AP English Literature

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AP English Literature

• THE ROMANTIC PERIOD
• 1785-1830

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A PERIOD OF GREAT CHANGE

• FOR CENTURIES ENGLAND HAD BEEN AN AGRICULTURAL
  SOCIETY W/ A POWERFUL LANDHOLDING ARISTOCRACY.

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PERIOD OF CHANGE (cont.)

• NOW THE COUNTRY WAS BEING TRANSFORMED INTO A
  MODERN INDUSTRIAL NATION OF LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYERS
  A GROWING, RESTLESS MIDDLE CLASS.

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THE POLITICAL CONTEXT

• THE AMERICAN FRENCH REVOLU-TIONS
• ECONOMIC INFLATION DEPRESSION
• THREATS TO THE EXISTING SOCIAL ORDER FROM NEW,
  REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS

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THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

• AT FIRST WIDELY SUPPORTED BY ENGLISH LIBERALS
  RADICALS, WHO ADVOCATED A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC FOR
  ENGLAND THROUGH EITHER PEACEFUL EVOLUTION OR
  POPULAR REVOLUTION.

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FRENCH REVOLUTION (cont.)

• AS THE REVOLUTION BECAME IN-CREASINGLY BLOODY,
  HOWEVER (CULMINATING IN THE REIGN OF TERROR),
  ENGLISH SYMPATHY WANED.

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FRENCH REVOLUTION (cont.)

• NAPOLEAN, THE CHAMPION OF THE REVOLUTION, HIMSELF
  BECAME A DICTATOR WHO WAS ULTIMATELY DEFEATED BY
  OTHER REACTION-ARY TYRANTS.

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CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND

• A TIME OF HARSH POLITICAL RE-PRESSION, IN SPITE
  OF THE NEED FOR POLITICAL CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT
  BY THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLU-TION.

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PHYSICAL SOCIAL CHANGES

• MILL TOWNS GREW.
• THE LANDSCAPE WAS INCREASINGLY SUBDIVIDED.
• FACTORIES SPEWED SMOKE POL-LUTION OVER
  EVER-EXPANDING SLUMS.
• THE POPULATION WAS INCREASING-LY DIVIDED INTO
  RICH POOR.

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LACK OF REFORM

• ECONOMIC POLITICAL REFORMS WERE SLOW TO OCCUR
  BECAUSE OF THE PREVAILING LAISSEZ-FAIRE (LET
  ALONE) PHILOSOPHY.

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Impact of Industrial Revolution on the Common
People

• THE MOST IMPORTANTASPECT OF THE I.R. WAS THE
  APPLICATION OF INDUSTRIAL PRINCIPLES OF
  PRODUCTION TO HUMAN WORK
• THE MACHINE BECAME A MODEL OF THE FACTORY
• ASSEMBLY LINES AND MASS PRODUCTION RESULTED FROM
  THIS DEVELOPMENT
• WORKING PEOPLE WERE PUT UNDER DANGEROUS AND
  DEHUMANIZING CONDITONS FOR LOW WAGES

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LACK OF REFORM (cont.)

• THE CONSEQUENCES WERE LOW WAGES FOR MOST WORKERS,
  HORRI-BLE WORKING CONDITIONS, LARGE-SCALE
  EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN CHILDREN IN CRUSHING
  OCCUPATIONS (SUCH AS COAL MIN-ING).

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LACK OF REFORM (cont.)

• IN THE FACE OF ECONOMIC DEPRES-SION
  TECHNOLOGICAL UNEM-PLOYMENT, WORKERS (WHO HAD NO
  VOTE) HAD TO RESORT TO PROTESTS RIOTS,
  INCURRING FURTHER RE-PRESSION.

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LACK OF REFORM (cont.)

• WHILE THE POOR OF ENGLAND SUFFERED, HOWEVER, THE
  LEISURE CLASS PROSPERED.

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THE PLIGHT OF WOMEN

• WOMEN OF ALL CLASSES WERE REGARDED AS INFERIOR TO
  MEN HAD ALMOST NO LEGAL RIGHTS.

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PLIGHT OF WOMEN (cont.)

• WOMEN WERE UNDEREDUCATED, HAD LIMITED VOCATIONAL
  OPPOR-TUNITIES, AND WERE SUBJECT TO A STRICT CODE
  OF SEXUAL CONDUCT.

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PLIGHT OF WOMEN (cont.)

• THOUGH THE CAUSE OF WOMENS RIGHTS WAS LARGELY
  IGNORED, REFORM OF MALE POLITICAL RIGHTS
  GRADUALLY MOVED FORWARD.

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ROMANTICISM

• A DIFFICULT TERM TO DEFINE BECAUSE OF THE VARIETY
  OF LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS, AND WRITERS OF THE
  PERIOD WERE ONLY LATER LABELED ROMANTIC.

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ROMANTICISM (cont.)

• BUT MANY HAD A SENSE OF THE SPIRIT OF THE
  AGETHAT A GREAT RELEASE OF CREATIVE ENERGY WAS
  OCCURING AS AN ACCOMPANIMENT TO POLITICAL AND
  SOCIAL CHANGE.

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ROMANTICISM (cont.)

• THE ROMANTIC PERIOD WAS SEEN BY MANY AS AN AGE OF
  NEW BEGINNINGS AND UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES.

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ENLIGHTMENT VS. ROMANTICISM

• ENLIGHTMENT ENSHIRNED REASON ROMANTICS
  CELEBRATED MADNESS
• ENLIGHTMENT CRITICIZED ENTHUSIASM AND DISTRUSTED
  THE EMOTIONAL SIDE OF HUMANITY ROMANTICS CALLED
  ON HUMANS TO TRUST THEIR INSTINCTS AND FEELINGS
• ENLIGHTENMENT BELIEVED SCIENCE WAS THE IDEAL OF
  HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT ROMANTICS EMPHASIZED POETRY

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ENLIGHTMENT VS. ROMANTICISM

• ENLIGHTENMENT EMPHASIZED PROGRESS ROMANTICS
  SOUGHT TO RETURN TO AN IDEALIZED PAST, WHILE ALSO
  REALIZING THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF SUCH A RETURN
• THEREFORE
• ROMANTICS REPLACED THE ENLIGHTENMENTS OPTIMISM
  WITH A SENSE OF TRAGEDY AND MELANCHOLIA

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THE BIG SIX OF ENGLISH ROMANTICISM

• WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-1827)
• WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770-1850)
• SAMUELTAYLOR COLERIDGE (1772-1834)
• GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON (1788-1824)
• PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY(1792-1822)
• JOHN KEATS (17951821)

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FATHERS OF ROMANTIC POETRY

• WORDSWORTH AND COLERIDGE PUBLISHED THE LYRICAL
  BALLADS IN 1798
• VOLUME CONTAINED TINTERN ABBEY (WORDSWORTH) AND
  RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER (COLERIDGE)

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POETIC THEORY PRACTICE

• WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770-1850) TRIED TO
  ARTICULATE THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW POETRY OF THE
  PERIOD IN THE PREFACE TO LYRICAL BALLADS (1800,
  1802).

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ROMANTIC POETRY

• THE ROMANTIC CONCEPTION OF POETRY WAS OF THE
  SPONTANEOUS OVERFLOW OF POWERFUL FEEL-INGS.

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ROMANTIC POETRY (cont.)

• THE ESSENCE OF POETIC CONTENT WAS SEEN AS THE
  MIND, EMOTIONS, AND IMAGINATION OF THE POET (NOT
  THE OUTER WORLD).

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ROMANTIC POETRY (cont.)

• THE FIRST-PERSON LYRIC POEM BE-CAME THE MAJOR
  LITERARY FORM OF THE ERA, WITH THE I OF THE
  POEM OFTEN REFERRING DIRECTLY TO THE POET.

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ROMANTIC POETRY (cont.)

• IN KEEPING WITH THIS, POEMS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT
  OF THE SELF BECAME A MAJOR POETIC FORM.

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ROMANTIC POETRY (cont.)

• ROMANTIC POETS ALSO OFTEN SAW THEMSELVES AS
  PROPHETS IN A TIME OF CRISIS, REVISING THE
  BIBLICAL PROMISE OF DIVINE REDEMPTION IN TERMS OF
  A HEAVEN ON EARTH.

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ROMANTIC POETRY (cont.)

• ROMANTICISM ALSO PLACES GREAT EMPHASIS ON THE
  CONCEPT OF POETIC SPONTANEITY FREEDOM.

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POETIC SPONTANEITY (cont.)

• IN THE ROMANTIC VIEW, THE INI-TIAL ACT OF POETIC
  COMPOSITION MUST ARISE FROM IMPULSE, BE FREE FROM
  RULES INHERITED FROM THE PAST, AND RELY ON
  INSTINCT, INTUITION, AND FEELING.

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ROMANTIC POETRY (cont.)

• ROMANTIC POETS ALSO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF
  ACCURATELY OBSERVING AND DESCRIBING NATURE, WHICH
  SERVES AS A STIMULUS TO THINKING AND TO THE
  RESOLUTION OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS AND CRISES.

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ROLE OF NATURE (cont.)

• IN ROMANTIC POETRY THE LAND-SCAPE IS OFTEN GIVEN
  HUMAN QUALITIES OR SEEN AS A SYMBOL SYSTEM
  REVEALING THE NATURE OF THE DIVINE.

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ROMANTIC POETRY (cont.)

• ROMANTIC POETS ALSO FREQUENT-LY GLORIFY THE
  COMMONPLACE.
• IN THIS PERIOD, HUMBLE, RUSTIC SUBJECT MATTER AND
  PLAIN STYLE BECAME THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT AND
  MEDIUM OF POETRY.

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THE COMMONPLACE (cont.)

• ROMANTIC POETS SOUGHT TO RE-FRESH READERS SENSE
  OF WONDER ABOUT THE ORDINARY THINGS OF LIFE, TO
  MAKE THE OLD SEEM NEW.

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ROMANTIC POETRY (cont.)

• IN SPITE OF THE ABOVE COMMENTS ABOUT GLORIFYING
  THE COMMON-PLACE, MANY ROMANTIC POEMS ALSO
  EXPLORE THE REALM OF MYSTERY AND MAGIC, THE
  STRANGE AND SUPERNATURAL.

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THE STRANGE (cont.)

• THESE KINDS OF POEMS OFTEN IN-CORPORATE MATERIAL
  FROM FOLK-LORE, SUPERSTITION, ETC. AND ARE SET IN
  FARAWAY PLACES OR THE DISTANT PAST.

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THE STRANGE (cont.)

• ROMANTIC POETS OFTEN SHOWED AN INTEREST IN
  UNUSUAL MODES OF EXPERIENCE, SUCH AS VISIONARY
  STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, HYPNO-TISM, DREAMS,
  DRUG-INDUCED STATES, AND SO FORTH.