RomanticismRomanticism

1798 - 18321798 - 1832

Learning GoalsLearning Goals To identify the major authors and To identify the major authors and

literary contributors of the Romantic literary contributors of the Romantic period.period.

To recognize the major literary To recognize the major literary characteristics of the period.characteristics of the period.

To understand how the politics of a To understand how the politics of a time period can influence its literature.time period can influence its literature.

To identify major vocabulary needed To identify major vocabulary needed to analyze the literature of the period.to analyze the literature of the period.

What’s going on at the What’s going on at the time…time…

Industrial Revolution Industrial Revolution (1750-1850ish)(1750-1850ish)

American Revolution American Revolution (1775-1783)(1775-1783)

French Revolution French Revolution (1789-1799)(1789-1799)

The House of Hanover continues…The House of Hanover continues… George III 1760 – 1820 – George III 1760 – 1820 – very popular, very popular,

though bouts of mental illness. Great interest in though bouts of mental illness. Great interest in agricultural matters, science, and religious piety. agricultural matters, science, and religious piety. Greatly helped forward the Industrial Revolution. Greatly helped forward the Industrial Revolution. Very fiscally conservative. Very fiscally conservative.

George IV 1820 – 1830 – George IV 1820 – 1830 – extravagant, extravagant, ruled under regency from 1811 until his father ruled under regency from 1811 until his father died. Hated both his father and his wife, died. Hated both his father and his wife, gentlemanly and cultured, but spoiled and a gentlemanly and cultured, but spoiled and a wasteful spender.wasteful spender.

William IV 1830 – 1837 – William IV 1830 – 1837 – First child labor First child labor act passed, abolished slavery, Reform Act of 1832 act passed, abolished slavery, Reform Act of 1832 (increased voting population)(increased voting population)

Where it begins…Where it begins… Sturm und Sturm und Drang Drang

Storm and StressStorm and Stress Anti-AristocraticAnti-Aristocratic The name of a movement in German The name of a movement in German

literature and music taking place literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the from the late 1760s through the early 1780s in which extremes of early 1780s in which extremes of emotion were given free expression emotion were given free expression in response to the confines of in response to the confines of rationalism imposed by the rationalism imposed by the Enlightenment.Enlightenment.

Where it begins: Where it begins: The Sorrows The Sorrows of Young Wertherof Young Werther Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1774)Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1774) Werther spends an idyllic few months Werther spends an idyllic few months

in the country and falls in love with in the country and falls in love with Lotte, a peasant girl. Lotte, a peasant girl.

She’s engaged, and Werther leaves She’s engaged, and Werther leaves due to the pain of never being able to due to the pain of never being able to be with her.be with her.

He eventually takes his own life, and is He eventually takes his own life, and is buried alone.buried alone.

Becomes wildly popular among young Becomes wildly popular among young men in Europe who attempt to imitate men in Europe who attempt to imitate Werther and go on pilgrimages to Werther and go on pilgrimages to Goethe’s home.Goethe’s home.

Romanticism: A Reaction against Romanticism: A Reaction against EnlightenmentEnlightenment

Increasing interest in Increasing interest in nature and natural, nature and natural, primitive, and uncivilized primitive, and uncivilized ways of lifeways of life

Growing interest in Growing interest in scenery, especially scenery, especially untamed or disorderly untamed or disorderly sceneryscenery

Association of human mood Association of human mood with the moods of naturewith the moods of nature

Characteristics of RomanticismCharacteristics of Romanticism

Emphasis on need for Emphasis on need for spontaneity in spontaneity in thought and actionthought and action

Increasing Increasing importance of natural importance of natural genius and the power genius and the power of the imagination.of the imagination.

Tendency to exalt the Tendency to exalt the individual and his individual and his needs, free needs, free expressionexpression

Characteristics of RomanticismCharacteristics of Romanticism

Cult of the Noble Cult of the Noble SavageSavage

Rejection of Rejection of authoritarianism, authoritarianism, materialistic materialistic values, and values, and industrializationindustrialization

Emphasis on Emphasis on natural religionnatural religion

Main British RomanticsMain British Romantics William Blake William Blake Robert BurnsRobert Burns William William

WordsworthWordsworth Samuel Taylor Samuel Taylor

ColeridgeColeridge Percy ShelleyPercy Shelley

•Lord ByronLord Byron•Mary ShelleyMary Shelley•John KeatsJohn Keats•Ann RadcliffeAnn Radcliffe•Transition FiguresTransition Figures

•Sir Walter ScottSir Walter Scott•Jane AustenJane Austen•Emily BronteEmily Bronte

Main American Romantics Main American Romantics (1770-1860)(1770-1860)

Washington IrvingWashington Irving Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe Nathaniel Nathaniel

HawthorneHawthorne Herman MelvilleHerman Melville James F. CooperJames F. Cooper Emily DickinsonEmily Dickinson Walt WhitmanWalt Whitman

Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass Henry W. Henry W.

LongfellowLongfellow William C. BryantWilliam C. Bryant TranscendentalistsTranscendentalists

Henry David Henry David ThoreauThoreau

Ralph Waldo Ralph Waldo EmersonEmerson

Margaret FullerMargaret Fuller

Gothic FictionGothic Fiction

Combines horror and Combines horror and romanceromance

Believed to have been Believed to have been popularized by the English popularized by the English author Horace Walpole, author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel with his 1764 novel The The Castle of OtrantoCastle of Otranto..

Ann Radcliffe’s Ann Radcliffe’s The The Mysteries of UdolphoMysteries of Udolpho (1794), Mary Shelley’s (1794), Mary Shelley’s FrankensteinFrankenstein . .

Gothic Fiction, continuedGothic Fiction, continued

Characteristics include: Characteristics include: terror (both terror (both psychological and psychological and physical), mystery, the physical), mystery, the supernatural, ghosts, supernatural, ghosts, haunted houses and haunted houses and Gothic architecture, Gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death, castles, darkness, death, decay, doubles, decay, doubles, madness, secrets and madness, secrets and hereditary curses.hereditary curses.

William Blake (1757-1827)William Blake (1757-1827)

Largely unknown in his Largely unknown in his lifetime. Poet, Printer, Painterlifetime. Poet, Printer, Painter

Considered a lunatic by his Considered a lunatic by his contemporariescontemporaries

Very religious, but anti-church.Very religious, but anti-church. Hated scholars like Isaac Hated scholars like Isaac

Newton, Rene Descartes, Newton, Rene Descartes, Francis Bacon, etc. who had Francis Bacon, etc. who had declared the declared the world/nature/universe was world/nature/universe was measurable / scientific, etc.measurable / scientific, etc.

Believed in the autonomy of Believed in the autonomy of the imaginationthe imagination

William BlakeWilliam Blake Believed the physical, Believed the physical,

corporeal world was a corporeal world was a trap meant to ensnare trap meant to ensnare the senses from the senses from relying upon the relying upon the imagination to see the imagination to see the true reality that lay true reality that lay beneath. beneath.

““Where man is not, Where man is not, Nature is barren”Nature is barren”

““If the doors of perception If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, until he closed himself up, until he sees all things through sees all things through the narrow chinks of his the narrow chinks of his cavern.” cavern.”

Where the band The Where the band The Doors got their name… =)Doors got their name… =)

“He who sees the infinite in all things sees God. He who sees the ratio only sees himself.”

The Ancient of Days

Blake’s Blake’s Songs of Songs of InnocenceInnocence

The mental state of The mental state of childhood innocence.childhood innocence.

Point of view is important… Point of view is important… how do you how do you looklook at things? at things?

Songs Songs aboutabout & & fromfrom the the POV of innocencePOV of innocence

Prelapsarian (before the Fall)Prelapsarian (before the Fall) Blake does NOT consider Blake does NOT consider

innocence as perfect or innocence as perfect or utopian… experience is utopian… experience is neededneeded

Blake’s Blake’s Songs of Songs of ExperienceExperience

Postlapsarian worldPostlapsarian world Innocence is too dependent on Innocence is too dependent on

those who take care of it… those who take care of it… parents, priests, governments, etc.parents, priests, governments, etc.

Blake says, “I must create my own Blake says, “I must create my own system or be enslaved by another system or be enslaved by another man’s”man’s”

““Without Contraries is No Without Contraries is No Progression”Progression”

Man creates “mind-forg’d Man creates “mind-forg’d manacles”manacles”

Envy, jealousy, selfishness, and Envy, jealousy, selfishness, and fear pervade the poems of this fear pervade the poems of this sectionsection

Literary Terms to Know…Literary Terms to Know…

Lyric poem/poetryLyric poem/poetry PastoralPastoral GothicismGothicism Sturm and DrangSturm and Drang DoppelgangerDoppelganger Byronic HeroByronic Hero Epistolary NovelEpistolary Novel