Transcript The Romantic Period - Phoenix Union High School District

THE ROMANTIC
PERIOD
EMOTION AND EXPERIMENTATION
1798-1832
World Events
King Louis XVI of France is beheaded
 Thomas Jefferson is elected U.S. president
 Workday of pauper children limited to 12
hour days
 The Napoleonic Wars
 Antarctica is discovered
 Rosetta stone is deciphered
 Charles Darwin begins his expedition
 Slavery abolished in British Empire

The Rise of Romanticism


Unquestionably one of
the greatest cultural
influences on Europe
and the entire world
Romanticism was
strongest in Germany
(where it is believed to
have started)and
England, and slightly
less powerful in France,
Spain, and Italy.
What Brought About Romanticism

Unrest caused by the French
Revolution in 1789
 Liberty,
equality and
fraternity were French
revolutionary values
admired by many English,
excluding those in power.
The excesses of the Industrial
Revolution
 Widespread poverty and
oppression of workers

The Industrial Revolution
Little to nothing was done to solve the
problems of the impoverished/lower
classes
 Laissez Faire
 Let the people do what
they want, no
government involvement
 Deplorable working
conditions
 No child labor laws
 Low wages and unsafe conditions

What is Romanticism




In England, writers revolted against the order,
propriety and traditionalism of the Age of Reason
Lyrical Ballads launched this period in England
Emotion was more important than reason
Relationship with nature was a primary concern
Isolationism/Individualism




Strong feelings of being alone in
the world
Always searching but never
finding satisfaction or comfort
Feeling that you alone have
experienced a great emotional
drain
Feeling that no one can ever
understand your thoughts or
situation.
Worship of Nature
Enormous re-interest in
nature
 No interest to
understand, rationalize,
reason, or explain
nature
 Desire to merely
experience, enjoy, relax in, be a
part of, relate to it.

Key Poets


William Wordsworth
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
 Together
they published Lyrical Ballads
 Considered the fathers of the Romantic Movement

William Blake *
The Late Romantics



Percy Bysshe Shelley
Lord Byron
John Keats
The Romantic Poets

Rather than form, structure, language purity,
and didacticism (poetry intended to teach a
lesson) . . . Romantics sought/experimented
with:
 Pure
Inspiration & emotional expression
 Individualistic expression
 Originality
 Free play of imagination
 Disregard of social constraints
Important Authors

Walter Scott

Scottish author
 Ivanhoe

and Rob Roy
Jane Austen
Did not really follow the
Romantic traditions. She
maintained a neoclassical style
 Novels of manners, characters almost always become
reserved at the end

 Pride

and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility
Mary Shelley
 Frankenstein
The Gothic


Gothic Stories
 Feature a mysterious
mansion, a brooding hero,
and a poor but plucky
heroine who saves the day
 Dealt with the eerie and
supernatural
 Anne Radcliffe, Mary Shelley
Modern Gothic
 Ann Rice, Stephen King, and Dean
Koontz
The Common Man



There are no longer any “great” heroes.
ALL MEN are heroes, especially those who live
closest to nature/the earth/their emotions.
People from small villages, simple farmers, sailors,
shepherds, are more important than others.
Focus Questions
1.
What were the three main influences
that brought about the Romantic Period?
The Industrial Revolution
The French Revolution
Widespread poverty and poor working conditions
Focus Questions
2. What
does Laissez Faire mean and what
were some of the results of this policy in
England?
Let the people do as they please
No government involvement
Poor working conditions
Low wages
No child labor Laws
Long work hours
Economic fluctuations
Focus Questions
3. What were some of the key aspects to
the idea of Romanticism?
Closeness to nature
Individualism
Revolt against order, propriety and traditionalism
Feelings of being alone and not understood
Emotion is more important that reason
Focus Questions
4. Who were the key poets of this time period?
William Blake
William Wordsworth
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Lord Byron
Percy Bysshe Shelley
John Keats
Focus Questions
5. Who were some of the key authors of
the time and what did they write?
Sir Walter Scott- Ivanhoe
Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
Mary Shelley - Frankenstein