING THE NATURE OF GOD. CLOSENESS WITH NATURE WAS SEEN AS BRINGING OUT HUMANITY’S INNATE GOODNESS.

GLORIFICATION OF THE COMMONPLACE HUMBLE, RUSTIC SUBJECT MATTER & PLAIN STYLE BECAME THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT & MEDIUM OF POETRY. POETS SOUGHT TO REFRESH READERS’ SENSE OF WONDER ABOUT THE ORDINARY THINGS OF EXISTENCE, TO MAKE THE “OLD” WORLD SEEM NEW.

THE SUPERNATURAL & STRANGE MANY ROMANTIC POEMS EXPLORE THE REALM OF MYSTERY & MAGIC INCORPORATE MATERIALS FROM FOLKLORE, SUPERSTITION OFTEN SET IN DISTANT OR FARAWAY PLACES.

THE SUPERNATURAL & STRANGE RENEWED INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE AGES (AND THE BALLAD FORM) AS A BEAUTIFUL, EXOTIC, MYSTERIOUS, BYGONE ERA. THERE WAS ALSO GREAT INTEREST IN UNUSUAL MODES OF EXPERIENCE VISIONARY STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS HYPNOTISM DREAMS DRUG-INDUCED STATES

INDIVIDUALISM & STRIVING HUMAN BEINGS WERE SEEN AS ESSENTIALLY NOBLE & GOOD. HUMANS BEINGS WERE CORRUPTED BY SOCIETY. HUMANS POSSESSED GREAT POWER & POTENTIAL THAT HAD FORMERLY BEEN ASCRIBED ONLY TO GOD.

INDIVIDUALISM THERE WAS A GREAT BELIEF IN DEMOCRATIC IDEALS CONCERN FOR HUMAN LIBERTY GREAT OUTCRY AGAINST VARIOUS FORMS OF TYRANNY.

INDIVIDUALISM THE HUMAN MIND WAS SEEN AS CREATING (AT LEAST IN PART) THE WORLD AROUND IT HUMAN MIND BELIEVED TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE INFINITE VIA THE FACULTY OF IMAGINATION.

INDIVIDUALISM REFUSING TO ACCEPT LIMITATIONS, HUMAN BEINGS SET INFINITE, INACCESSIBLE GOALS, THUS MAKING FAILURE & IMPERFECTION GLORIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

INDIVIDUALISM THIS REFUSAL TO ACCEPT LIMITATIONS FOUND EXPRESSION IN BOLD POETIC EXPERIMENTATION. MANY WRITERS DELIBERATELY ISOLATED THEMSELVES FROM SOCIETY TO FOCUS ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL VISION. THEME OF EXILE WAS COMMON WITH THE ROMANTIC NONCONFORMIST OFTEN SEEN AS A GREAT SINNER OR OUTLAW.