9. Romanticism (1798-1832)

What are the characteristic features of romantic poetry?

• A violent reaction against reason, with an emphasis on emotional capacities.

• A striking love for wild and picturesque nature.

• The development of individualism and a subjective vision of reality; the poet as an exceptional visionary.

• Emphasis on the role of imagination and inspiration.

• A sense of mystery (irrational, fantastic, supernatural elements).

• Interest in national folk culture rather than classical themes.

• Interest in the exotic and orientalism.

What is a revolutionary thought?

About national independence, liberty, social equality.

The universe seen as a mysterious cosmos of conflicting oppositions (matter/spirit, terror/beauty), not neatly organized, but a changing, dynamic pattern.

Who are considered older/first generation romantic poets?

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Which work marked the beginning of English romanticism?

Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge.

What is considered the "manifesto of romanticism"?

Preface to Lyrical Ballads (Wordsworth).

Who is described as The "first bard of Romanticism," "nature poet," and "lake poet".

William Wordsworth.

What is Wordsworth's autobiographical poem?

The Prelude.

What is one of the most notable poems by Wordsworth's stemming from contemplation of real life and nature?

Daffodils.

What are S.T Coleridge's most famous works?

• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (an allegorical tale of sin and retribution),

• Kubla Khan: Or a Vision in a Dream (an example of spontaneous creation, written during an opium-stimulated vision).

Who are considered younger/second generation romantic poets?

• George Gordon, Lord Byron,

• Percy Bysshe Shelley,

• John Keats.

What is the byronic hero?

• A symbol of Romantic individualism.

• This character is proud, moody, cynical, a scorner of humankind, implacable in revenge yet capable of deep affection.

• An outcast, often in conflict with the world and himself, displaying antisocial behaviors, a troubled past, conflicting emotions, and passionate, self-destructive tendencies.

• Mysterious, magnetic, charismatic, with great talent and intelligence.

Who wrote an Ode to the West Wind?

Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Who wrote works like La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Ode on a Grecian Urn, and Ode to a Nightingle?

John Keats.

What work represented gothic fiction?

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (precursor of science fiction).

Who pioneered the historic novel?

Sir Walter Scott.

His novels combined action, adventure, and love interest with historical settings and detailed character descriptions, e.g., Waverley, Ivanhoe set in the Middle Ages with Richard the Lionheart and Robin Hood.

Who exemplified the novel of manners?

Jane Austen.

Her works, like Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, are known for social commentary, realism, wit, and irony, often focusing on domestic affairs from a woman's perspective. Northanger Abbey is a parody of Gothic conventions.