ROMANTICS
1798 – 1837
Romantic Revolution
Romantic Age Age of Poetry
Romantic Revolution
Romantic Age Age of Poetry
begins with the French Revolution
(Storming of the Bastille – 1789)
Romantic Revolution
Romantic Age Age of Poetry
In its first phase
nearly all Romantic poets were in favour of it
Romantic Revolution
Romantic Age Age of Poetry
William Blake – William Wordsworth –
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
were enthusiastic supporters.
Romantic Revolution
Romantic Age Age of Poetry
The bloody excesses of the “Reign of Terror” + imperialist tendencies of Napoleon cooled down
their enthusiasm, but the belief in the values expressed by the French Revolution remained.
REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT
REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT
Sense that a new era had begun:
REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT
Sense that a new era had begun: Connection between Poetry &
Revolution
REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT
Sense that a new era had begun: Connection between Poetry &
Revolution Democratic poems on simple people
using simple language
(no poetic diction)
Revolutionary Spirit
It took various forms:•
Revolutionary Spirit
It took various forms:
• Political social revolution in America & France
Revolutionary SpiritIt took various forms:
•
• Ideological revolution against all forms of authority neglecting
human dignity & free choice
Criticism of the social results of the Industrial Revolution
Revolutionary SpiritIt took various forms:
•
• Revolt against traditional Churches
Revolutionary SpiritIt took various forms:
•
• Revolt against classical restraints (liberation of the
subconscious)
Revolutionary SpiritIt took various forms:
•
• Artistic revolution against neo-classical rules free expression of personal feelings
Neo-classical vs. Romantic
Static vision Dynamic vision
Neo-classical vs. Romantic
Static vision Conservatism
Dynamic vision Revolution
Neo-classical vs. Romantic
Static vision Conservatism Uniformity
Dynamic vision Revolution Diversity
Neo-classical vs. Romantic
Static vision Conservatism Uniformity Rationality
Dynamic vision Revolution Diversity Feeling
Neo-classical vs. Romantic
Static vision Conservatism Uniformity Rationality
Dynamic vision Revolution Diversity Sentiment
God is in Nature – not above Nature Pantheistic view
Augustan vs Romantic writers:
Augustan vs Romantic writers:
Stressed man’s rational side (reason)
Emphasized imagination & emotion (heart)
Augustan vs Romantic writers:
Were concerned with the general / universal in experience
(objectivity)
Were concerned with the subjective and particular
(subjectivity)
Augustan vs Romantic writers:
Asserted the values of society
(Conservatism
- static vision)
Championed the value of the individual
Strove for freedom (Revolutionarism
- dynamic vision)
Augustan vs Romantic writers:
Took inspiration from classical Greek/Romans
Took interest in medieval subjects + contemporary issues
Augustan vs Romantic writers:
Used artificial language (poetic diction)
Used ordinary language
Reason vs. Heart
Reason vs. Heart
Supremacy of reason Rationalism
/Enlightenment
Emotions Sensibility
Reason vs. Heart
Supremacy of reason Rationalism
/Enlightenment Balance with nature Suppression of
feelings – self-control
Emotions Sensibility Introspection –
“Spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”
Reason vs. Heart
Supremacy of reason Rationalism
/Enlightenment Balance with nature Suppression of
feelings – self-control Belief in Knowledge &
Progress Objectivity - Realism
Emotions Sensibility Introspection Growing interest in
humble & everyday life Escape - Countryside vs.
City Subjectivity - Imagination
Romanticism
Emphasis on Feelings versus Intellect
Romanticism
Feelings versus IntellectFeelings such as loneliness & melancholy
capable of stirring man’s best emotions
German Origins
Sturm und Drang (Goethe – Schiller)
German Origins
Sturm und Drang (Goethe – Schiller)
Open revolt against Classicism
Two Generations of Romantics
1st Generation
2nd Generation
Two Generations of Romantics
1st Generation
William Blake
2nd Generation
Two Generations of Romantics
1st Generation
William Blake William Wordsworth
2nd Generation
Two Generations of Romantics
1st Generation
William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor
Coleridge
2nd Generation
Two Generations of Romantics
1st Generation
William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor
Coleridge
2nd Generation
George Gordon Byron
Two Generations of Romantics
1st Generation
William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor
Coleridge
2nd Generation
George Gordon Byron Percy Bysshe Shelley
Two Generations of Romantics
1st Generation
William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor
Coleridge
2nd Generation
George Gordon Byron Percy Bysshe Shelley John Keats
Poetic Form
Poetry to express personal feelings Introspection
Poetic Form
Poetry to express personal feelings Introspection
Romantics discovered reality/truth to be subjective
Poetic Form
Poetry to express personal feelings Introspection
Romantics discovered reality/truth to be subjective
1st-person lyric (formerly reguarded as a minor genre)
Poetic Form
Poetry to express personal feelings Introspection
Romantics discovered reality/truth to be subjective
1st-person lyric (formerly reguarded as a minor genre)
Individualism in the I-form
Romantics failed in social / political / economic life
They felt isolated from the rest of society and chose:
Romantics failed in social / political / economic life
They felt isolated from the rest of society and chose:
RETIREMENT in nature
(Wordsworth – Coleridge “The
Lake Poets”)
Romantics failed in social / political / economic life
They felt isolated from the rest of society and chose:
RETIREMENT in nature
(Wordsworth – Coleridge “The Lake Poets”)
EXILE
Byron was banished because
of sexual scandals; Shelley for atheism
& socialism
Romantics failed in social / political / economic life
They felt isolated from the rest of society and chose:
RETIREMENT in nature
(Wordsworth – Coleridge “The Lake Poets”)
EXILE
Byron was banished because of sexual scandals; Shelley
for atheism & socialism
REVOLT
against the establishment
(Blake suffered
imprisonment)
Romantics looked for escape
Romantics looked for escape
in Nature
Romantics looked for escape
in Nature in exotic lands
Romantics looked for escape
in Nature in exotic lands
In history & folklore (Middle Ages – Scotland)
Romantics looked for escape
in Nature in exotic lands
In history & folklore (Middle Ages – Scotland)Beyond reality (supernatural – magic –
hallucinated states of mind induced by drugs)
Romantic myths
Desire to reach for the infinitive
Romantic myths
Desire to reach for the infinitive To exceed human limits
Romantic myths
Desire to reach for the infinitive To exceed human limits The Myth of the Outlaw:
Satan, Cain, Prometheus, Faustus, Napoleon as a tyrant
Poet as a Prophet
Poet as a Prophet
Romantic poets felt they were striving for something unattainable
Poet as a Prophet
Romantic poets felt they were striving for something unattainable
They knew they were destined to fail
Poet as a Prophet
Romantic poets felt they were striving for something unattainable
They were destined to fail Their task was to talk to other men
about what they could see
Poet as a Prophet
Romantic poets felt they were striving for something unattainable
They were destined to fail Their task was to talk to other men about
what they could see To awaken the common man from
his death-like existence
Poet as a Prophet
Romantic poets felt they were striving for something unattainable
They were destined to fail Their task was to talk to other men about what they
could see To awaken the common man from his death-like
existence To help realize the potential of human
mind through the healing qualities of Nature
Role of Imaginationas opposed to fantasy/fancy
Connected to the universe
Role of Imaginationas opposed to fantasy/fancy
Connected to the universe Central point of the creating process
Role of Imaginationas opposed to fantasy/fancy
Connected to the universe Central point of the creating process Interaction between physical world &
human mind
Role of Imaginationas opposed to fantasy/fancy
Connected to the universe Central point of the creating process Interaction between physical world &
human mind Human/divine – mortality/eternity
Role of Imaginationas opposed to fantasy/fancy
Connected to the universe Central point of the creating process Interaction between physical world &
human mind Human/divine – mortality/eternity Emotions felt Poetry written
“Whole Nature is Imagination”
William Blake
Man should learn to see:“A World in a Grain of Sand,
a Heaven in a Wild FlowerHold Infinity in the palm of his hand
Eternity in an Hour”
William Blake
Romantic Themes:
Romantic Themes:
Love for Nature
Romantic Themes:
Love for Nature
Feeling higher than
reason
Romantic Themes:
Love for Nature
Feeling higher than
reason
Glorification of
commonplace
Romantic Themes:
Love for Nature
Feeling higher than
reason
Glorification of
commonplace
Interest in the supernatural /
magic
Romantic Themes:
Love for Nature
Feeling higher than
reason
Glorification of
commonplace
Interest in the supernatural /
magic
“Dark”
satanic hero
Concept of NATURE
NATURE
Not simply a description of physical nature
NATURE
Not simply a description of physical nature
Nature is endowed with life, passion
NATURE
Not simply a description of physical nature
Nature is endowed with life, passion Nature is talked of as if God were a
dearest friend
NATURE
Not simply a description of physical nature
Nature is endowed with life, passion Nature is talked of as if God were a
dearest friend Romantic description of places
thoughts about man & universe
Love for the countryside
The desolate, ruins, graveyards, ancient castles, abbeys
NATURE as opposed to industrial towns
Love for the countryside
The desolate, ruins, graveyards, ancient castles, abbeys
NATURE as opposed to industrial towns
Ideal place for meditation
MELANCHOLY associated with MEDITATION on the suffering of the POOR and DEATH
COMMONPLACE
COMMONPLACE
Simple scenes to reveal the “ordinary” in its splendour
COMMONPLACE
Simple scenes to reveal the “ordinary” in its splendour
To make us see familiar things as they are
COMMONPLACE
Simple scenes to reveal the “ordinary” in its splendour
To make us see familiar things as they are
To see with the eyes of a child
COMMONPLACE
Simple scenes to reveal the “ordinary” in its splendour
To make us see familiar things as they are
To see with the eyes of a child Use of simple language
New aesthetic theory
New aesthetic theory
Nature is perceived as a real living being
New aesthetic theory
Nature is perceived as a real living being Value of sensibility
New aesthetic theory
Nature is perceived as a real living being Value of sensibility Variety of individual RESPONSES to
SENSATIONS
New aesthetic theory
Nature is perceived as a real living being Value of sensibility Variety of individual RESPONSES to
SENSATIONS Individual consciousness
SUBJECTIVITY (David Hume: Subjective Beauty – Edmund Burke: Supremacy of the SUBLIME over the BEAUTIFUL
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEEdmund Burke
What is beauty?
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
What is sublime?
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
Flowerbeds are beautiful…
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
Daylight is beautiful …
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
Daylight is beautiful because it can be contemplated
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
The eruption of a volcano is sublime
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm is sublime
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm at sea is sublime An abyss is sublime
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
The eruption of a volcano is sublime A storm at sea is sublime An abyss is sublime The obscurity of the night is sublime
because…
CONCEPT of the SUBLIMEE. Burke
the sublime arouses emotions such as: Uncertainty Anxiety Anguish Astonishment Admiration, reverence, respect
BURKE’s conclusion is that…
BURKE’s conclusion is that…
the great and the sublime are more effective than beauty in art because they arouse:
BURKE’s conclusion is that…
the great and the sublime are more effective than beauty in art because they arouse:
HORROR & FEAR ….by suspending man’s faculty of reason
SUPERNATURAL - MAGIC
SUPERNATURAL - MAGIC
Universe could reveal itself to man in apparent (nature) or invisible (supernatural)
SUPERNATURAL - MAGIC
Universe could reveal itself to man in apparent (nature) or invisible (supernatural)
Dreams – nightmares – visions – the occult were cultivated by the Romantics
SUPERNATURAL - MAGIC
Universe could reveal itself to man in apparent (nature) or invisible (supernatural)
Dreams – nightmares – visions – the occult were cultivated by the Romantics
Coleridge explored distorted states of consciousness brought on by drugs such as opium (Kubla Khan)
SATANIC HERO
Fascination for the negative / the forbidden
Glorious failure haunted by remorse (Faustus)
Solitary heroes / exiles as if they had committed crimes (Byron)
Thank you for your attention.