The Romantics The Raft of the Medusa 1819 Oil on canvas 491 x 716 cm Musee du Louvre, Paris

Historical Background 1780-1830 The French Revolution-the lower-class rebelled to try to create a democratic government as opposed to a dictatorship

Impact of the French Revolution British writers and artists were moved (to say the least) by the cry of the French for “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”

Characteristics of Romanticism Literature focuses on the individual Considered optimists Believe in the possibility of progress & social & human reform Attack all forms of tyranny, evils of industrialism such as urban blight, a polluted environment, and the alienation of people from nature & one another See humanity as naturally good, but tainted by society and institutions of religion, education, & gov’t.

England’s Impact on Romanticism The Industrial Revolution took place from 1750-1850 Eng. Went from an agricultural to an industrial society Rev. helped make Eng. Prosperous and powerful Workers were exploited and working conditions were horrible

Industrial Revolution’s Impact Towns turned into cities Villagers forced to seek work in factories Wages were meager & hours/days were long Children suffered greatly

England Awakens English society realized its obligations to the poor, miserable, & helpless Reformers church and gov’t assumed responsibilities Sunday schools were organized Hospitals were built Regulations were put in place for child labor Even prisons were being reformed

Romanticism Rises England’s Romanticism movement affected all countries of Western Europe Romanticism comes in many shapes and sizes What made one person a Romanticist did not necessarily mean the same for others

Romanticism-In Brief Romanticism can best be summarized by stating that it represented an attempt to rediscover the mystery & wonder of the world. It was an attempt to go beyond ordinary reality into the deeper, less obvious, and more elusive levels of individual human existence.

Romantic Poets Nature was principal source of inspiration, spiritual truth, & enlightenment Focused on the ordinary person & common life in order to affirm the worth & dignity of all humans, and to repudiate the evils of a class system that artificially designated a few select people as more important than others b/c of wealth, position, or name

The Poets Robert Burns 1759-1796 William Blake 1757-1827 William Wordsworth 1770-1850 Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834 George Gordon, Lord Byron1788-1824 Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792-1822 John Keats 1795-1821

Romantic Writers Thomas De Quincey 1785- 1859 Confessions of an English Opium Eater; On the Knocking at the Gate in “Macbeth” Mary Shelley 1797-1851 Frankenstein