british lit enlightenment & romantic period

exam 1

Beautiful versus Sublime

Contrasting sources of aesthetic pleasure: Beautiful things are well ordered, harmonious, and directly connected with pleasure; sublime things are chaotic, overwhelming, and connected with pain.
Beautiful: Pretty, calm, and makes you feel good.

Sublime: Huge, scary, or intense — it shocks you or gives you chills, but in a powerful way.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter

• Poetry that doesn’t rhyme but still has a steady beat (like da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM).

So it’s rhythm without rhyme.

Byronic Hero

Especially associated with Byron, the Byronic hero is often an isolated aristocrat characterized by a brooding sense of melancholy. He has an absolute sense of moral autonomy

• A moody, mysterious guy who often feels sad or alone and does whatever he wants, even if others don’t agree.

Think: a dark, dramatic, “I make my own rules” type of character.

👁William Blake:

Vibe: mystical, childlike but deep, simple words with big symbolism.
He wrote in pairs: Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience (same event, different moods).

• Holy Thursday (Innocence) → bright, hopeful view of children.
  
  

• Holy Thursday (Experience) → darker, sad view of poor kids + corruption.
  
  

• The Chimney Sweeper (Innocence) → child working, dreams of freedom, religious hope.
  
  

• The Garden of Love → love blocked by the Church.
  
  

• London → city full of suffering, oppression, “marks of weakness.”
  
  

 Tip: If it’s short, singsongy, about kids, religion, or vision, it’s Blake.

Holy Thursday (Innocence) pg 132:

Holy Thursday (Experience) pg 137:

The Chimney Sweeper (Innocence) pg 131:

The Garden of Love pg 141:

London pg 141:

🌿 William Wordsworth: 

Vibe: calm, reflective, loves nature, believes nature = teacher.

• Expostulation and Reply / The Tables Turned → nature teaches better than books.
  
  

• Tintern Abbey → deep reflection on memory, nature, and personal growth.
  
  

• It’s a Beauteous Evening → quiet moment by the sea, spiritual peace.
  
  

Tip: If it feels peaceful, personal, and full of nature wisdom, it’s Wordsworth.

The Expostulation and Reply pg 296:

The Tables Turned pg 297:
Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey pg 299:

Tintern and Abbey: 

It’s a Beauteous Evening pg 356:

🎵Samuel Taylor Coeridge:

Vibe: dreamy, musical, supernatural, philosophical.

• The Eolian Harp → nature, sound, imagination, and divine unity.
  
  

• Kubla Khan → dream poem, exotic images, unfinished feel.
  
  

Tip: If it’s flowy, dreamy, mystical, or mentions music/wind/dreams, it’s Coleridge

The Eolian Harp pg 444:

Kubla Khan pg 464:

😈Lord Byron:

Vibe: rebellious, dramatic, dark, proud.

• Manfred → lonely hero haunted by guilt, defies heaven and hell.
  Byronic hero = moody, proud, isolated, “I make my own rules.”
  
  

Tip: If it reads like a dark play or speech, with a sad, powerful loner, it’s Byron.

Manfred pg 634-68:

🌬Percy Shelley:

Vibe: passionate, political, wind/fire imagery, revolution.

• To Wordsworth → sad tribute, says Wordsworth betrayed youthful ideals.
  
  

• Ode to the West Wind → wind = power of change and inspiration.
  
  

Tip: If it feels urgent, windy, fiery, revolutionary, it’s Shelley.

Ode to the West Wind pg 806:

John Keats:

Vibe: beauty, death, love, senses, imagination.

• When I have Fears... → afraid of dying before writing or loving enough.
  
  

• The Eve of St. Agnes → romantic, dreamy, medieval imagery.
  
  

• La Belle Dame sans Merci → knight + fairy woman, love and death, haunting.
  
  

Tip: If it’s romantic, lush, emotional, about beauty + death, it’s Keats.

The Eve of St. Agnes pg 961-71: