1. END 18 TH CENTURY AND1 ST HALF 19 TH CENTURY (GOES ON NEXT TO VICTORIANS IN 2 ND HALF) PUBLICATION LYRICAL BALLADS 1798 BY WORDSWORTH AND COLERIDGE ROMANTICISM

2. Characteristics of Romanticism: Nature : poetic theme man & nature Return to the past (older mediaeval and renaissance poetry) Deepening interest for primitive & uneducated mankind and children Naturalness : return of emotion & imagination to poetry (more natural and simple language) Passion of love : for mankind and nature and passionate love between the sexes, strong emotions instead of reason (Rationalism/Enlightenment)

3. Content In each stanza a different aspect of the season is described. What are these aspects ? In each stanza the aspect can be subdivided in 3. Try to find them (look for words in the text) *This structure creates a 3-part-symmetry *The personification of Autumn is 3 times different

4. To Autumn (1820) Form: The poem consists of 3 stanzas of 11 lines each ABAB CDED CC E ABAB CDEC DD E Iambic Pentameter ( 5 feet, 10 syllables) to swell the gourd, and plump the ha-zel shells x / x / x / x / x /

5. Explanation 1st stanza : fruitfulness 2 nd stanza : labour 3 rd stanza : ultimate decline

6. Fruitfulnes 1 early autumn (maturing sun, swell, plump, ripeness) 2 day turning from morning (mists) 3 Sense ( warm days, buds still opening in warm weather, motion : swelling, plumping, bending Labour 1 mid-autumn (exhausted labourer) 2 mid-afternoon (drowsed, sound asleep, sitting, watching ) 3 Sight (watch last oozings, patient look ) Ultimate decline 1 heralding of winter ( swallows migrating, full-grown lambs, gourds, grapes etc will be harvested for winter 2 Dusk (chirping crickets, soft-dying day, rosy hue 3 Sound ( gnats wail, redbreast = common sound of winter

7. Personification of Autumn *One who conspires ( with the sun), who ripens fruit *One who harvests * One who makes music