Poetry Unit II

1
Poetry Unit II

• Augustans Early 1600s to Mid 1700s
• Romantic Poetry Mid/Late 1700s to Early 1800s
• American Transcendentalism Early to Late 1800s
• Symbolists Early/Mid 1800s to Late
  1800s/Early 1900s

• What defines the poetry of this period from other
  poetry?
• Is there a specific form, style, theme, etc.?
• Find a poem from this period and point out the
  elements of the time period that are typical in
  the poem itself.
• Who are the notable poets of this period?

2
For Example Metaphysical Poetry

• Metaphysical poetry is a mostly 17th century
  English poetic mode that breaks with earlier
  Renaissance ideas about romantic poetry. Instead
  of following in the footsteps of the troubadours
  and Petrach and Shakespeare, who often wrote love
  poetry that placed the object of their poems on a
  pedestal, metaphysical poems often exhibit
  introspective meditations on love, death, God,
  and human frailty. The poets John Donne, George
  Herbert, and Andrew Marvell are notable in this
  period.
• Wit, irony, paradox, the metaphysical conceit,
  huge shifts in scale, and the sonnet typify the
  form and style of this period.