Assignment paper 105( History of English Literature)

Assignment writing: Paper 105( History of English Literature)

This blog is Assignment writing on Paper 105 (History of English Literature) assigned by Professor, Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Head of the English Department of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

Name: Nidhi Dave

Paper: History of English Literature

Roll no: 16

Enrollment no: 4069206420210005

Email ID: davenidhi05@gmail.com

Batch: 2021- 23( MA Semester 1)

Submitted to: Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

👉Chief Characteristic of Romantic Age:

• Individualism
• Glorification of Nature
• Return of Nature
• Awareness and Acceptance of Emotions
• Celebration of Artistic Creativity and Imagination
• Theme of solitude
• Focus on Exoticism and History
• Idealization of Women
• Emphasis on Aesthetic Beauty
• The age of symbols and Myths

⭐Introduction:

The Romantic Movement is marked by the two great events of this time:i) French Revolution (1789)and ii) the publication of 'Lyrical Ballad 1798' by Wordsworth and Coleridge. That is  why many critics think that the Romantic era starts with the publication of Lyrical Ballad. William. J. Long in his book 'English Literature it's History and significance for the Life of the English Speaking World' Says that Romantic Age is the second creative period of the English Literature. Romantic age covers the first half of the 19th century. This era starts under the region of king George lll and  ends with the region of Queen Victoria. During this time steel was one of the best materials of England. The causes of this threatened revolution were not political but economic. By her invention in steel and machinery, and by her monopoly of the carrying trade, England had become the workshop of the world. 

We can see the repid changes of the society through the literature  or through the art of particular time. And that is why it is said that 'Literature is mirror of society.' Here also we can see the repid changes of Romantic age among literature. Here are some basic characteristic of Romantic Age:

👉What Is Romanticism in Literature?

Popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Romanticism was a literary movement that emphasized nature and the importance of emotion and artistic freedom. In many ways, writers of this era were rebelling against the attempt to explain the world and human nature through science and the lens of the Industrial Revolution. In Romanticism, emotion is much more powerful than rational thought.

👉What Are the Characteristics of Romanticism in Literature?

Although literary Romanticism occurred from about 1790 through 1850, not all writers of this period worked in this style. There are certain characteristics that make a piece of literature part of the Romantic movement. You won’t find every characteristic present in every piece of Romantic literature; however, you will usually find that writing from this period has several of the key characteristics.

🔅Individualism:

  Romanticism emerged as a reaction against 'The Age of Enlightenment,' which emphasized on reason and logic. Pioneers of the Romantic period wanted to break away from the conventions of the Age of Enlightenment and make way for individuality and experimentation. This was the time when people start thinking about themselves. That is why this characteristic is one of the important characteristic of this age.

🔅 Glorification of Nature:

Nature, in all its unbound glory, plays a huge role in Romantic literature. Nature, sometimes seen as the opposite of the rational, is a powerful symbol in work from this era. Romantic poets and writers give personal, deep descriptions of nature and its wild and powerful qualities.

Natural elements also work as symbols for the unfettered emotions of the poet or writer, as in the final stanza of “To Autumn” by John Keats. Keats was aware that he was dying of consumption throughout much of his short life and career, and his celebration of autumn symbolizes the beauty in the ephemeral.

🔅Return to Nature:

Again, this is one of the important characteristic of the Romantic Age. We can also say that the whole age is marked by this characteristic. During this age the writer used the elements of nature to satire on the society.we think that romanticism is something related to the physical world.yes, it is but in a wilder way. Romanticism reflect the nature. Nature is  which we see around us like trees, plants, birds, animals, and sea etc. and also the nature of men. It includes both the meaning at a time. Through using the elements of nature the writers of this time tried to talk about the nature of human beings. Wordsworth's poem 'Deffodils' is the best example.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o' er vales and hills"

🔅Awareness and Acceptance of Emotions:

A focus on emotion is a key characteristic of nearly all writing from the Romantic period. When you read work of this period, you’ll see feelings described in all forms, including romantic and filial love, fear, sorrow, loneliness, and more. This focus on emotion offered a counterpoint to the rational, and it also made Romantic poetry and prose extremely readable and relatable.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein offers a perfect example of this characteristic of Romanticism. Here, Frankenstein’s monster shows great self-awareness of his feelings and offers a vivid emotional description full of anger and sadness.

🔅Celebration of Artistic Creativity and Imagination:

In contrast to the previous generations’ focus on reason, writers of the Romantic movement explored the importance of imagination and the creative impulse. Romantic poets and prose writers celebrated the power of imagination and the creative process, as well as the artistic viewpoint. They believed that artists and writers looked at the world differently, and they celebrated that vision in their work.

You can see this in William Wordsworth’s poem, “The Prelude."

Imagination—here the Power so called

Through sad incompetence of human speech,

That awful Power rose from the mind’s abyss

Like an unfathered vapour that enwraps,

At once, some lonely traveller. I was lost;

Halted without an effort to break through;

But to my conscious soul I now can say—

“I recognise thy glory:” in such strength

Of usurpation, when the light of sense

Goes out, but with a flash that has revealed

The invisible world…

🔅Themes of Solitude:

Writers of the Romantic era believed that creative inspiration came from solitary exploration. They celebrated the feeling of being alone, whether that meant loneliness or a much-needed quiet space to think and create.

🔅Focus on Exoticism and History:

Romantic-era literature often has a distinct focus on exotic locations and events or items from history. Poems and prose touch on antiques and the gifts of ancient cultures around the world, and far-away locations provide the setting for some literary works of this era.

One great example is Percy Byssche Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias."

I met a traveler from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

🔅Idealization of Women

In works such as Poe’s The Raven, women were always presented as idealized love interests, pure and beautiful, but usually without anything else to offer. Ironically, the most notable novels of the period were written by women (Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Mary Shelley, for example), but had to be initially published under male pseudonyms because of these attitudes. Much Romantic literature is infused with the concept of women being perfect innocent beings to be adored, mourned, and respected—but never touched or relied upon.

🔅Emphasis on Aesthetic Beauty

Romantic literature also explores the theme of aesthetic beauty, not just of nature but of people as well. This was especially true with descriptions of female beauty. Writers praised women of the Romantic era for their natural loveliness, rather than anything artificial or constrained.

A classic example of this characteristic is George Gordon, or Lord Byron’s, poem “She Walks in Beauty."

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

🔅The Age of symbols and Myths:

With all these characteristics this age is also marked especially for the myths and symbols used  by the writers during this time. Human was the centre and the symbol and the myths were  of the nature of this time. And  the symbols and Myths  were also taken seriously by the people of that time because it suggests many things.  Again I would like to give the example of John Keats and his ode 'Ode on a Grecian Urn.' In this ode he use many myths.

👉 Conclusion:

As no Romantic artist followed any strict set of rules or regulations, it is difficult to define the characteristic of this movement accurately. Some of these characteristics are reflected in the works of that period. Though many  writers and critics have called this movement "irrational,"it cannot be denied that it was an honest attempt to portray the world, especially the intricacies of the human nature,in a paradigm shifting way. In short, this was the time of celebration on self as well as the nature. And here I am summing up with Rousseau's statement that "Iam not made like anyone I have seen; I dare believe that I am not made like anyone in existence. If I am not superior, at least I am different."

Words Count: 2,531

Reference:

https://www.thoughtco.com/romanticism-definition-4777449

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/10-key-characteristics-of-romanticism-in-literature.html