1. Defining Romanticism Notes

2. Romanticism “Began” with the publication of Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge Wordsworth defined features of romanticism in his preface to the Lyrical Ballads Dominated by Wordsworth, Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats

3. What Does “Romantic” Mean? The term “romantic” signifies: A fascination with youth and innocence A questioning of authority and tradition in order to imagine better ways to live; idealism A demanded people acquire an awareness of change and find ways to adapt to it.

4. Neoclassicism: 1660-1798 Stressed reason & common sense Wrote about objective issues that concerned society as a whole Respected human institutions of church & state Exercised controlled wit & urbanity Maintained traditional standards & believed in order Romanticism: 1789-1832 Stressed emotion & imagination Wrote about subjective experiences of the individual Exalted nature in all its creative & destructive forces Celebrated intense passion & vision Believed in experimentation & spontaneity of thought Introduced supernatural & the exotic (esp. Coleridge)