Part VI. The Age of romanticism ( 1798—1832).doc

Part VI. The Age of romanticism ( 1798—1832) ( Lyrical Ballads—Wordsworth Coleridge) Chapter 1: Romanticism in England. 1. Political and social background. The French Revolution “ liberty, equality, fraternity” influence The Industrial Revolution agriculture ---industry 2. Two kinds of classifications: Three groups: a. The Lake School: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey b. The Cockney School: Hunt, Hazlitt, Keats c. The Satanic School: Byron, Shelley, and their followers Two groups : The Passive Romantic school: the same as 1) a The Active romantic School : Byron, Shelley, Keats 3. Special Qualities of Romanticism: The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings The creation of a world of imagination The return to Nature for material Sympathy with the humble and glorification of the commonplace. Emphasis upon the expression of Individual Genius The return to Milton and the Elizabethans for literary models The interest in old stories and Medieval Romances A sense of melancholy and loneliness The rebellious spirit 2013-10-12 Thursday Chapter 2: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey 1. William Wordsworth ( 1770—1850) Life: The representative of the first generation. He was a poet laureate. In 1798, he published Lyrical Ballads jointly with Coleridge. It was regarded as the manifesto of English Romanticism. Works: I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud The Prelude We are Seven Lines written in early spring To the Cuckoo The Solitary Reaper Features of his poems: He described the natural scenes, as mountains, rivers, birds, flowers He described common people, esp. children and peasants The language is simple and pure A constant theme of his poetry was the growth of the human spirit through the natural environment, and he skillfully combined natural description with expressions of inward states of mind. He appealed directly to individual sensations. 2. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: ( 1772—1834) life: A criti