Week 1.1 Winter

The Romantic Period (1785-1832)

  • Coincided with significant historical events:

    • French Revolution (1789-1799): A period of radical political and social change in France.

    • Industrial Revolution: Transition from agrarian economy to manufacturing, leading to urbanization.

  • Flourishing of poetry categorized into various “schools”:

    • Lake School: Poets from the Lake District, considered dissenters (e.g., William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey).

    • Cockney School: Working-class poets from London (e.g., Leigh Hunt, William Hazlitt, John Keats).

    • Satanic School: Poets who challenged established norms (e.g., Leigh Hunt, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron).

  • New perceptions of poets and poetry:

    • Poet seen as a unique genius with a divine calling.

    • Poem viewed as an expression of the poet's inner psychology.

  • Other literary developments: familiar essays, closet dramas, Gothic novels.

Key Historical Events of the French Revolution

  • 14 July 1789: Storming of the Bastille, a pivotal revolt against King Louis XVI.

  • 26 August 1789: National Assembly passes the Declaration of the Rights of Man, emphasizing liberty and equality.

  • 20-21 September 1792: Abolition of monarchy; establishment of the French Republic.

  • September-October 1793: Robespierre's Reign of Terror; execution of thousands, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

  • 27-28 July 1794: Robespierre overthrown; the National Convention dissolved.

  • 9 November 1799: Napoleon Bonaparte declares himself consul, later becoming emperor.

Industrial Revolution Overview

  • Transition from manual labor to power-driven machinery, impacting the economy:

    • James Watt's Steam Engine (1765): Key innovation that revolutionized manufacturing.

  • Urban population growth from rural areas to manufacturing towns.

  • Rise of laissez-faire capitalism:

    • Emergence of a laboring class facing poor working conditions, inadequate wages, and lack of political rights.

Romantic Schools of Poetry

School Characteristics

  • Lake School: Emphasized individualism and nature.

  • Cockney School: Represented working-class struggles and aspirations.

  • Satanic School: Explored themes of rebellion and transgression against societal norms.

Key Associated Poets

  • Lake School: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey.

  • Cockney School: Leigh Hunt, William Hazlitt, John Keats.

  • Satanic School: Leigh Hunt, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron.

Reconceptualization of the Poet

  • Definition of a poet:

    • Possesses greater sensibility, enthusiasm, and understanding of human nature than average people (Wordsworth).

    • Poets act as influencers and legislators of society (Shelley).

  • Shift in the concept of poetry:

    • Focus moved from representing objective reality to expressing individual psychology.

    • Emphasis on spontaneity and emotional authenticity over strict formal rules.

    • Elevation of everyday subjects, embracing the ordinary and familiar.

      • glorification of the ordinary

        • shift from elevating genteel subject matter to elevating and defamiliarizing ordinary lives of everyday people

    • Greater acceptance of supernatural and psychological extremes.

    • Promotion of individualism, often through themes of solitude and nature.

  • “There is no natural religion”

    • example of words not meaning what we think they mean in the generic sense

      • concept in 18th century

      • another word for deism

        • a way enlightenment thinkers reconciled thoughts of religion with reason, suggesting that a supreme being created the universe but does not intervene in its workings.

        • Blake is saying there is no deism

          • challenging the notion of the 18th century enlightenment thinkers that religion can be so defined

            • aren’t we hoping that God and the bible are so much and bigger than that? This perspective invites a deeper exploration of faith, emphasizing that the divine may encompass complexities and nuances beyond rational understanding, thus encouraging a more profound engagement with spirituality.

          • Believes the human imagination is superior than any god (the Poetic Genius)

            • Would we have anything of beauty without it?

              • Art, music, plays, and literature all stem from the boundless creativity of the human spirit, demonstrating that our capacity for imagination is essential to experiencing and expressing the divine.

Romantic Prose and Drama Genres

  • Familiar Essay: Prose compositions reflecting personal experiences.

  • Closet Drama: Intended for private reading rather than public performance.

  • Gothic Novel: Stories focusing on terror and suspense, often featuring supernatural elements.

  • Key works:

    • Charles Lamb’s Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading

    • Thomas De Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

    • Lord Byron’s Manfred

    • Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound

    • Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto

    • Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho

    • Matthew Lewis’s The Monk

Defining “Romantic”

  • Adjective Definitions:

    • Inclined towards romance and idealized views of reality.

    • Concerned more with feelings and emotions than formal aesthetics.

  • Noun Definitions:

    • A romantic person or romanticist.