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Introduction To Unit and Romanticism

The document provides an overview of the unit on Romanticism that will be covered on the exam. It discusses the structure and content of the exam, which will have two sections. Section A focuses on post-2000 poetry and requires comparison of poems. Section B focuses on Romantic poetry and allows students to explore one named poem and one of their choice. It then provides context on Romanticism as a historical movement before introducing some of the major Romantic poets such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats that will be covered. It notes the canon has expanded to include more diverse writers.

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Duaa Saqri Ramahi
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77 views

Introduction To Unit and Romanticism

The document provides an overview of the unit on Romanticism that will be covered on the exam. It discusses the structure and content of the exam, which will have two sections. Section A focuses on post-2000 poetry and requires comparison of poems. Section B focuses on Romantic poetry and allows students to explore one named poem and one of their choice. It then provides context on Romanticism as a historical movement before introducing some of the major Romantic poets such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats that will be covered. It notes the canon has expanded to include more diverse writers.

Uploaded by

Duaa Saqri Ramahi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Romantics

Overview of unit
Introduction to Romanticism
The Exam
• This will be your third and final exam
• The exam is 2 hours 15 minutes long, and it is made up of two equally-weighted
sections

Section A – spend approx. 1 hour 15 mins on this section


• Post-2000 Poetry
• You will answer one question from a choice of two
• You will compare an unseen poem with a named poem from the anthology
• AO1, AO2 and AO4 are assessed

Section B – spend approx. 1 hour on this section


• Romantic poetry
• You will answer one question from a choice of two
• You will explore one named poem plus a poem of your choice
• AO1, AO2 and AO3 are assessed
The Exam
Introduction to Romanticism
Romanticism (with a capital ‘R’!) is the name given to a dominant
movement in literature and the other arts – particularly music and
painting – in the the period from the late 18th to the mid-19th
century:
• It is regarded as having transformed artistic styles and practices
• Like many other terms applied to movements in the arts, the word
covers a wide and varied range of artists and practices
• It is a retrospective term, applied by later literary, art and musical
historians (none of the artists we refer to as Romantics would have
so described themselves)
• It was a European phenomenon, particularly powerful in Britain,
France and Germany, but also affecting countries such as Italy, Spain
and Poland. There was also, to some extent, an American version of
the movement.
Central features of Romanticism
• An emphasis on emotional and imaginative spontaneity
• The importance of self-expression and individual feeling. Romantic poetry
is one of the heart and the emotions, exploring the ‘truth of the
imagination' rather than scientific truth. The ‘I' voice is central; it is the
poet's perceptions and feelings that matter.
• An almost religious response to nature. They were concerned that Nature
should not just be seen scientifically but as a living force, either made by a
Creator, or as in some way divine. Some of them were no longer Christian
in their beliefs. Shelley was an atheist, and for a while Wordsworth was
apantheist (the belief that god is in everything). Much of their poetry
celebrated the beauty of nature, or protested the ugliness of the growing
industrialization of the century.
• A capacity for wonder and consequently a reverence for the innocence of
childhood.
• An interest in and concern for the outcasts of society: tramps, beggars,
the poor and disregarded are especially evident in Romantic poetry.
• An idea of the poet as a visionary figure, with an important role to play as
prophet (in both political and religious terms).
Who were the Romantics?
All of the poets listed in ‘English Romantic Verse’ can be considered to be part of the
Romantic movement.

Some of the earlier poets in the anthology (such as William Blake and Robert Burns)
would be described as pre-Romantics.

We then have what is known as the first generation of Romantics. These are also
known as the Lake Poets because of their attachment to the Lake District:
• William Wordsworth
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• Robert Southey
• Charles Lamb (a poet but best known for his essays and literary criticism)
• Thomas de Quincey (best known as an essayist and critic; he wrote a series of
memories of the Lake Poets)

The second generation of Romantics included:


• George Gordon, Lord Byron
• Percy Bysshe Shelley
• John Keats
Who were the Romantics?
The poets named on the previous slide are those who, for
many years, dominated the Romantic canon – that group
of writers whose works were most commonly
republished, read, anthologised, written about and
taught in schools, colleges and universities.

More recently, however, a revised Romantic canon has


begun to emerge, which lays more emphasis on women,
working-class and politically radical writers of the period.

So the final Romantic poet we will study (and, shockingly,


the only female poet in your collection!) is Emily Brontë.

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