Romanticism to Victorian Literature: Key Terms and Figures

wordsworth moral lesson

peace and wisdom come through communion with nature

coleridge moral lesson

sin and redemption are universal; compassion heals

equiano moral lesson

humanity and justice demand empathy and moral action

wollstonecraft moral lesson

education and equality are essential to virtue

m. shelley moral lesson

knowledge w/out empathy destroys; responsibility defines humanity

brownings moral lesson

Love and art must align with moral conscience

Rossetti moral lesson

Faith, restraint, and love redeem the soul

the sublime (as device)

Depicts overwhelming beauty or terror to evoke awe and insight

irony

difference between appearance and reality; reveals hypocrisy (browning's monologues)

Imagery

Descriptive language appealing to the senses to evoke emotion

Allusion

Reference to another text or myth (Frankenstein = Prometheus)

Symbolism

Objects or images representing deeper ideas (Albatross = guilt, Creature = humanity's shadow)

M.H. Abrams

Literary critic who coined the 'lamp vs. mirror' metaphor for Romanticism

Toussaint Louverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution; symbol of liberty and racial equality

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Idealistic Romantic poet; husband of Mary Shelley; believed in revolution, imagination, and moral reform

Critique of Modernity

Industrialization and consumerism alienate people from nature and spirit (Wordsworth, Shelley)

Redemption through Love

Forgiveness and compassion restore humanity (Coleridge, Shelley, Rossetti)

social justice

concern for the oppressed — enslaved, poor, or women (equiano, browning, rossetti)

The Supernatural

Represents mystery, imagination, and inner conflict (Coleridge, Shelley)

Rebellion and Freedom

Struggle against oppression and hierarchy (Romantics, Equiano, Wollstonecraft)

Science and Morality

Progress without ethics leads to ruin (shelley)

My Last Duchess

Duke reveals his possessiveness and cruelty toward his late wife, exposing patriarchal control and aesthetic obsession

Andrea del Sarto

Explores the tension between artistic perfection and moral weakness

Browning's Contribution

Continues Romantic introspection through psychological realism

Christina Rossetti

Victorian poet exploring faith, temptation, and redemption; connected to the Pre

Goblin Market

Allegorical poem about sisterhood, temptation, and salvation; blends sensual and spiritual imagery

Remember

Meditative sonnet on love and death; accepts loss as part of faith and peace

Romantic Legacy in Rossetti

Retains Romantic emotion but expresses it through Christian devotion and humility

Nature as Teacher

Nature provides moral and emotional healing (Wordsworth, Coleridge)

Imagination as Creative Power

Art and imagination reflect divine creativity (Coleridge, Shelley)

Emotion over Reason

Feeling leads to truth and moral awareness (Wordsworth, Wollstonecraft)

Isolation and Alienation

Characters suffer from separation from community or nature (Victor, the Creature, Mariner)

Dramatic Monologue

A poem in which a single speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing his psychology and moral failings

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Frame narrative about guilt and redemption; a sailor kills an albatross and must atone by retelling his story endlessly

Frame Narrative (Rime)

Mariner tells his tale to a wedding guest, symbolizing the power of storytelling to teach and heal

Albatross Symbolism

Represents innocence and connection to nature; killing it signifies sin and spiritual disconnection

Mariner's Redemption

Begins when he blesses sea creatures 'unaware'; love for all life restores grace

Moral of Rime

'He prayeth best who loveth best / All things both great and small' — compassion unites humanity and nature

Wedding Guest Motif

Contrasts joyful community (wedding) with isolation and guilt; highlights alienation from human connection.

The Supernatural in Rime

Used to dramatize psychological and moral truth rather than literal fantasy

Kubla Khan

Dream-vision poem imagination and art, written under opium’s influence

Xanadu Symbolism

Represents creative power and empire; contrast between natural and artificial beauty

The Sublime in Kubla Khan

The river Alph's violent flow symbolizes uncontrollable creative energy

Person from Porlock

Interrupted Coleridge's composition of Kubla Khan; symbolizes the fragility of inspiration

Olaudah Equiano

Former enslaved African who purchased his freedom and became an influential abolitionist writer

Purpose of Equiano's Narrative

To prove Africans' humanity, argue for abolition, and inspire empathy

Ethos in Equiano

Presents himself as educated, Christian, and moral to gain credibility with European readers

Pathos in Equiano

Describes traumatic events like his kidnapping and Middle Passage to evoke compassion

Frontispiece Portrait (Equiano)

Depicts him as dignified and literate; visual argument for respectability and intellect

Sensibility in Equiano

Invites readers to feel sympathy and act morally against slavery

Spiritual Autobiography Structure

Parallels Christian redemption; freedom equals salvation

Freedom and Literacy

Learning to read symbolizes liberation and self-definition

Mary Wollstonecraft

Early feminist philosopher; mother of Mary Shelley; advocate for rational education and gender equality

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)

Argues that women are not naturally inferior but made weak by lack of education

Education in Vindication

Education should cultivate reason, virtue, and independence, not mere beauty or obedience

Wollstonecraft's Appeals

Uses logos (rational argument), ethos (moral authority), and pathos (emotional outrage) to persuade

Critique of Society

Patriarchal education harms both women and men by promoting vanity over virtue

Equality and Reason

Virtue must be the same for men and women; reason is universal

Mary Shelley

Author of Frankenstein; daughter of Wollstonecraft and Percy Shelley; explored science, ethics, and gender

Frankenstein (1818)

Frame narrative about ambition, creation, and moral responsibility; subtitled 'The Modern Prometheus'

The Creature

Sensitive and intelligent being rejected by society; becomes monstrous through suffering and neglect

Victor's Childhood

Loving family fosters confidence but also entitlement; sets up his later isolation

Destruction of the Female Creature

Symbolizes male fear of female agency and reproduction; shows Victor's hypocrisy

Walton's Decision to Turn Back

Represents learning from Victor's errors; chooses human connection over ambition

Science in Frankenstein

Not condemned but questioned; Shelley calls for ethical and emotional balance in discovery

Frankenstein's Ending

Ambiguous closure; the Creature expresses remorse and vows to die, becoming the most human figure by the end

Romantic Elements in Frankenstein

Emotion, nature, isolation, imagination, critique of modernity, and moral reflection

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Victorian poet and reformer who addressed social issues with Romantic passion

The Cry of the Children

Poem condemning child labor and industrial cruelty; appeals to emotion and Christian morality

Aurora Leigh

Verse-novel asserting women’s creative and intellectual equality; merges romantic individuality with victorian reform

Browning's Themes

Faith, social conscience, women's education, and poetic vocation

Robert Browning

Victorian poet famous for psychological dramatic monologues revealing flawed characters