ROMANTICISM

HELLO FRIENDS!

As we usher towards the deep sea of different eras of English Literature , let us dive ourselves into the ocean of Romantic age, one of my favourite era.

INTRODUCTION- Towards the end of the 18th century an artistic and intellectual movement began in Europe that believed in admiring beauty of nature and human beings, emotions, imagination and sensual appeal of five senses.

Romanticism took birth as a reaction to the rationalism and reasons of Enlightenment era. The term ‘Romantic’ has been derived from the term ‘ Romance’ that is a prose or a heroic poetry originating in the medieval era. In the words of French symbolist poet, Charles Baudelaire, ” Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor exact truth , but in a way of feeling.”

Romanticism in British literature was mainly associated with the poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge whose work in collaboration , ” Lyrical Ballads”(1798) laid down the foundation of Romanticism . William Blake is another renowned poet related with Romanticism. All these three poets were known as First Generation Poets of Romantic era.

Lod Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats constitute another age of Romanticism . They are known as Second Generation Poets of Romantic era.

ROMANTICISM IN NATURE — Romantic era poets and prose writers adored Nature as a source of beauty, power, mystery and spiritual energy. Nature was a console and relief -giver for the poets. William Wordworth’s poetries like Tintern Abbey, Daffodils and Lucy poems are a collection of his admiration for natural scenic beauty .

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH– He along with his close friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge laid the foundation of Romanticism in Literature. He was born on April 7 ,1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland located in the lake district of England. His deep love for poetry and sympathy for the common man were the two basic themes of his poetry. He is best known for his works ‘LYRICAL BALLADS’ and ‘THE PRELUDE’.

QUOTES BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

“One Daffodil is worth a thousand pleasures, then one is too few.”

” Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.”

“The World is too much with us, late and soon , getting and spending , we lay waste our powers: Little we see in Nature that is ours.”

“Let Nature be your Teacher.”

” Therefore am still a lover of the meadows and the woods, and mountains: and of all that we behold from this green ear.”

SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE— He was born on 21st October, 1722 in the town of Ottery St Mary in Devon, England. S.T. Coleridge published LYRICAL BALLADS in year 1798 that laid the foundation of Romanticism. His two other famous poems are ‘ The Rime of the ancient Mariner’ and ‘Kubla Khan’ and his major prose work was ‘Biographia Literaria’.His poetries had the traits of love and admiration for Nature, supernaturalism , element of mystery , vivid imageries and elements of medievalism. He was a great story teller. In ‘Kubla Khan’ Coleridge uses imageries to arouse deep interest in readers.

” A savage place ! as holy and

enchanted

As e’er beneath a waning moon was

haunted

By woman wailing for her demon

lover !”

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY — Percy Bysshe Shelley (4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was one of the most prominent and distinguished English poets. He was radical as well as romantic in his thoughts and ideas. He had written a radical article named ” The Necessity of Atheism” at his university due to which he was expelled. Among his best-known works are “OZYMANDIAS”(1818),”ODE TO THE WEST WIND” (1819), “TO A SKYLARK” (1820), the philosophical essay “THE NECESSITY OF ATHEISM” (1811), In 1817, Shelley produced “Laon and Cythna“, a long narrative poem that contained references to incest and attacks on religion. It was later edited and reissued as “The Revolt of Islam“.

Ode to the West Wind
BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

"O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed

The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow."

JOHN KEATS— John Keats was born in London on 31st October 1795. He was the eldest child of the four children of Thomas and Frances Jennings. Keats love for literature and his ability to blend poetries with imagination was incredible. He was a visionary in terms of poetry creation.