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1) The American Revolution (1775 – 1783)
2) The French Revolution (1789 – 1799)
3) The Napoleonic War (1796 – 1815)
Name:-Nirali
dungrani
SEM:-02
Roll no:-24
Year:-2017-2019
Enrollment
no:-2069108420180012
Paper:-5(Romantic literature)
Assignment
topic:-Poets and Poetry of the Romantic Age
Email
id:-dungraninirali@gmail.com
Submitted:-S.B.Gardi
Department of English
Introduction:-
Ø The period which extends from 1798 to 1837 is known as “Romantic
Age”. The term “romantic” was used in England for the first time in the 16th century to
indicate the unreal and fanciful elements.
Ø During the 18th century it was used
with a negative connotation to indicate something in contrast with reason but linked with emotions.
Ø It was used for the first time with a
positive connotation in Germany.
Ø The Romantic Age is marked by three important historical events:
1) The American Revolution (1775 – 1783)
2) The French Revolution (1789 – 1799)
3) The Napoleonic War (1796 – 1815)
Ø The Romantic era or the Romantic
period was an artistic, literary, musical, cultural and intellectual
movement originating in Europe, toward the end of the 18th century.
Ø The Romantic Movement in Britain
started in 1798 when LYRICAL BALLADS by Wordsworth and Coleridge appeared.
Ø The most important character in
Romantic age is Landscape both art and poetry.
Ø Romanticism laid emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of the past and of nature.
Ø The movement was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and the scientific
rationalization of nature.
Ø Romantic age covers the first half of
the 19th century.
Ø Characteristics of the Age:-
1)
Individualism
2) Return to
nature
3)
Imagination
4) Elements
of supernatural power
5) Age of
symbolism and Myth
Romantic Poets
Ø Romantic
poets are also called the early nineteenth- century poets. These poets revolted
against the poetic tradition of the eighteenth century. They turned to the
nature.
Ø They disliked the set rules and orders of the
neo-classical poets. Instead, they gave too much focus on emotion, imagination,
originality and freedom in their poetry. Simple and commonly used natural
language was chosen for their poetry.
Ø The
publication of the first edition of the Lyrical Ballad marks the beginning of
the romantic period in English literature. It was combined work produced
together by Wordsworth and Coleridge.
Ø Poetry
was defined in a new light in this work. Much emphasis was given on simple
language, imagination, originality and poetic freedom.
Ø Nature
was thought to be a proper subject matter for poetry. It was a work of great
change and experimentation in terms of poetry.
Ø Its
publication gave a shock to the traditional poets and critics of the eighteenth
century. They considered the language too simple.
A list of the major Romantic Poets:-
ü William
Blake
ü William Wordsworth
ü Samuel T. Coleridge
ü Lord Byron
ü Percy Shelley
ü John
Keats
Ø Their
poetry was dependent on various features peculiar to their time:-
Ø a reaction against previous literary styles,
arguments with eighteenth century and earlier philosophers, the decline in
formal Anglican worship and the rise of dissenting religious sects, and the
rapid and unprecedented industrialization of Britain and consequent changes in
its countryside.
William Blake
William Blake
remained largely unknown during his
lifetime but rose to prominence after his death and is now considered a highly influential figure in the history
of poetry and one of the greatest British artists. Blake’s most renowned
work in poetry is Songs of Innocence
and of Experience, considered one of the leading poetic works of the
Romantic era. The collection often contains poems with similar themes, and at
times the same title, to contrast the innocent
world of childhood in Songs of Innocence with the corruption and repression of the adult world in Songs of
Experience. Blake claimed to experience visions throughout his life. He revered
the Bible but was hostile to the Church of England and organized religion in
general. His poetry and art often created mythical worlds full of gods and
powers, and sharply criticized industrial society and the oppression of the
individual. Blake is considered a key
figure in Romanticism for his emphasis on subjective vision and the power of
the imagination. He is also highly regarded for his expressiveness and
creativity as well as for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents in his work.
In 2002, William Blake was placed 38
in BBC’s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.
Famous
Poems:-
- The Tyger (1794)
- London (1794)
- And did those feet in ancient time (1808)
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was born in 1770 and was an influential
poet during his later years and among the poets responsible for the beginning
of the Romantic era.
Wordsworth, along with Coleridge, launched the
Romantic Age in English literature with the publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798.
From 1799 to 1808, he lived at the Dove
Cottage in the village of Grasmere
in the Lake District of
England. Here he became friends with another prominent poet, Robert Southey. Wordsworth, Coleridge
and Southey were the three main figures of the group known as Lake Poets, as they all lived in the
Lake District. The years 1797 to 1808
are now recognized as the best years of Wordsworth and are known as his Great Decade. After struggling
initially, Wordsworth became one of the most renowned poets in his later years
and was appointed Poet Laureate of
Britain in 1843. The Prelude, an autobiographical
epic, is widely regarded by critics as his greatest work though his most
popular poem is perhaps I
Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, commonly known as Daffodils. William Wordsworth is considered a pioneer of Romanticism and one of the greatest poets in English
literature.
Famous Poems:-
- Daffodils (1807)
- Tintern Abbey (1798)
- The Prelude (1850)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Along with
William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge is credited with founding the
Romanticism movement in England.
In 1797, the two friends broke the decorum of neoclassical verse with daring
original poetic works which laid emphasis on emotion and glorification of
nature. The following year their collection of poetry Lyrical Ballads was published. Though the immediate reaction to
Lyrical Ballads was modest, it is now considered a landmark work which changed the course of English literature and
poetry by launching the
influential Romantic Movement. Coleridge is one of the most important
figures in English poetry who deeply
influenced the major poets of his era including Wordsworth. Among other
things, he is credited with utilizing
everyday language to express profound poetic images and ideas.
Famous
Poems:-
- Kubla Khan (1816)
- Christabel (1816)
- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798)
Lord Byron
George Gordon
Byron, 6th Baron Byron,
commonly known as just Lord Byron, was one of the leading figures of the
Romantic Movement in early 19th century England. Byron first achieved fame with
the publication of the first two cantos of his narrative poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage in 1812 and his reputation further
enhanced with his four highly successful poems referred to as the “Oriental Tales”. Lord Byron is often
described as the most flamboyant and notorious of the major Romantics due to
his indulgent life and numerous love affairs. Many of his poems are
autobiographic in nature and much of his work is pervaded by the Byronic hero, an idealised but flawed character
capable of great passion and talent but rebellious, arrogant and
self-destructive. Lord Byron is considered the leading second generation
Romantic poet and he continues to be influential and widely read.
Famous Poems:-
- Don Juan (1824)
- She Walks in Beauty (1813)
- Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1818)
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the leading “second generation” Romantic poets
and he created some of the best known works of the movement. He was a
controversial writer whose poems are marked by uncompromising idealism and great personal conviction. Though he produced works throughout
his life, most publishers and journals declined to publish them for fear of
being arrested for either blasphemy or sedition. As a result Shelley couldn’t
gather a mainstream following during his lifetime. However, his popularity grew
steadily following his death and ultimately he achieved worldwide fame and acclaim. Apart from being an idol
for later generation of poets, Percy Bysshe Shelley also exerted influence on
such prominent figures as the German
philosopher Karl Marx and the Indian
freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi. He is considered one of the greatest poets in the English language.
Famous Works:-
- Ozymandias (1818)
- Ode to the West Wind (1820)
- Prometheus Unbound (1820)
John Keats
Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe
Shelley, John Keats was one of the most prominent figures of the second
generation of English Romantic poets. Keats died due to tuberculosis in 1821 at
the age of only 25. His work
was in publication for only four years
and it was not generally well received
by critics during his lifetime. However, his reputation grew after his
death and by the end of the 19th century, he became one of the most beloved of all English poets. The most famous
and acclaimed poems of Keats are a series of six odes known as the Odes of 1819. The most highly
regarded among these is To Autumn,
which has been called one of the most
perfect short poems in the English language. Through his 1819 odes,
Keats created a new type of short lyrical poem, which influenced later
generations.
Famous Poems:-
- To Autumn (1820)
- Ode on a Grecian Urn (1820)
- When I have Fears (1848)
Conclusion:-
We can see that whole Romantic Era was a time
of poetry and poets. Love for nature is
another important feature of romantic poetry, as a source of inspiration. This
poetry involves a relationship with external nature and places, and a belief in
pantheism. However, the romantic poets differed in their views about nature.also we see that most of poetrys are
publish during this era.
