Page |1 NOTES ON HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE THE ROMANTIC AGE (1798-1830) THE ROMANTIC REVIVAL Introduction: The Romantic period is the most fruitful period of the history of English literature. The revolt against the classical trends which was started by writers like Gray, Cowper, Burne, Blake etc. reached its climax in this period. This age is famous for its outstanding poetry. Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats and Byron belong to this age. This age started in 1798 with the publication of “Lyrical Ballads”. The literary work includes some of the best poems of Wordsworth and Coleridge. They worked in collaboration to highlight the essentials of the new form of poetry which was direct opposite to the pseudo-classical (false classical) poetry of the preceding age. The main points of the famous “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” were: 1. Poetry should relate the experience of common people. 2. The language of common people (villagers/folk) should be the vehicle of poetry because it is the most sincere expression of deepest passions and emotions. 3. The poetic diction should be simple and natural. Man’s deepest feelings cannot be confined to the strict medium of heroic couplets. 4. The poet should focus on the objects of Nature, not towns and cities. 5. Poetry should be the expression of the heart rather than the mind. 6. Poet should express sublime imagination and emotions as their role is inevitable in poetry as against the dry intellectualism. 7. Return to Elizabethans and Milton as literary models rather than Pope and Dryden. Romanticism v.s. French Revolution: The Romantic Movement took inspiration from French Revolution and American War of Independence which broke away with the social and political tyranny and which proclaimed liberty of individual or nation. Just as the liberty of individual was the watchword of French Revolution, liberty of nation from foreign domination was the watchword of American War of Independence; in the same way, liberty of poet from the tyranny of literary rules and conventions was the watchword of the Romantic Movement. The Romantic Revival: The Romantic movement is also termed as Romantic Revival; it is because all its characteristics—the liberty of the writer to choose the theme and form, the importance given to human emotions and imagination, the description of Nature and its impact etc. belonged to the literature of Elizabethan Age, which can be called the first Romantic age in English literature. The Page |2 poets of Romantic Age, therefore, looked back to Elizabethan masters—Shakespeare, Spenser and others, and took inspiration from them. First and Second Romantic Generation: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey and Walter Scott belong to the first romantic generation. In the poems that were included in the “Lyrical Ballads”, Wordsworth tried to prove that the commonplace things of life and the simple aspects of nature could be interesting if treated in the right manner. One impulse from a vernal wood May teach you more of man, Of moral evil and of good, Then all the sages can. Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; Our meddling intellect Misshapes the beauteous forms of things: We murder to dissect. Enough of science and of Art; Close up these barren leaves; Come forth, and bring with you a heart That watches and receives. (The Tables Turned—William Wordsworth) On the other hand, Coleridge’s poetry is characterized by supernatural elements (supernatural means beyond natural; things which do not exist in real life). He tried to present supernatural elements through his poetry in such a way that the readers tend to suspend their disbelief in them. In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. (Kubla Khan or A Vision in a Dream—Samuel Coleridge) Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey are generally remembered as the ‘Lake Poets’. Southey’s devoted himself in the exploration of the less known aspects of humanity—mythologies. He tried to present the prominent and poetical forms of mythologies through his literary works. Sir Walter Scott was not intimately associated with the Lake Poets. However, he contributed his love Page |3 for the past through his poetry, which also became one of the important characteristics of the Romantic Revival. The poets of the first romantic generation (Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey and Walter Scott) in their youth were inspired by the outburst of French Revolution which proclaimed the liberty of man and which demanded ‘Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality’. Their revolutionary ideas faded away when the French Republic converted itself into a military empire resulting in Napoleonic wars against England and other European countries. They turned their focus on mysticism, the glory of the past, love of nature, and the noble simplicity of the peasant race still sticking to the traditional values and virtues. These poets were not in conflict with the society they lived in. They sang about the feelings and emotions which were shared by majority of their countrymen. The second generation of romantic writers were Byron, Shelley, Keats, Leigh Hunt and Hazlitt. They emerged after Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815. They revolted against the reactionary spirit that was prevalent in England against the ideals of French Revolution. Consequently, they came in conflict with their social environment. Moreover, the war with France left England impoverish (economically weak) and the political and social agitation raised their heads again. Consequently, there was a lot of chaos and uneasiness (agitation) among the ordinary people who were suppressed by those who were in power. In such an atmosphere, the younger romantic generation renewed the revolutionary spirit and attacked the established order. Thus Romanticism in the second stage became a literature of social conflict. Both Shelley and Byron rebelled against the established norms and had to live in exile. Characteristics of Literature of the Age: Basically the poets of both generation shared the same literary ideals. They were innovators in form as well as in themes of their poetry. All of them, except Byron, showed disgust from pseudo-classical ideals and condemned specific poetical diction which was prevalent throughout eighteenth century. They rebelled against the tyranny of heroic couplets. All of them considered Elizabethan song writers as their masters and discarded Pope’s mechanical poetry. They preferred blank verse (iambic pentameter), stanzas or a variety of shorter lyrical meters. In the themes of their poetry, they allowed their imagination to cast its spell which was curbed by the Classicists. The prose writers of the Romantic Revival also broke the tradition of their predecessors. They discarded the shorter and lighter style of 18 th century. They stick to flowery, verbose, and poetic prose of the Renaissance. Much of the prose of the Romantic period was devoted to the critical study of literature, its theory and practice. The Romantic age is characterize by expression of excess of emotions. We can find the same aspect in the novels as well. These novels may seem oversentimental nowadays but they were far too popular among the readers at that time. Apart of sentimentalism, we can also find Page |4 supernatural elements and terrifying scenes in the novels. Mrs. Anne Radcliffe was the most popular writer of exaggerated romances. Sir Walter Scott used his genius in historical romance. Mary Shelley wrote a famous science fiction with frightening scenes. On the other hand, Jane Austen’s novels stand aloof from all the exaggerated stories of age. Her enduring works deal with the charming expression of everyday life. Romantic poets followed no formal poetic traditions. Classical poets, on the other hand, followed a standard nature and form of poetry. We can find the entire philosophy and artistic principles of the neo-classical poetry in the works of Pope and it can be applied to the whole Augustan poetry. But is difficult to find a common principle that links the poetry of the Romantic poets. It is because no age has produced such a variety of genius in the field of poetry. Each of the Romantic poets have concentrated on their individual talent and mastered it rather than imitating others. Thus, the uniformity of the classical age was broken and replaced by strong currents of change flowing in different directions. The only common characteristic we find in them was their love for unbridled imagination. This characteristic distinguishes the Romantics from the Classicists. The Classicists used poetry as a vehicle for the critical study of life. For Johnson, Pope, and Dryden, a poet is more an interpreter (of life) than a creator. They tried to presents attractively things we already know. The Romantics, by using their creative faculty (imagination), presented the commonplace things or ideas in an astonishingly different way. They thought curbing imagination would destroy something vitally necessary to the whole being of poetry. To me the meanest flower that blooms can give Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears. (Ode on Intimation of Immortality—Wordsworth) The Classicist focused on the visible world. Their poetry was a mechanical expression of things easily accessible to all, thus lacking the aspect of wonder. The Romantics, on the contrary, responded to the inner call of spirit in order to explore mysteries. They were inspired to take excursion to the unseen world which overwhelms most of their poetry. The greatest ability of the Romantics was to reveal the hidden truth (mystery) behind simple and commonplace things. Another similar trait of the Romantics was that they were all escapist; they were not satisfied with the world they lived in. Each created an ideal world of their own in which they took refuge from the harsh realities. Wordsworth took refuge in the objects of Nature and had strong faith in her like a faithful disciple. Coleridge turned his focus on the expression of objects and incidents supernatural. Shelley’s unorthodox views resulted in his exile; he was a clarion of absolute freedom. Keats focused on his sensuous expression of beauty. The Philosophy of Romantics: Page |5 The importance of imagination in poetry was emphasized by each of the Romantic poets in his own unique way. Each had his own philosophy of imagination. 1. For Coleridge, the world was inanimate and cold; it is the task of the poets to transform the dead world back to life through his imagination. The imagination of a poet is his creative ability, which resembles the creative power of God. 2. Wordsworth also shares the same view about the importance of imagination. Wordsworth differs from Coleridge in his idea of the external world. According to Wordsworth, the world is not dead but living and has its own soul. A man’s task is to enter into communion (relationship) with this soul and Nature could be the source of his inspiration. 3. Shelley also gave importance to imagination in his theory of poetry. He called poetry “the Expression of the Imagination” because, in poetry, diverse things are brought together into a harmonious whole instead of being separated through analysis. 4. Keats had intimate love for the visible world and his approach his highly sensuous. But he had a conviction that the ultimate reality is to be found through imagination. Conclusion: Summing up the chief characteristics of Romanticism as opposed to Classicism, whereas the Classical age was the age of prose, the Romantic age was the age of poetry which is the proper medium of expression of emotions and imaginative sensibility of an artist. The Romantic literature is the fusion of two faculties—imagination and sensibility. It is the most creative age of poetry which gave English literature the masterpieces like “The Ancient Mariner”, “Tintern Abbey”, “Ode to the Westwind”, “Ode to the Nightingale” and many more. The spirit of Romanticism is that literature should express all that is natural and spontaneous in Nature and in man by using fancy (imaginative expression of commonplace things with the purpose create wonder).
