Romanticism or A Romantic Age in English literature is roughly defined as the period from the late 18th to the mid-19th century.
During this period, artistic and intellectual sensibilities shifted, emphasizing emotion, imagination, and individualism. Romanticism developed in response to the Enlightenment, which emphasized reason and rationality. It was the Romantics who sought to explore the depths of human emotion and experience.
In the Romantic period, writers valued intense emotion and explored personal feelings as a means of finding genuine expression. It was believed that imagination was a powerful tool for connecting with the sublime and the supernatural.
In Romantic literature, nature played a central role. It was often the beauty of nature that inspired poets and writers to depict human emotions in their works. In Romantic works, the sublime was a recurring theme. It evoked awe and terror.
During the Romantic Era, the individual was celebrated, and personal experiences were emphasized. In their work, they explored themes of self-discovery, identity, and individual consciousness, examining the unique qualities of the human mind and soul.
It was common for Romantic poets to criticize industrialization and urbanization for their negative effects. As a result, they often idealized rural settings and the pre-industrial past in search of a simpler, more authentic way of life.
The Romantics
The Romantics were fascinated with folklore, myth, and medieval literature. Their inspiration came from pre-modern, mythical worlds, which offered a connection to the past.
During the Romantic period, the Gothic genre experienced a revival. Mary Shelley (“Frankenstein”) and Bram Stoker (“Dracula”) explored supernatural, horror, and macabre themes.
The Romantic movement included some writers who addressed contemporary social and political issues. A number of factors influenced their works, such as the Napoleonic Wars, the French Revolution, and social injustices of the time. The politics and social views of Lord Byron were often expressed in his poetry.
The Romantic poets were at the forefront of the movement, including William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. The poets often celebrated the natural world, love, and imagination in their poetry.
There was also a flourishing of prose fiction during this time. A few notable works include Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Jane Austen’s novels, and Sir Walter Scott’s historical novels. There was a profound and lasting impact on literature due to the Romantic movement, which influenced subsequent literary movements. Moreover, it laid the foundation for later developments in literature and art due to its emphasis on individualism, emotion, and imagination.
A Romentic Period
A romantic period is characterized by the work of two generations of writers. In the first generation, people were born in the thirty and twenty years preceding 1800; in the second generation, people were born in the last decade of the 1800s. In the first generation, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Scott, Southey, Blake, Lamb, and Hazlitt were the most prominent writers. It falls between the two generations to write about Thomas De Quincey, who was born in 1785.
In the second generation are Keats and Shelley, as well as Byron, who was older than they were. It is ironic that the careers of all three writers were cut short by death, so that the writers of the first generation were still on the literary scene after the writers of the second generation had disappeared. In addition to their letters, most of the second romantic generation’s authors were poets. In addition, the writers of the first generation, with the exception of Blake, all achieved literary fame during their lifetimes. Of the second generation of romantic writers, only Byron enjoyed fame while alive, more than any other writer, with the possible exception of Scott, but Keats and Shelley had comparatively few readers. In the Victorian era, Keats and Shelley came to be recognized as major romantic poets.
There was a great deal of creative innovation and deep exploration of the human experience during the Romantic Age in English literature. It is still admired and studied for the enduring themes and contributions made to the literary canon during this period. As a result of Romanticism, architectural styles were imitated and eccentric buildings were constructed, called “follies.” The Romantic imagination was attracted to medieval Gothic architecture in England and Germany, resulting in the Gothic Revival.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the approximate time frame of the Romantic Age in English literature?
- How did Romanticism emerge as a response to the Enlightenment?
- What were the key emphases of Romantic literature, particularly in terms of emotion, imagination, and individualism?
- Why did Romantic poets often criticize industrialization and urbanization?
- What role did nature play in Romantic literature, and how was the sublime depicted in their works?
- How did Romantic writers celebrate the individual, and what themes did they explore regarding self-discovery and identity?
- What genres experienced a revival during the Romantic period, and can you name some notable works in those genres?
- Which poets were at the forefront of the Romantic movement, and what were common themes in their poetry?
- How did the Romantic movement influence subsequent literary movements, and what was its lasting impact on literature and art?
- Who were the prominent writers in the first and second generations of the Romantic period, and what distinguished their literary contributions?
- Why is the career trajectory of the second generation of Romantic writers considered ironic?
- How did the recognition of Keats and Shelley as major Romantic poets evolve over time, especially during the Victorian era?
- What architectural styles and constructions were influenced by Romanticism, and what is an example of such eccentric buildings?
- What term is used to describe the creative innovation and deep exploration of human experience during the Romantic Age in English literature?
- How did the Romantic imagination influence architectural styles, particularly in the Gothic Revival?