Topic 48 Romanticism in Great Britain: Poetry and the novel

English Romanticism novel writers

1. Sir Walter Scott

2. Jane Austen

3. Mary Shelly

4. The Brontë sisters: Charlotte and Emily

Forerunner (Pre-romantic)

William Blake

First Generation Romanticism poetry

1. William Wordsworth

2. Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Second Generation Romanticism poetry

1. Lord Byron

2. Percy Bysshe Shelley

3. John Keats

Sir Walter Scott works

1. Waverley 1814

2. The “Waverley” novels

3. Ivanhoe 1819

Jane Austen novels

1. Sense and sensibility 1811

2. Pride and prejudice 1813

3. Mansfield Park 1814

4. Emma 1815

5. Northanger Abbey 1817

6. Persuasion 1817

7. Sandition

Mary Shelley

• Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus 1818

Charlotte Brontë

• Jane Eyre 1847

Emily Brontë

• Wuthering Heights 1847

William Wordsworth

1. First poems 1793:

   • Descriptive Sketches

   • An Evening Walk

2. Lyrical Ballads 1798

3. The Prelude 1850

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

1. Important non-fiction works like: Biographia Literaria

2. The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner 1798

3. Kubla Khan 1816

Lord Byron

1. Hours of Idleness 1807

2. English Bards and Scotch Reviewers 1809

3. Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage 1812

4. Don Juan (unfinished work c. 1818)

Percy Bysshe Shelley

1. The Necessity of Atheism

2. Ozymandias 1818

3. Ode to the West Wind 1820

4. Adonais 1821

John Keats

1. Ode to a Nightingale

2. Ode to Autumn

3. La Belle Dame Sans Mercy

Year Waverley

1814 (Sir Walter Scott)

Year Ivanhoe

1819

Year Sense and sensibility

1811

Year Pride and Prejudice

1813

Year Mansfield Park

1814 (Jane Austen)

Year Emma

1815

Year Northanger Abbey & Persuasion

published poshumously in 1817

Year Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus

1818 (Mary Shelley)

Year Songs of Innocence

1789

Year Songs of Experience

1794

Year Lyrical Ballads

1798

Year The Prelude

1850

Year The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner

1798

Year Kubla Khan

1816

Year Hours of Idleness

1807

Year English Bards and Scotch Reviewers

1809

Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage

1812

Don Juan

Unfinished work c. 1818

Year Ozymandias

1818 (Percy Bysshe Shelley)

Year Ode to the wind

1820

Year Adonais

1821

Romanticism definition

It was an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It had a profound impact on English literature

Romanticism as a European movement

rose as a reaction against Classicism and Enlightenment.

First appearance Romanticism

• In France with the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau

• In Germany with the writer Goethe

Enlightenment (17th-19th C)

• Philosophical Rationalism

• Neoclassicism

• Idea of: science, materialism and progress

In Britain, Romanticism

pulled away from the philosophical rationalism and neoclassicism of the Enlightenment, reacting against the idea of science, materialism and progress. Instead, Romanticism focused on individual emotions, dreams, nature and creativity.

The Enlightenment’s emphasis on reason to understand the world

left little room for the freedom and creativity

First examples of romanticism in The Gothic novel

Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho

Ann Radcliffe

The Mysteries of Udolpho

Sir Walter Scott

He was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian; often regarded as the inventor and the greatest expert on the historical novel. Many of his works remain classics of both English and Scottish literature.

Waverley

A novel of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, it reinterpreted and presented manners of a vanished Scottish Highland society.

The “Waverley” novels

Scott followed up Waverley with a whole series of historical novels set in Scotland

After writing his Scottish historical novels, Scotts, driven by

• The state of his finances

• The public’s demand for historical fiction

decided to include themes from English history and elsewhere.

Ivanhoe (1819)

A novel set in the 12th century England.

In 1831, Scott’s health declined significantly and died in

1832

Jane Austen

She was an English novelist known primarily for her interpretations and critiques upon the British landed gentry in the 18th century.

Jane Austen’s novel defined

The era’s novel of manners and became timeless classics.

Is Jane Austen a Romantic author?

Although Jane Austen is not a Romantic author per se, many of her novels share characteristics with writers of the Romantic period, especially Coleridge

Austen’s most Romantic novel

Persuasion (1817)

Austen’s plots

often explore the dependence of women on marriage as a menas to achieve favourable social status and economic security.

Austen Quantity of novels

She wrote six full-length novels, four of which were published during her lifetime.

Austen’s works critique…

• The novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century, e.g. Richardson’s Pamela

• Are part of the transition to 19th century literary realism

Austen has inspired numerous critical essays and many films

• Sense and Sensibility (1995)

• Clueless (1995)

• Mansfield Park (1999)

• Pride & Prejudice (2005)

• Emma (2020)

Mary Shelley parents

• Writer William Godwin

• The feminist Mary Wollstonecraft

Whom did Mary Shelley marry?

When she was just sixteen years old, she eloped with Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Through Percy, Mary developed friendships with prominent Romantic writers, notably the poet ______

Lord Byron

Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus (1818)

Mary Shelley’s most known novel, it began as a ghost-story writing competititon proposed by Byron. She wrote it when she was only 18 years old.

Frankenstein (1818) belongs to

The Gothic Tradition

Frankenstein Romanticism trademarks

• The power and beauty of nature

• The depths of human emotion

• It criticises the dangers of:

  • Scientific progress

  • Human ambition

    (Traits of the Enlightenment rationalism)

Frankentein influence on popular culture

It has influenced popular culture for over a century, inspiring numerous:

• Films

• Television shows

• Videogames

The character of the monster remains one of the most recognised icons in horror film

The Brontë sisters

Charlotte, Emily and Anne were three influential 19th-century English novelists and poets. They published their works under male pseudonyms, all sharing the surname: Bell.

Jane Eyre (1847)

In this revolutionary novel, Charlotte, considered an early feminist, introduces a strong female protagonist named Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre (1847) explores…

Jane Eyre’s feelings and personal experiences through her quest for self-identity and independence

Jane is in constant rebellion for

liberty, fighting against social ambiences she is forced to fit into.

Jane Eyre’s Gothic elements

The mysterious atmosphere of Thornfield Hall (the setting)

Wuthering Heights (1847)

Of Gothic style, was controversial since its release. Despite the criticism, it became one of the most widely read English classics today.

Wuthering Heights (1847) is a work of

Black Romanticism, covering three generations.

Wuthering Heights romantic themes

• An emphasis on emotion, through the characters of Catherine and Heathcliff

• Sublime landscapes

• Strong focus on individualism

• Gothic elements like

  • Catherine as a ghost

English Romanticism Poetry

The primary features of Romantic poetry include:

• A preference for feelings over intellect

• An emphasis on freedom over dogmatism

A focus on:

• Imagination

• Emotions

• The individual

Similarly to the novel, it highlights nature

What marked the beginning of Romanticism in England?

The publication of Lyrical Ballads (1798)

Romanticism is characterised by

The supremacy of emotions over logical thought

The supremacy of ________ over logical thought

emotions

The supremacy of emotions over logical __________

thought

Preference for ________ over intelect

feelings

An emphasis on freedom over __________

dogmatism

An emphasis on _________ over dogmatism

freedom

William Blake

was a poet, painter, and printmarker, regarded as the forerunner of English Romanticism.

William Blake is recognised for

• His creativity

• Expressive style

• As well as for the mystical value underlying his works

Songs of Innocence (1789)

is a collection of 19 poems. Some are written from the children’s perspective, whilst others are about children seen from an adult perspective.

Songs of Experience (1794)

is a collection of 26 poems which constitutes the second part of Songs of Innocence, creating a cohesive whole. They should be read together.

Songs of Innocence portrays

The naïve hopes and fears of children, tracing their transformation as children grow into adulthood.

Songs of Innocence is mainly formed by

Monologues and dialogues

Songs of innocence captures

The ongoing struggle between innocence and the loss of it

The earliest Romantic poets also called the

Lake Poets

William Wordsworth

was an English poet who attended Cambridge university and became England’s poet laureate.

In 1797 Wordsworth

became friends with Coleridge with whom he worte Lyrical Ballads (1798).

Lyrical Ballads (1798)

They wanted to create a new kind of poetry which could be read and understood by everybody. Most of Wordsworth poems in this collection centred on the deeply human feelings of ordinary people, phrased in their own language.

Wordsworth wrote an autobiographical poem throughout his life called

The Prelude (1850)

In The Prelude (1850), Wordsworth offered insight into

• His philosophical views on:

  • Nature

  • Humanity

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

was an English poet, critic, philosopher and the youngest son of a clergyman. He attended Cambridge but he did not complete his studies.

What did Samuel T. Coleridge suffered?

A breakdown in health and became an opium addict.

Who did Coleridge moved in with?

A surgeon named Gillman

During the years Coleridge lived with Gillman, he wrote

Many of his important non-fiction works like Biographia Literaria

Which writer(s) studied in Cambridge?

• William Wordsworth

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Which writer(s) studied in Oxford?

• Percy Bysshe Shelley

What is Coleridge considered?

The poet of imagination, exploring the relationship between nature and the mind.