1 / 14

Romantic Poetry— Blake and Coleridge

Romantic Poetry— Blake and Coleridge. World Literature 2 Fall 2005 Dr. Whipple. What do we mean by “Romantic?”. Not mushy Not (always) about love ABOUT nature ABOUT experience ABOUT deep feelings (about things) AGAINST modernism, mass technology, soullessness

Lucy
Download Presentation

Romantic Poetry— Blake and Coleridge

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Romantic Poetry—Blake and Coleridge World Literature 2 Fall 2005 Dr. Whipple

  2. What do we mean by “Romantic?” • Not mushy • Not (always) about love • ABOUT nature • ABOUT experience • ABOUT deep feelings (about things) • AGAINST modernism, mass technology, soullessness • AGAINST rationalistic takeover • NONCONFORMIST—in poetry, social and sexual relations, in spirituality, in politics (When we mention poetry to people, this is often the kind of poetry they think of…)

  3. Romanticism & the Enlightenment • Revolt against aristocratic social and political institutions—not unlike Enlightenment • Fulfillment of promise of Enlightenment • Romantic musical movement (Beethoven, for example) • Throwing off Classical models, more direct, simple, style derived from folk speech • Utopian social thought—French Revolution • But…

  4. Romanticism in Art • Temeraire (Turner) • Salisbury Cathedral (Constable)

  5. Nationalism • Folk speech—plebeian poets • National languages • Celebration of folklore, cultural identity • Geography as determiner of national identity • J. G. Fichte: “Those who speak the same language are joined to each other by a multitude of invisible bonds by nature herself…” • National movements in Greece, Belgium, Italy, Americas (N and S), Germany between 1776-1870

  6. Nature • Reaction, in part, to and against the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution (Blake’s “…dark satanic mills”) • Nobility of nature (idea of noble savage) • Industrial revolution represented progress to some, bad things to others • The world is changing • Concept of idyll

  7. Freedom (a la the Romantic poets) • Freedom of spirit • Freedom of conscience • Freedom of action • Freedom from conventional artistic aesthetic • Freedom from social restraints • The suffering of the Artist for the Art • apotheosis • Poetic experience as ultimate culmination • Imagination as ultimate authority

  8. Major poets, major poems • Samuel Taylor Coleridge (“Kubla Kahn”, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”) • William Blake (“The Tyger”, “Jerusalem”)

  9. William Blake (1757-1827) • The first “multimedia” poet; revered for his poetry and his art • Wrote, illustrated, engraved, and printed his own books—total control over the experience of reading his work • Elements (ha!) of mysticism in his art and poetry; claims to have had visions from childhood. • Elemental themes—redemption, renewal, the new Jerusalem, God, God in nature • Imagination over the materialism and rationalism of the 18th century

  10. Blake and the mind… • This is your brain…

  11. This is your brain after you’ve read BLAKE!

  12. Blake Links • Blake’s “Jerusalem” in a modern context (BBC) • William Blake Archive • “Jerusalem” RealAudio file (and other quintessentially English tunes…) • “Garden of Love” mp3 file • Picture of the Tyger (Blake) • Website of “Tyger studies”

  13. Coleridge (1772-1838) • Yes, he did drugs. Specifically, opium. • DeQuincey, Confessions of an English Opium Eater. • Kubla Khan—allegedly written in a drug trance, broken when a friend interrupted him—poem is unfinished • Rime of the Ancient Mariner

  14. Coleridge Links • Rime of the Ancient Mariner (read aloud) • Kubla Kahn (read aloud)

More Related