1. The British Romantic Period
For a short while in Britain between the Neoclassical, politically-focused Restoration Period and the ultra proper and conservative Victorian Age lay the Romantic Period. This age in British Literature was a time of nature-inspired poetry, political questioning, and individualism.
Before you can gain a clear understanding of the power of the poetry, however, you need to know what set it and its writers apart from any other literary age.

2. WHEN?
Dating the Romantic Period in British Literature is easy. Scholars attribute its onset to a poet named William Wordsworth who co-published a new kind of poetry with his friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Their work entitled Lyrical Ballads, a shared collection of several of their lyrical poems, was published in Prior to the onset of this period, Augustan or Neoclassical poetry was prevalent in Britain, which primarily focused on political, social, and satirical subject matter.

3. Its roots?
A German literary movement called Sturm and Drang had already popularized the concept of a suffering main character or poetic “voice’’- one who was a martyr, a rebel, an iconoclast going against the assumptions and expectations of a society. The Romantic movement in British literary history shares this ideal; we may call it the first of a few characteristics we will name - Romantic literature questions authority and values individuals who question authority. Anything that infringes on personal liberty is suspect in this tradition.

4. Byronic Hero “What’ve you got?”
“Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against?’’
“What’ve you got?”
Movies such as Marlon Brando’s The Wild One have popularized the ideal of an irresistible bad boy, glamorous in his fatal passion, rivaling society with a hell-bent glare.
This bad boy stereotype first entered our English culture in the Romantic poetry of Lord Byron. These ill-fated but beautifully emotional characters are called “Byronic Heroes.”
Marlon Brando in The Wild One

5. NATURE
The poets who chose the Romantic style at this time investigated many topics. They wrote of time, love, death, art, and religion to name a few. However, one topic in particular was a favorite among the Romantics: nature. As long as there have been poets, there have been poems about nature, but these nature poems were somehow different from the ones that had come before. These poems were not quaint, predictable, over-simplified glorifications of nature on a purely observational level. These poems were designed to communicate nature’s transcendent power. Nature is portrayed as omnipresent and capable of altering human perception and perspective. The settings of these poems, therefore, are picturesque and exotic.

6. ORDINARY = EXTRAORDINARY
The personal experiences documented in the Romantic literature of this time are epiphanies that alter the life of the speaker. However, the catalysts for such events may have been ordinary, mundane, or less than remarkable. This ability to describe ordinary events as extraordinary is a characteristic of Romantic literature.

7. EMOTIONS
RULE
Because the Romantic poetry valued individual experience, the Rationalism or Neoclassicism previously admired was replaced by a trust in one’s emotions. The literature in England prior to this movement was witty, intellectual, and social. Romanticism rejected the social “us” and embraces the “me.” Intuitions, feelings, and emotions ruled. Man’s heart was a more valued guide than his head. So, another characteristic of Romantic poetry is this enlightenment by emotion.

8. Simple Language
The Romantics searched for personal experiences and strove to communicate their power in meaningful ways. To achieve this, the Romantic writers employed simple and direct language. This was another way to reject the Neoclassical movement that hoped to emulate the ancient writers in lofty styles and elevated language. Think of it this way… our most personal, private conversations do not need complex language to impress or ring true. This simple language is another Romantic characteristic.

9. THE SUPERNATURAL Supernatural Natural
Perhaps, for the Romantics, nature was so powerful that it could not be contained. Nature takes on a mysterious, sometimes even scary quality in Romantic literature. Supernatural elements play a large part in these works.
THE SUPERNATURAL
Supernatural
Natural

10. The Romantic Period of British literature flourished for a short time, but its influence was felt in America and globally. By 1832, Victorianism was the new kid in town.
British Romantic poetry most frequently took the form of lyric poetry. This genre employed rhythm, repetition, and sometimes rhyme to give the poem a lyrical or musical effect. Sometimes the speaker was a narrator of sorts, or in other instances, the speaker is the voice of the poet.
A study of the most popular and important Romantic poets would include: Lord Byron, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats.
Although poetry was the most popular Romantic genre, Romantic novels were also written. A popular novel by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, is also representative of the period and will be our next major literary work.