English Literature in the Romantic Period ( Student Example)

Introduction

English Romanticism begins in 1798 with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridge’s The Lyrical Ballads and ends in 1832 with Walter Scott’s death. William Blake and Robert Burns also belong to this literary genre, though they live prior to the Romantic period.

Historical Background

1.Politically: the French Revolution
. “Declaration of Rights of Man” (1791-2)

. Thomas Paine. “Inquiry concerning Political Justice” (1793)

. William Godwin. “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”(1792), Mary Wollstonecraft .

. Workers Movement

2. Economically: the Industrial Revolution

. Continued fast changes took place both in the country and in the cities;

. Many farmhands driven out of land rushed into the city;

. Women and children were employed as cheaplabor;

. New machines were set up, rendering many outof work;

. Disparity was growing between the rich and the poor;

3. ldeologlcally

The principle of Ration was giving way to an individualized, free, liberal, imaginative attitude towards life; a tendency to turn or escape from the tumultuous and confusing society.

Characteristics of Romanticism

·Love of Nature: The Romantics greatly emphasized on the importance of nature, and one of the main characteristics of Romanticism in poetry is the beauty of nature found in the country life. This was mainly because the industrial revolution had taken man from the peaceful country life towards the city life, transforming man’s natural order. Nature was not only appreciated for its physical beauty by the Romantics, but also for its ability to help the urban man find his true identity.

. Emotions vs. Rationality: Unlike the Neoclassical age which focused on rationality and intellect, Romanticism placed human emotions, feelings, instinct and intuition above everything else. While the poets in the former era adhered to the rules and regulations while selecting a subject and writing about it, the Romantic writers trusted their emotions and feelings to create poetry.

Some of the representatives

1.William Wordsworth(1770-1850), A forerunner of English romantic literature

Major Literary Works

. Descriptive Sketches, an Evening Walk (1793):his first volume written in the 1 8th century feeling for natural description

. Lyrical Ballads (1798): the manifesto of English Romanticism

. The Prelude (1 805): posthumously in 1850; his greatest work

. Poems in Two Volumes (1 807): contains “Ode:Intimations of Immortality”, the autobiographical narrative “Resolution and Independence”

. The Excursion (1814)

2.Byron

Major Literary Works

. English Bards and Scotch Reviewers (1809)

. Oriental Tales :The Giaour(1813) The Corsair(1814) Lara(1814)

. Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage(1812-1818). Don Juan(1818-1819)

. Poetic Drama: Manfred(1817) Cain(1821)The Two Foscari (1821)

Additional resources:

【William Wordsworth | Poetry Foundation】https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-wordsworth

https://m.imdb.cn/name/nm0126406/personal-details