Lesson 10: Romantic period - Blake, Wordsworth, Keats

Which major events shaped Romanticism?

• American Revolution (1776)

• French Revolution (1789)

• Industrial Revolution

• Reform Act (1832)

What were the effects of the Industrial Revolution on society?

• Urbanisation

• Poverty and class division

• Loss of connection to nature

What political tensions influenced Romantic writers?

• Initial support for revolution → later fear

• Government repression (censorship, trials)

• Events like the Peterloo Massacre

What role does nature play in Romanticism?

• Source of inspiration

• Moral guide

• Healing force

What is the “sublime”?

A mix of beauty and terror that produces awe and emotional intensity.

What is meant by Romantic individualism?

Focus on the inner life, subjectivity, and unique creative identity.

What is the Romantic idea of imagination?

A creative force that shapes reality rather than simply reflecting it.

What does “glorification of the ordinary” mean?

Ordinary people and everyday life become worthy poetic subjects.

Who was William Blake?

A poet, engraver, and painter (1757–1827) known for visionary, symbolic poetry.

He invented illuminated printing, combining text and images.

What are the “two contrary states” in Blake’s poetry?

Innocence and Experience.

What happens in “The Lamb”?

A child asks who created the lamb and answers: God/Christ.

What does the lamb symbolize?

• Innocence

• Jesus Christ

• Purity

What happens in “The Tyger”?

The speaker questions who created a powerful and terrifying tiger.

What does the tiger symbolize?

• Power

• Violence

• Experience

Who was William Wordsworth?

A major Romantic poet (1770–1850) associated with nature and emotional poetry.

What is Lyrical Ballads?

A 1798 poetry collection that marks the beginning of Romanticism.

To use simple language and focus on ordinary life.

What happens in the poem? I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

The speaker sees daffodils and later remembers them, gaining joy.

The power of memory and nature to create happiness.

It shows emotion recollected in tranquillity.

Who was John Keats?

A Romantic poet (1795–1821) known for sensuous imagery and themes of beauty.

What is the poem about? Ode on a Grecian Urn

A speaker reflects on an ancient urn and its frozen scenes.

What happens to the lovers on the urn?

• They never kiss

• Their love remains forever young

What is the paradox of the urn?

• It preserves beauty

• But prevents real experience

What do “unheard melodies” represent?

The power of imagination over reality

What do Blake, Wordsworth, and Keats have in common?

• Emphasis on emotion

• Importance of imagination

• Critique of rationalism

What is the overall aim of Romantic literature?

To make readers experience the world emotionally and imaginatively