English Romanticism: Key Concepts, Authors, and Literary Movements
The Importance of Individualism in Romanticism
There was a new emphasis on the significance of the individual. The Romantics saw individuals essentially in a solitary state. They exalted the atypical, the outcast, and the rebel.
The Gothic Novel: Themes and Characteristics
An increasing interest in individual consciousness revealed itself in fiction. It was marked by a taste for the strange and the mysterious, an impulse for freedom and escape from the ‘ugly world,’ and the fear of the triumph of evil and chaos over good and order. The interest in this kind of novel, often called the *Gothic novel*, was immense and common to all social classes. Gothic novels aimed to arouse fear in the reader.
The setting of Gothic novels was influenced by the concept of the Sublime, often featuring ancient locations like isolated castles. Most important events take place during the night, as darkness is a powerful element used to create an atmosphere of oppression and mystery. The Gothic hero is usually isolated, either voluntarily or involuntarily.
Understanding the Sublime in 18th-Century Aesthetics
The distinction between the Beautiful and the Sublime became a main theme of 18th-century aesthetics. For Burke, the Sublime is ‘whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain and danger […] or operates in a manner analogous to terror.’ He argued that terror and pain are the strongest emotions and that there is an inherent pleasure in such feelings. Whatever provoked these emotions could be defined as Sublime.
Romantic Poetry: Core Characteristics
At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, English Romanticism saw the prevalence of poetry, which best suited the need to express emotional experience and individual feelings.
The Romantic Imagination and Poetic Vision
Imagination gained a primary role in the process of poetic composition. Thanks to the ‘eye of the imagination,’ Romantic poets could see beyond surface reality and discover a truth beyond the powers of reason. The poet was seen as a visionary prophet or a teacher whose task was to mediate between humanity and nature, to point out the evils of society, and to give voice to the ideals of freedom, beauty, and truth.
The Figure of the Child in Romanticism
There was a serious interest in the experience and insights of childhood. Childhood was considered a temporary state, a necessary stage in the process leading to adulthood. To a Romantic, a child was purer than an adult because they were unspoiled by civilization. Their uncorrupted sensitivity meant they were even closer to God and the sources of creation; therefore, childhood was a state to be admired.
The Romantic View of Nature
There was a revolution in the concept of nature. The classical view of nature as an abstract object, a set of divine laws and principles established by God, was slowly replaced by the view of nature as a real and living being. Romantic poets regarded nature as a living force and, in a pantheistic vein, as the expression of God in the universe. Nature became a main source of inspiration, comfort, and joy.
Two Generations of English Romantic Poets
The great English Romantic poets are usually grouped into two generations.
The poets of the first generation, **William Wordsworth** and **Samuel Taylor Coleridge**, were characterized by their attempt to theorize about poetry. While planning the *Lyrical Ballads*, they agreed that Wordsworth would write on the beauty of nature and ordinary things with the aim of making them interesting for the reader. Coleridge, instead, would deal with visionary topics, the supernatural, and mystery.
The poets of the second generation, **Lord Byron** and **Percy Bysshe Shelley**, experienced political disillusionment, which is reflected in their poetry. Their works often explored themes of individualism, escapism, and the alienation of the artist from society.
William Blake: A Romantic Forerunner
The poet **William Blake** can be regarded as a forerunner of Romantic poetry because of his interest in social problems and his unique use of symbols.
Blake’s ‘London’ Poem Analysis
The poem conveys Blake’s view of the suffering brought by industrialization. This poem is significant for showing the negative aspects of industrialization and how society and nature are controlled by economic interests. It depicts the victims of the era, such as the chimney sweepers, who represent workers living in poor conditions. Then there are the civilians called to war, the soldiers, and the harlot, an unlucky woman.
Mary Shelley: Life, Works, and Legacy
**Mary Shelley** was born in London in 1797. She was the daughter of two radical thinkers: **William Godwin** and **Mary Wollstonecraft** (a proto-feminist), who died shortly after her birth. This event profoundly shaped her life, and her father’s later remarriage caused her great suffering.
Mary did not receive any formal education, but she received great intellectual stimulus; in fact, her father’s house was a meeting point for famous philosophers, writers, and poets, such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
In 1814, Mary met the poet **Percy Bysshe Shelley**, and the two began a relationship. The two lovers eloped to France and then Switzerland, but they had to return to England due to financial problems.
In Switzerland, Mary conceived the idea for the book that would make her famous: *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus*, which was published anonymously in 1818. The book was a great success.
After her husband died in 1822, Mary Shelley returned to England with her son, where she continued to write novels, among them *Valperga* (1823), a historical novel set in Medieval Italy, and *The Last Man* (1826). She died in London in 1851.
Frankenstein: Plot, Themes, and Impact
The plot of the novel is quite simple: **Victor Frankenstein**, a Swiss scientist, manages to create a human being by joining parts selected from corpses. The monster becomes a murderer, and in the end, he destroys his creator. The monster is depicted as depressed, empty, and lonely.
William Wordsworth: Poet of Nature and Humanity
The Relationship Between Humanity and Nature
Rather than a precise and objective observation of natural phenomena, his poetry offers a detailed account of the complete interaction between humanity and nature, including the influences, insights, emotions, and sensations that arise from this contact. Wordsworth believed that humanity and nature are inseparable: humanity exists not outside the natural world but as an active participant in it.
The Poet’s Task and Style
The poet possesses great sensibility and an ability to ‘see into the heart of things.’ The power of imagination enables the poet to communicate this knowledge.
Wordsworth’s ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’
The poet states that he has seen the most beautiful scene on Earth while passing over Westminster Bridge early in the morning. Only those who are dull or lack any taste for beauty could pass by without appreciating the wonder of the sight. The poet compares the city of London to a lady wearing the beauty of the morning like an elegant dress. This beauty is due to the early hour, as the city is still sleeping. The setting is silent because of the early hour. The word ‘smokeless’ means that neither the typical London fog nor the smoke from the chimneys can obscure the sunlight. The poet states that this vision of London makes him feel calm. Even the river is described as a patient person who takes its time and flows without rushing. It moves according to ‘its own sweet will.’ The houses are personified as asleep, but it is the people inside them who are sleeping at this early hour. The city looks like one big, peaceful, sleeping body. ‘Its heart is lying still’ for the moment, before the city awakens for a new working day.