英国文学导读 (15).pdf

The Romantic Period 1798-1832(7) Background • Romanticism rose and grew under the impetus of the 2 historical events: • a. French Revolution fighting for liberty, equality and fraternity (rights of people). • b. English Industrial Revolution: a sharp conflict between capital and labor. Romanticism • Amid the social conflicts romanticism arose as a new literary trend. It prevailed in England during the period of 1798 -1832/7. Focus • Neoclassicism • Romanticism gave emphasized reason, primary concern to order, and “elegant passion, emotion, and wit.” natural beauty. Features of Romanticism • (1) Emotion: In contrast to the rationalism of the neoclassicists, the romanticists paid great attention to the spiritual and emotional life of man. • (2) Individuality: The romantic writers placed the individual rather than society at the center of their vision. Features of Romanticism • (3) Worship of nature and simple life: The romanticists were more interested in the spontaneous feelings, the rustic, and the nature. • (4) Interest in the marvelous and the abnormal: Romanticists have strong love for the remote, the unusual, the strange, the supernatural, the mysterious, the splendid, the picturesque, and the illogical. Features of Romanticism • (5) Imagination: The passion of man and the beauties of nature appealed strongly to the imagination of the romantic writer. • (6) Simplicity: Romanticists think that poetry should be free from all rules: they should turn to the humble people and the everyday life for subjects, using everyday language spoken by the rustic people 证资料 Romantic writer