The Romantics (1798-1832)

1. The Romantics (1798-1832)

2. ROMANTIC PERIOD… • The Romantic period started with the publication of Lyrical Ballads, • a collection of poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and • William Wordsworth. • It also was impacted by the transformation of England from an agricultural society to an industrial nation; people worked • 12 hour days, six days a week - some as young • as four years old. • Imagination was the only way to higher • knowledge for the poets known as • the Romantics.

3. The Romantic era was dominated by six famous poets. Each had his own special view of the creative power of the imagination and the ways in which the human mind is adapted to nature. BIG SIX POETS William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Percy Bysshe Shelley John Keats George Gordon, Lord Byron

4. Pre-Romantic poet: Robert Burns Scotsman. He was an important pre-Romantic writer. Not one of the BIG SIX!!! National poet of Scotland Scotland’s favorite son Known simply as the Bard His poem (and song) Auld Lang Syne is often sung at Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) “old long since” Robert Burns (1759-1796)

5. Should old acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind ?Should old acquaintance be forgot,and old times since ? CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !And surely I’ll buy mine !And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,for auld lang syne. CHORUS We two have run about the slopes,and picked the daisies fine ;But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,since auld lang syne. CHORUS We two have paddled in the stream,from morning sun till dine† ;But seas between us broad have roaredsince auld lang syne. CHORUS And there’s a hand my trusty friend !And give us a hand o’ thine !And we’ll take a right good-will draught,for auld lang syne. CHORUS Auld Lang Syne

6. “To a Mouse” • A plowman speaks to a mouse whose nest he has overturned. • The speaker recognizes his own human dilemma in the sudden disruption of the mouse’s shelter. • He pities the mouse and compares his life to his. • He considers the mouse more fortunate than humans because the mouse worries only about the present, while humans worry about the past and fear the future. • Written in a Scottish dialect. Listen to the rhythm and lilting Scottish dialect on tape…

7. Romantic Period

8. Romantic Period • Economic policy that kept the industrial revolution going was called laissez faire (let the people do as they please); let the businesses operate as they want without governmental interference. • As a result, the poets started writing lyric poetry and became the Romantics. What does romantic mean? At that time, it had nothing to do with sentimental writing. It was based on the romance genre of medieval literature. Romance writers questioned authority and sought change. They wanted to reform society, and in their writing, they were fascinated with youth, innocence, and idealism. • *In a basic sense, the term "Romanticism" has been used to refer to certain artists, poets, writers, musicians, as well as political, philosophical and social thinkers of the late 18th and early to mid 19th centuries. It has equally been used to refer to various artistic, intellectual, and social trends of that era.

9. January 25, 2009 marked 250 years since Scotland's national poet was born. Burn’s Night is celebrated every Jan. 25 and commemorates the life and works of Rabbie Burns. The night includes… Piping in the guests Chairman’s Welcome The Selkirk Grace Piping in the Haggis Address to the Haggis Toast to the Haggis The Meal The Drink The First Entertainment The Immortal Memory Toast to the Lassies The Final Entertainment Reply to the Toast to the Lassies Vote of Thanks Auld Lang Syne Suppers can range from an informal gathering of friends to a huge dinner full of pomp and circumstances. The Meal… Served with some suitable background music, the sumptuous Bill o' Fare includes the following: Starter Traditional cock-a-leekie soup Main course Haggis, neeps & tatties (Haggis wi' bashit neeps an' champit tatties) Sweet Clootie Dumpling (a pudding prepared in a linen cloth or cloot) or Typsy Laird (a Scottish sherry trifle); Cheeseboard with bannocks (oatcakes) and tea/coffee. Burn’s Night

10. ½ of the “Big Six Poets” William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge

11. William Blake (1757-1827) • A visual artist as well as a poet; He made illustrations of his poems. He is honored as much for his paintings as his poetry. • Received very little attention for his writing when living, but today is considered one of the greatest artists England ever produced • Readers thought he was weird, confused, or mad • Happily married, but often lived in poverty • He wrote poetry as well as painted, created drawings and engravings. In fact, he also printed much of his poetry himself using his own engraving methods. He made his living as an engraver. • His famous quote: “I will not Reason and Compare: My business is to create.” He sought to create imagination itself. He believed that every object and event on earth had mystical or spiritual meaning. He was fascinated with the Bible and his struggle to find answers to his questions. • Famous poems: “The Tyger” and “The Lamb” from his collection of poems entitled Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. • “The Tyger” is a famous apostrophe to a tiger. The speaker asks who could have made such a fearsome creature. The poem ends as it begins in fear of the tyger’s symbolism. • “The Tyger” is a powerful poem with a confusing symbol. Some think the tiger represents a strong revolutionary energy that can transform society. However, the poem’s speaker cannot comprehend such change and he wonders whether the tiger is demonic or godlike. • “The Lamb” asks the question who is his creator? But, this time answers the question. He says Christ made the lamb. The speaker identifies himself as a child and links himself to his own innocence. • The Lamb and the Tyger represent two contrasting states of the human soul. The tiger is fierce while the lamb is not.

12. From SONGS OF INNOCENCE by WILLIAM BLAKE THE LAMB   Little Lamb, who make thee   Dost thou know who made thee, Gave thee life, and bid thee feed By the stream and o'er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing, wolly, bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice?   Little Lamb, who made thee?   Dost thou know who made thee?   Little Lamb, I'll tell thee;   Little Lamb, I'll tell thee: He is called by thy name, For He calls Himself a Lamb He is meek, and He is mild, He became a little child. I a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by His name.   Little Lamb, God bless thee!   Little Lamb, God bless thee! The Lamb by William Blake

14. Tyger, tyger, burning bright In the forest of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could Frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire? And what shoulder and what art Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And, when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand and what dread feet? What the hammer?  What the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp? When the stars threw down their spears, And watered heaven with their tears, Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee? Tyger, tyger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry? The Tyger from Songs of Experience

15. Blake’s Art Jacob’s Ladder Angel of Revelation The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed of the Sun Ancient of Days

16. Lyrical Ballads • Lyrical Ballads is a collection of poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was first published in 1798 and generally is considered to have marked the beginning of the English Romantic movement in literature. • Critics were not very impressed, but it became and remains a landmark, changing the course of English literature and poetry. • Most of the poems in the 1798 edition were written by Wordsworth, with Coleridge contributing only four poems to the collection, including one of his most famous works “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

17. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) • Considered the greatest writer since John Milton (Paradise Lost). • Stopped writing about age 35; Became Poet Laurette of England (1843); died at age 80 • Grew up in the Lake District of northern England, between London and Scotland • Attended Cambridge where he developed ideas about MAN and NATURE • After college, traveled to France to learn the language, where he became involved with French Revolution • Became a poet and wrote about man and nature. He believed that man passed thru several stages of life. Believed man did not understand nature in infancy and youth. A child enjoys, a youth ignores, and a mature man looks back and enjoys nature • Moved into a rent-free house in England with sister Dorothy, his constant companion, who became the most important influence of his life. Eventually married Mary Hutchinson, but sister lived with them • Met his friend Samuel Coleridge; they compiled Lyrical Ballads about ages 25-28 • He wrote spontaneously about his personal feelings in a flowing blank verse. Often wrote in apostrophes (a conversation with a silent listener or absent person) • HE WROTE: “Lines composed above Tintern Abbey” about a ruined abbey. He composed it quite easily and memorized it on a 5-day walking tour with his sister in the Wye River Valley in Wales. It is a reflection of what the valley means to the speaker. He first describes the physical beauty of the valley, seen after a five-year absence. Then he explains how his youthful impression has given way to a mature deeper and more contemplative appreciation. He says his memory of this beautiful place can lift his spirits at any time. Finally, he addresses his sister and says her presence makes it more special to him. *

18. Samuel Taylor Coleridge(1772-1834) • Of all the Romantic poets, most students enjoy the works of Coleridge the most! Most popular with your age! • He is a genius. He has immense imagination. • Addicted to opium. He took laudanum (opium) to relieve pain of arthritis. It was an addiction he was never able to shake…and a source of misery, both physical and spiritual. • Wanted to start a utopian society in America; never happened, but married a girl named Sarah. He didn’t know her very well but they shared beliefs. Every time he came home she got pregnant. • Met Wordsworth on one of his walks • Wrote “Kubla Khan” in an opium drugged sleep. When he awoke he could only remember a fragment of it. In this poem, Coleridge asserts the supremacy of imagination. He is trying to capture dreams in this poem. The speaker states that Chinese emperor Kubla Khan (the grandson of Genghis Khan), built a majestic pleasure dome in Xanadu with gardens, forests, and winding streams. Amid the noise, Khan hears voices prophesying war. The speaker then turns his attention to an Abyssinian maiden. He claims that if he could recapture her music, he could rebuild the pleasure dome at Xanadu, arousing people’s fear and awe. • This poem is challenging to the imagination. It is like a strange dream. The dream poem contains allusions to the deepest human desires – for pleasure, order, beauty, awe, even war. • Xanadu is an imaginary place. • Wrote “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” A literary ballad that tells a story. It explores the torment that guilt can put on the human soul. The principal characters are the Mariner and the wedding guest to whom he tell his tale. *There is no explanation for the killing of the albatross • Look for the moral of the story and themes.

19. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner relates the events experienced by a mariner (sailor) on a long sea voyage. The Mariner stops a man who is on the way to a wedding ceremony, and begins to recite a story. • The Wedding-Guest's reaction turns from bemusement to impatience and fear to fascination as the Mariner's story progresses, as can be seen in the language style: for example Coleridge uses narrative techniques such as personification and repetition to create either a sense of danger, of the supernatural or serenity, depending on the mood of each of the different parts of the poem. • The Mariner's tale begins with his ship departing on its journey. Despite initial good fortune, the ship is driven south off course by a storm and eventually reaches Antarctica. An albatross appears and leads them out of the Antarctic, but even as the albatross is praised by the ship's crew, the Mariner shoots the bird - (with my cross-bow / I shot the albatross). • The crew is angry with the Mariner, believing the albatross brought the South Wind that led them out of the Antarctic - (Ah, wretch, said they / the bird to slay / that made the breeze to blow). However, the sailors change their minds when the weather becomes warmer and the mist disappears.

20. TheOther Half of The Big Six

21. Cousin killed in battle, became Baron Byron of Rochdale when he was 10 Determined to prove himself in every way Very handsome, but born with lame (with a club foot), tendency towards obesity Scandalous love affairs, concerned only for himself, ostracized from society; left England never to return Friend of Percy Shelley and his wife Mary died at age 36 from fever in Greece *Wrote “She Walks in Beauty” pg. 844 – the speaker describes a beautiful woman he sees at a ball who has the best aspects of everything bright and dark and projects beauty, innocence, and peacefulness. The beautiful woman is compared to nature. It deals with external and internal beauty. What is the Byronic Hero? pg. 848 George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824)

22. One of the principal poets of the English Romanticmovement during the early 19th century. His short life was plagued with sickness. Barely over 5 feet tall. Died at age 25 of tuberculosis Wrote poems filled with emotional experiences and courageous hope; truth and beauty. Wrote a series of odes that were his masterpieces (a long, serious lyric poem often addressed to a praised object or person) Nearly all odes include the literary device apostrophe “Ode on a Grecian Urn” –pg. 872 = Keats uses apostrophe to address figures of young lovers caught in a merry chase who are painted on a Grecian urn He finds the romantic ideals of truth and beauty in the vase.; uses repetition to call attention to particular ideas and rhetorical questions (no answer is expected because the answer is obvious) to evoke an emotional response in the reader John Keats ( 1795-1821)

23. Black sheep of a very affluent family Wrote a pamphlet on atheism that got him expelled from Oxford Married Harriet Westbrook, but abandoned her to run away with Mary Godwin Harried drowned herself; England scorned him; he and Mary left England Married Mary, she wrote Frankenstein, at age 18, during 4 year marriage At 29, Shelley drowned when his sailing boat sank off coast of Italy Wrote “Ozymandias” – pg. 858 -a sonnet about Ramses II, the Egyptian pharaoh,w ho reigned for 67 years and had 52 sons. It deals with the theme “pride goeth before the fall.” *Wrote “Ode to the West Wind” – pg. 854 -a lyrical poem which pays homage to the wind that influences the leaves, clouds, seas, and oceans. Shelley wishes his influence could be spread just like the wind. Percy Bysshe Shelley(1792-1822) Percy Bysshe Shelley MaryWollstonecraftShelley

24. Why it Matters… Many of Romanticism’s core values such as the spiritual power of nature, the importance of the imagination, and the dignity of the artist have influenced today’s creative arts programs. Romanticism shaped American literature and inspired writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville. Why it Matters… Many of Romanticism’s core values such as the spiritual power of nature, the importance of the imagination, and the dignity of the artist have influenced today’s creative arts programs. Romanticism shaped American literature and inspired writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville.