The Romantic Period

1. The Romantic Period

2. Began with the William Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads in 1798 • Embraced a freer use of diction (choice of words) • Language and experiences of the common man • “Expression of spontaneous, intensified feelings” • Focused many times on the appreciation of nature. • “Contemplation of nature leads to a deeper understanding of self” (707) • Lyric poems were well suited for this movement and its ideals

3. Wished to move away from the strict conventions of neoclassicism and strove to use language more simply and with more directness • While simple words are present they are not free from deep abstract thoughts or meanings • “Gone were the flowery language, the wittily crafted figures of speech, the effusive praise, and the tragic complaints that had defined poetry in the past” (706)

4. The Poets

5. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) • Born in Ottery St. Mary, England • Gained a love of books early in childhood • Went to Cambridge University • Became a successful public speaker • Radical thinker in terms of politics and society • Planned to form a Utopian settlement in Pennsylvania • Lack of funds prevented it from becoming a reality • Suffered from poor health throughout life

6. 1795- Met poet William Wordsworth and quickly became friends • 1798- Coleridge and Wordsworth published Lyrical Ballads • Included Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” • Caused the literary revolution which became Romanticism • The two men had opposing views in regards to their ideas of the movement. • Coleridge favored “the strange and the exotic” • Wordsworth was interested more with the “language and experience of common people in natural settings” • Both, however, were concerned with exploring the “truths [of] the human soul deeper than those [of] conventional poetry” (728)

7. Mary Shelley was a great admirer of Coleridge’s work • “Greatest legacy is his insight into the power of imagination in literature and life, a power that shapes reality and enables freedom. A magical blend of thought and emotion lies at the heart of his works, in which the unreal (but true) becomes compellingly real” (728)

8. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) • Born in Lake District of England • As a child he enjoyed spending time outdoors. • The area, full of beautiful landscapes, found itself in a number of poetic tributes • 1787- Attended Cambridge • Traveled around Europe after graduation • Embraced the ideals of social justice and individual rights of the French Revolution

9. Money soon ran short, this coupled with a great deal of family pressure resulted in his moving back home. • Wordsworth took his revolutionary hopes and ideals and placed them into his literature • Rejected “specialized ‘poetic’ words” and preferred to use the language of the everyday man in his work • As he aged his political views grew more conservative • Known as the father of English Romanticism

10. William Blake (1757-1827) • Some historians believe he was crazy, and possibly suffered from schizophrenia. • He is told to say that his inspiration came from mystical visions • These visions sometimes included deceased poet John Milton • Visions “began at the age of four, [when] he thought he saw God at his window” (678)

11. Began writing poetry at an early age • Became an engravers apprentice and studied at the Royal Academy • His engravings many times accompanied his work and dealt with their subject matter • Blake’s style was very original and progressive for the time and his teachers encouraged him to do more conventional pieces

12. “I must create a system or be enslaved by another man’s” • It was Blake’s spirit to break free from the modern patterns of the day • This was not only present in his poems and etchings but his religious views as well • Blake’s talent went nearly unnoticed until later in his life • During his 70 years he was continually writing and creating works of art • Only after his death was his genius truly recognized