Upload
derrick-nichols
View
213
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
A PERIOD OF GREAT CHANGE IN ENGLAND
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY WITH POWERFUL LANDHOLDING ARISTOCRACY WAS GIVING WAY TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL NATION OF LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYERS AND A GROWING, RESTLESS MIDDLE CLASS.
AMERICAN & FRENCH REVOLUTIONS WERE
HUGELY IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE.
THREATS TO EXISTING SOCIAL STRUCTURE
WERE BEING POSED BY NEW,
REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS.
A TIME OF HARSH POLITICAL
REPRESSION IN ENGLAND, IN SPITE
OF NEED FOR CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT
BY THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.
MILL TOWNS GREW
THE LANDSCAPE WAS INCREASINGLY
SUBDIVIDED
FACTORIES SPEWED POLLUTION OVER
SLUMS
THE POPULATION WAS INCREASINGLY
DIVIDED INTO RICH & POOR.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE LACK OF REFORM:
LOW WAGES
HORRIBLE WORKING CONDITIONS
LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN &
CHILDREN IN BRUTALLY HARD OCCUPATIONS
(SUCH AS COAL MINING).
IN THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGICAL
UNEMPLOYMENT & POVERTY, WORKERS
(WHO COULD NOT VOTE) HAD TO RESORT
TO PROTESTS & RIOTS, INCURRING
FURTHER REPRESSION.
BUT WHILE THE POOR SUFFERED, THE
LEISURE CLASS PROSPERED.
TREATMENT OF WOMEN OF ALL CLASSES: WERE REGARDED AS INFERIOR TO MEN
WERE UNDEREDUCATED
HAD LIMITED VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
WERE SUBJECT TO A STRICT CODE OF SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
HAD ALMOST NO LEGAL RIGHTS.
OVERALL, THE CAUSE OF WOMEN’S
RIGHTS WAS LARGELY IGNORED.
TERM “ROMANTICISM” IS DIFFICULT TO
DEFINE BECAUSE OF THE VARIETY OF
LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS, AND WRITERS
OF THE PERIOD WERE ONLY LATER
LABELLED “ROMANTIC.”
BUT MANY WRITERS HAD A SENSE OF
“THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE” A GREAT RELEASE OF CREATIVE ENERGY
WAS OCCURING AS ACCOMPANIMENT TO
POLITICAL & SOCIAL REVOLUTION.
IT WAS SEEN AS AN AGE OF NEW
BEGINNINGS & LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES.
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH TRIED TO
ARTICULATE THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW
POETRY IN THE PREFACE TO LYRICAL
BALLADS (1800, 1802).
POETRY WAS SEEN AS THE “SPONTANEOUS
OVERFLOW OF POWERFUL FEELINGS”; THE
ESSENCE OF POETRY WAS THE MIND,
EMOTIONS, & IMAGINATION OF THE POET
(NOT THE OUTER WORLD).
GREATLY CONTRASTED WITH THE REASON,
BALANCE, AND LOGIC THAT CHARACTERIZED
THE LITERATURE OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT.
FIRST-PERSON LYRIC POEM BECAME THE
MAJOR ROMANTIC LITERARY FORM, WITH
“I” OFTEN REFERRING DIRECTLY TO THE
POET.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF BECAME
A MAJOR TOPIC OF ROMANTIC POETRY.
POETS OFTEN SAW THEMSELVES AS
PROPHETS IN A TIME OF CRISIS,
REVISING THE PROMISE OF DIVINE
REDEMPTION IN TERMS OF A “HEAVEN” ON
EARTH.
INITIAL ACT OF POETIC COMPOSITION
MUST ARISE FROM IMPULSE
FREE FROM THE RULES INHERITED FROM
THE PAST
RELY ON INSTINCT, INTUITION, &
FEELING.
ACCURATE OBSERVATION & DESCRIPTION OF
WILD NATURE BECOMES EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT
NATURE SERVES AS A STIMULUS TO
THINKING & TO THE RESOLUTION OF
PERSONAL PROBLEMS & CRISES.
LANDSCAPE WAS OFTEN GIVEN HUMAN
QUALITIES OR SEEN AS A SYSTEM OF
SYMBOLS REVEALING THE NATURE OF
GOD.
CLOSENESS WITH NATURE WAS SEEN AS
BRINGING OUT HUMANITY’S INNATE
GOODNESS.
HUMBLE, RUSTIC SUBJECT MATTER & PLAIN STYLE
BECAME THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT & MEDIUM OF
POETRY.
POETS SOUGHT TO REFRESH READERS’ SENSE OF
WONDER ABOUT THE ORDINARY THINGS OF
EXISTENCE, TO MAKE THE “OLD” WORLD SEEM NEW.
MANY ROMANTIC POEMS EXPLORE THE
REALM OF MYSTERY & MAGIC
INCORPORATE MATERIALS FROM
FOLKLORE, SUPERSTITION
OFTEN SET IN DISTANT OR FARAWAY
PLACES.
RENEWED INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE AGES (AND THE BALLAD
FORM) AS A BEAUTIFUL, EXOTIC, MYSTERIOUS, BYGONE ERA.
THERE WAS ALSO GREAT INTEREST IN UNUSUAL MODES OF
EXPERIENCE
VISIONARY STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
HYPNOTISM
DREAMS
DRUG-INDUCED STATES
HUMAN BEINGS WERE SEEN AS
ESSENTIALLY NOBLE & GOOD.
HUMANS BEINGS WERE CORRUPTED BY
SOCIETY.
HUMANS POSSESSED GREAT POWER &
POTENTIAL THAT HAD FORMERLY BEEN
ASCRIBED ONLY TO GOD.
THERE WAS A GREAT BELIEF IN
DEMOCRATIC IDEALS
CONCERN FOR HUMAN LIBERTY
GREAT OUTCRY AGAINST VARIOUS FORMS OF
TYRANNY.
THE HUMAN MIND WAS SEEN AS CREATING
(AT LEAST IN PART) THE WORLD AROUND
IT
HUMAN MIND BELIEVED TO HAVE ACCESS
TO THE INFINITE VIA THE FACULTY OF
IMAGINATION.
REFUSING TO ACCEPT LIMITATIONS,
HUMAN BEINGS SET INFINITE,
INACCESSIBLE GOALS, THUS MAKING
FAILURE & IMPERFECTION GLORIOUS
ACCOMPLISHMENTS.