Romantic Movement/Romanticism:
The Romantic movement in English literature, roughly spanning from the 1790s to the 1830s,
emphasized emotion, imagination, individualism, and a deep reverence for nature, emerging as a
rebellion against the rationalism of the Age of Enlightenment and the social upheavals of the Industrial
Revolution. Key figures like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge launched the movement
with Lyrical Ballads (1798), advocating for poetry as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” and
promoting common language and subjects. The movement also saw the rise of a second generation of
poets, including Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats, and established writers like Mary
Shelley, who explored themes of individual liberty and the power of nature.
Origins and Context
Reaction to Enlightenment:
Romanticism rejected the focus on reason and rationality that defined the Age of Enlightenment,
preferring a focus on the imagination and emotions.
Industrial Revolution:
The movement arose as a response to the social and environmental changes brought by the Industrial
Revolution, with writers critiquing its negative impacts and advocating for a return to nature.
Political Influence:
The ideals of the French Revolution, particularly those of individual freedom and human rights, also
deeply influenced Romantic writers.
Key Characteristics
Emotion over Reason:
Writers prioritized feelings, passions, and subjective experiences.
Nature as a Source of Truth:
Nature was seen as a spiritual, restorative force, offering a contrast to the artificiality of industrial society.
Individualism:
There was a strong focus on the individual’s inner life, subjective perspective, and personal freedom.
Imagination:
The imagination was celebrated as a powerful, creative force, often linked to supernatural or mystical
experiences.
Common Man and Language:
Romantic poets championed the use of everyday language and focused on the lives of ordinary people,
making poetry more accessible.
The major literary figures of the English Romantic Age (c. 1798–1837) include poets like William
Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats, alongside
novelist Mary Shelley and historical writer Sir Walter Scott. Key monumental works include Wordsworth
and Coleridge’s collaborative collection Lyrical Ballads, Keats’s odes such as Ode on a Grecian Urn,
Byron’s epic Don Juan, Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound, and Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein.
Key Literary Figures
William Blake is considered a Romantic poet for his emphasis on
imagination, individualism, nature, and liberty, which are core tenets of the
Romantic movement. His innovative “illuminated books” fused text with
art, featuring profound social commentary, mystical spirituality, and the
exploration of human experience through contrasts like innocence and
experience. He challenged the limitations of reason and industrial society,
advocating for spiritual and emotional freedom, making him a seminal and
influential figure of the era.
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
: Considered a foundational figure of English Romanticism, known for his focus on nature and the
common man.
Monumental Works: Lyrical Ballads (with Coleridge), “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
: A key figure of the first generation of Romantics, known for his exploration of the imagination and the
supernatural.
Monumental Works: Lyrical Ballads, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.
Lord Byron (1788-1824)
: A rebellious and influential poet, celebrated for his dramatic and exotic narratives.
Monumental Works: Don Juan, “She Walks in Beauty”.
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
: Known for his revolutionary spirit and lyrical poetry that celebrated individualism and freedom.
Monumental Works: “Ode to the West Wind,” Ozymandias, Prometheus Unbound.
John Keats (1795-1821)
: Celebrated for his rich imagery and deep appreciation for beauty and sensuousness.
Monumental Works: “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” “To Autumn”.
Mary Shelley (1797-1851)
: A novelist whose groundbreaking work explored the darker side of Romantic themes.
Monumental Works: Frankenstein.
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
: A Scottish writer of novels and narrative poems, famous for his historical settings and portrayal of
ordinary people.
Monumental Works: Ivanhoe, Rokeby.
William Cowper (1731–1800) is considered a crucial precursor and forerunner to the Romantic Age, not a
poet of the full-fledged Romantic era itself. He is noted for transforming 18th-century nature poetry by
focusing on the everyday life and the English countryside, a move away from the preceding Neo-Classical
style and a key element of Romanticism. His introspective approach to poetry, often influenced by his
struggles with mental illness, and his influence on later Romantics like Wordsworth and Coleridge solidify
his transitional role.
Key Themes and Characteristics
Emphasis on Nature:
A celebration of the beauty and spiritual power of the natural world.
Individualism and Emotion:
A focus on the individual experience, emotions, and imagination over reason and strict forms.
Imagination:
Valued as a divine power and a key aspect of the human mind.
Critique of Industrialization:
A reaction against the social changes and environmental impact of the Industrial Revolution.
Conclusion:
The Romantic Movement (roughly 1798-1837) was a profound literary and cultural shift in English
literature, characterized by its emphasis on emotion, imagination, individualism, and nature, serving as a
direct reaction against the rationality and strict conventions of the Enlightenment and the Industrial
Revolution. It introduced themes of the sublime, the supernatural, and the individual’s subjective
experience, utilizing more accessible language and forms like free verse. The movement’s legacy is
significant, as it fundamentally shaped literature by championing personal freedom, critiquing
industrialization, and exploring deep human experiences, which continues to resonate in art and culture.
