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Subject: ENGLISH

Class: B.A. Part 1 English Hons., Paper-1, Group B

Topic: Romantic Poets

Lecture No: 12

By: Prof. Sunita Sinha

Head, Department of English

Women’s College Samastipur

L.N.M.U., Darbhanga

Email: drsunitasinha@gmail.com

Website: www.sunitasinha.com

Mob No: 9934917117

ROMANTIC POETS

Romanticism was a poetic movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries that

turned towards Nature and the interior world of feeling, in contrast to the mannered

formalism and disciplined scientific inquiry of the Neo-classical Age that preceded

it. William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Percy Bysshe

Shelley, William Blake, and Lord Byron were the chief Romantic poets who

produced work that expressed spontaneous feelings, found parallels to their own

emotional lives in the natural world, and celebrated creativity rather than logic.

Critics normally divide the Romantic poets into two generations; the first

generation includes Wordsworth and Coleridge, while the second includes Byron,

Shelley and Keats, as indicated below.

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English Romantic Poets

First Generation of Romantics Second Generation of Romantics

William Wordsworth Percy Bysshe Shelley

S.T. Coleridge Lord Byron

John Keats

First Generation Romantic Poets:

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770-1850)

William Wordsworth was at once the oldest, the greatest, and the most long-lived

among the romantic poets. Written in 1798, Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads is

considered to be the ‘manifesto of English Romanticism’, as Eliot’s essay on

Tradition and Individual Talent is considered to be a ‘manifesto of English

Classicism’. The publication of the Lyrical Ballads marks the beginning of the

romantic period in English literature. It was a combined work produced together by

Wordsworth and Coleridge. Wordsworth was Britain's poet laureate from 1843 until

his death from pleurisy on 23 April 1850.

Important Works

Wordsworth's magnum opus is generally considered to be The Prelude, a semi-

autobiographical poem of his early years that he revised and expanded a number of

times. The Prelude, an autobiographical poem is the spiritual record of his mind,

honestly recording its own intimate experiences, and endowed with a rare capacity

for making the record intelligible. It is an idealized version of his spiritual growth in

which he escapes into the higher reality of his imagination. In 1807, Wordsworth

published Poems, in Two Volumes, including "Ode: Intimations of Immortality

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from Recollections of Early Childhood". In Immortality ode, he recorded a

mystical intuition of a life before birth which can be recovered in a few fortunate

moments in the presence of nature. Wordsworth also wrote some of the finest

sonnets in which he wanted to awaken England from lethargy, to condemn

Napoleon and to record many of his own moods Wordsworth also wrote some

famous sonnets. Wordsworth’s sonnets have been termed by Frances Meyers as

‘Sugared Sonnets.’ He wrote the sonnets to arouse England to a sense of her

responsibility in international affairs, and to express memorable moment in his own

experience.

Wordsworth’s Poetry

Language of Poetry is the language of Common People

During the Neo-classical Age, the language of poetry was decorated and figurative.

Wordsworth considered the elevated language used by neo-classical poets, pompous

and artificial. Consequently, the language Wordsworth advocated was the one used

in everyday speech, simple and clear, which would be more easily understood on a

universal scale. So, Wordsworth gave preference to the language of everyday speech

in poetry rather than follow the ‘poetic diction’ of the Neo-classical poets. For

Wordsworth, poetry, which should be written in “the real language of men,” is

nevertheless “the spontaneous overflow of feelings: it takes its origin from

emotion recollected in tranquility.” To Wordsworth, the language of poetry is the

language of common people.

Incidents and Situations from Humble and Rustic Life

Wordsworth has chosen the incidents and situations from humble and rustic life. He

also asserts to adopt the language of the people in rural life. The common people

hourly communicate with the best objects from which the best part of language is

originally derived. Wordsworth thinks that people in rural life convey their feelings

and notions through simple and unelaborated expressions. These people are less

under the influence of social vanity than the people live in cities. Such a simple and

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common language is permanent and philosophical. It is greater than the language

generally employed by poets. Hence, Wordsworth drew poetic inspiration from

incidents and episodes taken from everyday life, from the common country people

who lived in close contact to nature whose observation brought solace and

consolation to Wordsworth.

Emphasis on ‘Imagination’ rather than on Wit

Wordsworth puts much emphasis on ‘Imagination’ in contrast to the neoclassical

poets who put much emphasis on ‘Wit’. He imagination so that the common things

could be made to look strange and beautiful through the play of imagination. In his

famous “Intimation Ode", he says that as a child he felt that "the earth, and every

common sight" seemed "apparelled in celestial light".

Worshipper of Nature

Wordsworth is especially regarded as a poet of nature. In most of the poems of

Wordsworth nature is constructed as both a healing entity and a teacher or moral

guardian. Nature is considered in his poems as a living personality. He is a true

worshipper of nature: nature's devotee or high priest. The critic Cazamian says, "to

Wordsworth, nature appears is a formative influence superior to any other, the

educator of senses or mind alike, the shower in our hearts of the deep laden seeds of

our feelings and beliefs".

Subjectivity

Subjectivity is the key note of Wordsworth’s poetry. He expresses his personal

thoughts, feelings through his poems. In “Ode: Intimation of Immortality” the poet

expresses his own/personal feelings. Here he says that he can't see the celestial light

anymore which he used to see in his childhood. He says, "It is not now as it hath

been of yore; -Turn wheresoever I may, by night or day, the things which I have seen

I now can see on more."

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Pantheism and Mysticism

Pantheism and mysticism are almost interrelated factors in the Nature poetry of the

Romantic period. Wordsworth conceives of a spiritual power running through all-

natural objects- the " presence that disturbs me with the low of elevated thoughts"

whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, the rolling ocean. the living air, the blue

sky, and the mind of man (“Tintern Abbey”)

Humanism

The romantic poets had sincere love for man or rather the spirit of man. Wordsworth

had a superabundant enthusiasm for humanity. He was deeply interested in the

simple village folk and the peasant who live in contact with nature. Wordsworth

showed admiration for the ideals that inspired the French Revolution. Emphasis in

individual freedom is another semantic characteristic. Wordsworth laments for the

loss of power, freedom and virtue of human soul.

Lyricism

Wordsworth is famous for simple fiction, bereft of artificialities and falsity of

emotion. In the “Ode: Intimation of Immortality”, we see his lyricism. He writes,

"Earth fills her lap with pleasures of her own: Yearnings she hath in her own natural

kind, And, even, with something of a Mother's mind, And, on unworthy aim, The

homely Nurse doth all she can To make her Foster-child, her Innate Man, Forget the

glories he hath known, And that imperial palace whence he came."

In the conclusion, it can be said that Wordsworth was a protagonist in the Romantic

Movement which was at once a revolt and a revival. He shows the positive aspects

of Romanticism with its emphasis on imagination, feeling, emotion, human dignity

and significance of Nature. Thus, Wordsworth stands apart as the pioneer of

Romantic movement by his great contribution in English literature.

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SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE (1772 –1834)

Samuel Taylor Coleridge happens to possess the most vigorous mind amongst the

English Romantics. During the 19th century he produced some of the most stirring

and eloquent verse that no other poets of his generation could able to replicate. His

poetry is, indeed, the supreme embodiment of all that is purest and the most ethereal

in romantic spirit. One of England’s many magnificent gifts to English literature,

this rather unproductive poet wrote poems that have become the priceless assets of

romantic literature.

Important works

He wrote the much acclaimed poems The Rime of the Ancient

Mariner and Kubla Khan, as well as the major prose work Biographia Literaria.

His critical work, especially on William Shakespeare, was highly influential, and he

helped introduce German idealist philosophy to English-speaking culture.

Coleridge’s Poetry

Supernaturalism

Coleridge’s contribution to romantic poetry reached its apex through his treatment

of the supernatural. He is a master poet of the supernatural. He attempts to draw the

supernatural in a convincing way, where the reader is compelled to take it for real or

natural by willingly suspending disbeliefs. This environment has been created most

convincingly in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Element of Mystery

Coleridge’s poetry is noted mostly for its elements of mystery. Coleridge displays

painstaking mastery in creating some characters and events that evoke a sense of

curiosity or suspense because of an unknown, obscure or enigmatic quality. In his

seminal work The Ancient Mariner, Coleridge creates a mysterious character by

portraying him as a man of glittering eyes and long grey beard.

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Vivid & Convincing Imagery

Coleridge has the most imaginative mind amongst the romantic poets. Coleridge is

essentially good at portraying vivid imagery. He has the power to transport the

audience in his realm of imagination by convincing the reader to accept no-existent

as real. And this is the very quality which enables Coleridge to incorporate

convincing/effective elements of mystery. For example, his description of Kubla

Khan’s palace forces the reader to believe in its existence:

Dream

The major poems of Coleridge have a dreamlike quality. His poems were inspired

by reveries. He saw them in his dreams and visualized in the poetry. For instance,

Kubla Khan is a superb example of his dream poetry. In this poem he recounts in

poetic form what he saw in a vision.

Medievalism

Coleridge had a strong devotion to the spirit of the Middle Ages. Coleridge’s love

for the supernatural was engendered by romance and legends of the Middle Ages.

Medievalism provides him the opportunity to create the sense of remoteness and a

mysterious setting.

Nature

Coleridge’s initial attitude towards nature was pantheistic. During this stage, he

treated nature as a moral teacher. Later on, he changed his attitude towards nature.

He believed that it depends on our mood and temperament how we would interpret

nature.

Humanism

Coleridge always cared for the wellbeing of the humanity. His love for the humanity

is revealed through his strong support for the French revolution. He supported the

upheaval assuming that it would free the masses from the oppression of the dictators.

But subsequently, Coleridge windrowed his support as the revolutionists deviated

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from their principles. His love for the humanity is seen best in The Rime of the

Ancient Mariner.

Second Generation Romantic Poets:

LORD BYRON (1788 –1824)

Lord Byron was an English poet, peer and politician who became

a revolutionary in the Greek War of Independence, and is considered one of the

leading figures of the Romantic movement. He is regarded as one of the greatest

English poets whose poetry and personality captured the imagination of Europe.

His multifaceted personality found expression in satire, verse narrative, ode, lyric,

speculative drama, historical tragedy, confessional poetry, dramatic monologue,

seriocomic epic, and voluminous correspondence, written in Spenserian

stanzas, heroic couplets, blank verse, terza rima, ottava rima, and vigorous prose.

Lord Byron, despite his writing being quite classical, is considered one of the most

important Romantic poets, along with William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge.

His works, however, differ in many aspects with the thematic that Wordsworth and

Coleridge focused on in their poems, making himself distinct and easily recognized.

Besides being famous for his longer, epic and nowadays canonical works, such as

Manfred, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage or Don Juan, he also earned his fame with his

good looks, character and controversial life. It is said that he wrote his poems using

the poems persona to express his thoughts and beliefs and making the readers think

that the speaker was actually a personification of himself, even if it was not the case,

creating with this the Byronic Hero.

Lord Byron’s unique literary ideas brought new perspectives for English literature.

His distinctive writing approach and experimentation with epics and lyrics made him

stand out even among the best poets.

His narrative and lyrical works are regarded as masterpieces and had had significant

impacts on generations. He successfully documented his ideas and feelings about

historical tragedies and romanticism in his writings that even today, writers try to

imitate his unique style, considering him a beacon for writing plays and poetry.

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Important works

Among his best-known works are the lengthy narrative poems Don Juan and Childe

Harold's Pilgrimage; many of his shorter lyrics in Hebrew Melodies also became

popular. His popular poems include: “She Walks in Beauty”, “Darkness”, “There Be

None of Beauty’s Daughter”, “The Eve of Waterloo”, “When We Two Parted” and

“And Thou Art Dead, As Young and Fair.”

Byron’s Poetry

Talking of Byron, Leslie A. Marchand observes, “The core of his thinking and the

basis of his poetry is romantic aspiration,” and he evidences a “romantic zest for

life and experience.” Lord Byron was a leading figure of the Romantic Movement.

His specific ideas about life and nature benefitted the world of literature. Marked by

Hudibrastic verse, blank verse, allusive imagery, heroic couplets, and complex

structures, his diverse literary pieces won global acclaim. However, his early

work, Fugitive Pieces, brought him to the center of criticism, but his later works

made inroads into the literary world. He successfully used blank verse and satire in

his pieces to explore the ideas of love and nature.

Although he is known as a romantic poet, his poems, “The Prisoner of Chillon” and

“Darkness” where attempts to discuss reality as it is without adding fictional

elements.

The recurring themes in most of his pieces are nature, the folly of love, realism in

literature, liberty and the power of art.

Philosophically and stylistically, Byron stands apart from the other major

Romantics. He was the most cosmopolitan of them. Poetic imagination was not for

him, as for them, the medium of revelation of ultimate truth. He wished that

Coleridge would “explain his Explanation” of his thought. He did not much fancy

Wordsworth’s belief in the benevolence of nature, Shelley’s faith in human

perfectibility or Keats’s private vision.

In narrative skill, Byron has no superior in English poetry, except Geoffrey Chaucer.

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He was not inhibited like his contemporaries, and created verse that is exuberant,

spontaneous, expansive, digressive, concrete, lucid, colloquial—in celebration of

“unadorned reality.”

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY (1792 –1822)

Percy Bysshe Shelley was a famous English romantic poet whose poetry reflects

passion, beauty, imagination, love, creativity, political liberty and affinity with

Nature. Being very sensitive and possessing distinctive qualities of hope, love, joy

and imagination, Shelley strongly believed in realization of human happiness.

Widely regarded as one of the finest lyrics and philosophical poets in the English

language. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley

did not see fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achievements in poetry

grew steadily following his death. Shelley became a key member of a close circle of

visionary poets and writers that included Lord Byron, John Keats, Leigh

Hunt, Thomas Love Peacock and his own second wife, Mary Shelley.

Important Works

Shelley is perhaps best known for classic poems such as "Ozymandias", "Ode to the

West Wind", "To a Skylark", "Music, When Soft Voices Die", "The Cloud" and The

Masque of Anarchy. His other major works include a groundbreaking verse

drama, The Cenci (1819), and long, visionary, philosophical poems such as Queen

Mab (later reworked as The Daemon of the World), Alastor, The Revolt of

Islam, Adonais, Prometheus Unbound (1820) – widely considered his

masterpiece, Hellas: A Lyrical Drama (1821) and his final, unfinished work, The

Triumph of Life (1822).

Shelley’s Poetry

Romanticism’s major themes—restlessness and brooding, rebellion against

authority, interchange with nature, the power of the visionary imagination and of

poetry, the pursuit of ideal love, and the untamed spirit ever in search of freedom—

all of these were evident in Shelley’s poetry.

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Shelley is considered by critics and readers to be among the greatest of the second

generation of English Romantic poets. Unlike Lord Byron though Shelley did not

receive full critical and popular recognition until after his death.

Shelley is also much admired for his lyrical and psychologically powerful poetry

which offers a striking visceral style as well as strong messages on behalf of

social justice, liberty, and non-violence.

Shelley is one of the greatest successful melancholic in his age. It is this unsatisfied

desire, this almost painful yearning with its recurring disappointment and

disillusionment which is at the root of Shelley's melancholy. His most famous and

powerful lines which reveal the melancholic strain are in Ode to the West Wind. His melancholy is thus vital to his poetry. It may be said that his music is the product

of his genius and his melancholy. His melancholy is what the world seems to like

best as, “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts.”

The themes of imagination, and emotion are unmistakably evident throughout

Shelley’s poetry. Imagination, in particular, is perhaps the most prevalent of these

themes in regards to Ode to the West Wind. Shelley perceives imagination as an

ability to free oneself from the constraints of the human condition. Moreover,

imagination is also exposed as a source of poetic inspiration, allowing the speaker

to fully express his poetic capacity. This poetic capacity, throughout the poem, is

metaphorically linked to the changing of seasons, likening the annual changes in

climate, to that of our creative expression. Thus, poetry, in Shelley's opinion, is the

expression of imagination; it is considered by the poet as a revolutionary creativity,

seriously meant to change reality. The poet is bound to suffer and isolates himself

from the rest of the world, projecting himself into a better future and hiding beneath

a mask stubborn hope.

Shelley's idealism is also reflected in all his works. Shelley's rejection of

conventional modes of thinking led him to a search for new ideals, and he embraced

the theories of Godwin and neo Platonism. From Plato he derived his mystical and

intellectual belief in a society ruled by ethics and wisdom; moreover, he absorbed

the idea of reality as an illusory image of the true reality of the eternity, and of an

idealistic pantheism.

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Like all Romantics, Shelley shows his great love for Nature. His apprehension of

the natural world passes through the appreciation of its beauty; it is with the most

intellectual part of himself that he aspires to an identification with nature. His

approach to nature is also instrumental, providing him with the images and symbols

for the creation of the myths and cosmic schemes. Finally, nature is the privileged

refuge from the disappointment and injustice of the ordinary world.

JOHN KEATS (1795-1821)

John Keats was the last born of Romantics but the first one to die. One of the greatest

Romantic poets, Keats has received much critical recognition in the academic

circles. Edmund Wilson counted him as ‘one of the half dozen greatest English

writers,’ and T. S. Eliot has paid tribute to the Shakespearean quality of Keats’s

greatness. The poetry of Keats is characterized by sensual imagery, most notably in

the series of odes. Today his poems and letters are some of the most popular and

most analyzed in English literature. Talking about Keats’s style, we may say that

Keats’s diction is highly connotative.

His writing style is characterized by sensual imagery and contains many poetic

devices such as alliteration, personification, assonance, metaphors, and consonance.

All of these devices work together to create rhythm and music in his poems. The

themes of Keats’s works were love, beauty, joy, nature, music, and the mortality

of human life. Keats's claim to greatness also rests upon his letters, which are

among the most entertaining and perceptive of any literary figure's, and contain

numerous insights into the nature of the creative process.

Important Works

His most popular poems include “Ode on Melancholy,” “Ode on a Grecian

Urn,” “Ode to Autumn,” “Ode to a Nightingale,” “La Belle Dame Sans Mercy,”

“Imitation of Spenser,” “Hyperion,” and “Isabella.” Among his sonnets, the most

popular are “Bright Stars! Would I were steadfast as Thou Art,” “When I have Fears

that I may Cease to be,” “Endymion,” “The Eve of St. Agnes,” and “Lamia.” Keats

published his first collections of poems in March 1817, in which he used a bold and

daring writing style. This early collection earned him severe criticism from

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England’s prestigious publications “Quarterly Review” and “Blackwood’s

Magazine.” Keats duly took note of this criticism and developed his famous doctrine

known as “Negative Capability.” This idea was a romantic ideal that permitted

human beings to go beyond the contemporary social and intellectual constraints and

rise above the existing norms. In 1818, he published his second volume of poems

“Endymion.” He soon followed that volume up with “Isabella,” “Lamia,” and “The

Eve of St Agnes,” which was published in 1820. These collections included his great

odes, and also his ambitious Romantic piece “Hyperion,” that gained its inspiration

from a Greek myth. The Odes, constitute the highest poetic achievement of John

Keats.

Keats’ Poetry

Keats’ sensuousness is the most striking characteristic of his entire poetry. All his

poems including his great odes contain rich sensuous appeal. The Odes, which

represent the highest poetic achievement of Keats, are replete with sensuous

pictures. Now, we will discuss his sensuousness with examples of his various Odes

and poems in detail.

“Ode to Nightingale” is one of the most remarkable poems describing Keats’

sensuousness. In the second stanza of this ode, there is a description of the gustatory

sensation of drinking wine. There are references to the visual and auditory senses

too. The poet also paints the picture of a drunken whose mouth is purple stained

because of the red wine he has drunk:

“With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,

And purple-stained mouth,”

“Ode to autumn” is considered to be the perfect embodiment of concrete sensuous

experience. The poem gives a graphic description of the season with all its variety

and richness. The whole atmosphere and the mood of the season are presented

through sensuous imagery and descriptions:

“with fruits the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples and moss’d cottage-trees,

And fill all fruits with ripeness to the core.”

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The Ode to Psyche contains a lovely picture of Cupid and Psyche lying in an

embrace in the deep grass, in the midst of flowers of varied colors:

“Mid hush’d, cool-rooted flowers, fragrant-eyed.”

In his eyes, the world is cruel and the only option we have is escapism. Through his

poetry, he wants to prove that pains of life cannot be competed, therefore, escapism

is the only choice. The world is barren and colorless, whereas imagination is full of

colors. In imagination he forgets worries of life and can do anything that he wants;

even such things which are impossible in real life. Escapism is the most important

ingredient of romantic poetry. It is available in the poetry of John Keats and makes

him the best romantic poet. When he fails to face harsh realities of life, he seeks

refuge in his imagination, where he creates a world of his own. He enjoys the

company of birds, flowers, landscapes, mountains and rivers in his imagination. For

example, in “Ode to Nightingale”, he creates his imaginative world where he enjoys

sweet eternal song of nightingale which provides peace to his mind and harmony to

his soul.

Where youth grows pale and specter-thin an dies,

Where but to think if to be full of sorrows,

And leaden-eyed despairs.”

Thus, Keats always selects the objects of his description and imagery with a keen

eye on their sensuous appeal. This sensuousness is the principal charm of his poetry.

Keats’ imagination increases the importance of beauty and in his imagination, he

goes beyond the senses. He talks about those things, which he has never experienced

in his life. In one of his poems, he writes: “Heard melodies are sweet, but those

unheard are sweeter”. Further, he declares beauty a truth when he writes: “Beauty

is truth and truth beauty, –that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to

know.” Thus, undoubtedly, he is a great lover of beauty and avails every opportunity

to praise it. Quests for beauty also helps John Keats to stand apart from his rival

romantic poet.

Love for Ancient Greeks and medieval literature is apparent in John Keats His

love for Greeks is highly appreciated by many other poets of his era. In many of his

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poems, he talks about Greeks’ spirits and culture. Viewing the love of John Keats

for Greeks, Shelley said: “Keats was a Greek”. He reads Greek classics due to which

his interest in their culture increases. Besides, he also loves their art. “Ode to Grecian

Urn” is a naked example of his love for Greeks. He compares art with mortality in

this ode. He calls art immortal and humans mortals. Art, he says, will remain forever,

whereas humans will fade and pale one day.

Like all Romantic poets, Keats also loves nature and elements related to it. He

converts natural objects into beauty. An ordinary thing becomes extraordinary when

it passes from the eyes of John Keats. He has an unbelievable power to create words

from natural elements.

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By: Prof. Sunita Sinha

Head, Department of English

Women’s College Samastipur

L.N.M.U., Darbhanga

Email: drsunitasinha@gmail.com

Website: www.sunitasinha.com