Romanticism

• What was Romanticism a revolt against?

  Science, authority, materialism, and discipline
• What did Romanticism affirm?

  Individuality, imagination, and national heritage
• What was Romanticism a natural reaction to?

  The strictures of the 18th century
• From what forces did Romanticism emerge?

  The same forces that gave rise to the American and French Revolutions
• What years are commonly associated with the English Literature period of Romanticism?

  1798-1832
• How did Romantic writers believe the world should be viewed?

  Through the heart, not the mind
• What did writers long for during the Romantic period?

  The simplicity and purity of the past
• What new perspective did Romanticism offer?

  A focus on nature and 'common people'
• What was the Romantic writers' response to industrialization?

  A deep attachment to nature
• What year is customarily set as the beginning of Britain's Romantic Age?

  1798
• Who published "Lyrical Ballads"?

  William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• What themes did Romantic writers concern themselves with?

  The primitive, the bizarre, the irregular, and the unique
• How did Romantics view the individual in relation to society?

  The individual was far more interesting than society
• What was of primary concern to the Romantics?

  The individual’s relationship to nature
• How did Romantics perceive society compared to nature?

  Society was seen as problematic and corrupt, while nature was vital and nurturing
• What are the key differences between Classicism/Rationalism and Romanticism?

  Classicism/Rationalism:

  • Scientific observation and logic
  • Concerned with society as a whole
  • Followed standards and traditions
  • Optimistic about the present

  
  

  Romanticism:

  • Examination of inner emotions and imagination
  • Concerned with the individual and common people
  • Desired radical change and favored democracy
  • Felt that nature should be untamed
• How did Romanticism define poetry?

  As the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”
• What does "Poetry takes origin from emotion recollected in tranquility" mean?

  Poetry originates from emotions that are reflected upon in a calm state
• What should poetry deal with according to Romanticism?

  “Incidents and situations from common life”
• How does the poet present ordinary things according to Romanticism?

  With a certain coloring of imagination to present them in an unusual way
• What does Romanticism incorporate in poetry?

  Human passions with the beautiful and permanent forms of nature
• How is nature viewed in Romanticism?

  As a wild, free force that inspires poets
• What are the key concepts of Romanticism?

  • Nature: Interest in untamed and disorderly scenery
  • Spontaneity and Natural Genius: Emphasis on spontaneous thought and action
  • Poet-prophet: A person with a special faculty setting them apart
  • Imagination: The poet's unique gift and man's important endeavor
• What is the core essence of Romanticism?

  • Defiance of the establishment
  • Buttressing of individualism
  • Development of individualism in poetry
  • Embrace of the natural world in poetic form
• What themes did many Romantic poets revere in their works?

  Idealism, emotional passion, and mysticism