Famous Writers of the

Romantic Period Katie Starr

What is the Romantic Period?Takes place in England between 1785 and 1830Difficult period in which England experienced a shift from an agricultural focus to a modern industrial societyRomantic period for literature is characterized by the infusion of feeling and emotion along with an appreciation for nature and creativity into poetry and other works.

William Blake1757-1827Only formal education was art school; Royal Academy of ArtsStarted apprenticeship at 14 with engraver James Basire

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Married Catherine Boucher in 1781 and taught her to readBecause of artistic training, Blake often paired his poetry with engravingsGave up poetry in his 60’s to focus more on artWas never well-known as an artist or poet until after his deathOne of his most famous works:Songs of Innocence and of Experience

A collective of many contrasting poems, Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience are representative of the shift from childhood to adulthood, from idealism to realism, and from the

created to the forged.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience

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William Wordsworth1770-1850Born in West Cumberland (northern English Lake District)Sent to Hawkshead School at the age of 8 when his mother died

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Wordsworth…

At age 13, his father dies suddenlyGraduated from Cambridge in 1791While living in Dorsetshire with his sister, Dorothy, in 1795 Wordsworth meets and becomes friends with Samuel Taylor Coleridge Moves back to hometown in 1802, inherits his father’s fortune and marries Mary Hutchinson (childhood friend)Endures many hardships including the death of family members and two of his children, but continues to gain popularity for his poetryOne of his most famous works:We are Seven

A persistent adult and a stubborn child argue about the number of siblings in the child’s family. The child insists that, though two are dead, they are still seven. The adult feels he must right her thinking and teach her that

the two are dead, so they must be five. The poem represents innocence vs. experienced thinking.

We are Seven5

Samuel Taylor Coleridge1772-1834Born in Ottery St. Mary, rural Devonshire (England)Attended Cambridge and left in 1794 without a degree; married Sara Fricker that same year

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Met Wordsworth in 1797 and jointly published the Lyrical Ballads in 1798Falls in love with Sara Hutchinson, sister of Wordsworth’s wifeHealth deteriorated due to prescription drugs taken to ease physical pain originating from his childhoodOne of his most famous works:The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

An ancient seaman tells his horrifying tale to a young man at a wedding. The young man is transfixed and forever changed by

the mariner’s recount of what happened to him and his crew when he fatefully shot an innocent bird with his bow.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner7 8

Jane Austen1775-1817One of eight children born to an Anglican minister and his wife in Hampshire (rural southern England)Had a short formal education at a boarding school

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Started writing at age 12Hungry to learn, Jane and her only other sister Cassandra read books in their father’s library at every chanceTurned down a wedding proposal in 1802 and the chance to move out of her childhood homeNeither Jane or Cassandra ever married, remaining home for the entirety of their livesOne of her most famous works:Pride and Prejudice

The story of the Bennet family and their five daughters, especially Elizabeth and her love/hate affair with Mr. Darcy.

Serious feministic issues are addressed regarding marriage and independence. Pop culture seems to have a deep interest in Jane

Austen and her works.

Pride and Prejudice10 11

THE END!:D

Works CitedPICTURES1. William Blake: http://todd44.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/william_blake_by_thomas_phillips.jpg2. The Lamb: http://matthewsalomon.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/the-lamb.jpg3. The Tyger: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~tlouie/Tigers/theTyger.jpg4. William Wordsworth: http://www.brilliantstudent.in/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/wordsworth.jpg5. We are Seven: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/69/189893518_8c71603f01.jpg?v=06. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: http://web.bilkent.edu.tr/Online/www.english.upenn.edu/jlynch/Frank/Gifs/stc.gif7. The mariner: http://www.fantastichorror.com/02/images/dore-mariner01.jpg 8. The crew: http://www.clayfox.com/usm/images/marinerb.jpg9. Jane Austen: https://district.d230.org/sandburg/booster/theater/Theater_pics1/Jane%20Austen.jpg10. Pride and Prejudice novel: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0141439513.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1138676361_.jpg11. Pride and Prejudice movie: http://tk.files.storage.msn.com/x1pxzZ39wV--_c9EGy-oi5oGz8r_dVGfQ5AohI8mT1-rHXG7MrK0sA0A1oAEcu3p6izkLz8emwloJSu6OkLVRN590YixkVUi_R8vJ1_YYKQENzBx6J1UI2PopODHZw5LLCs8nQBijM0_wE

12. Final picture: http://www.linesandcolors.com/images/2007-07/turner_450.jpg

TEXT SOURCESStillinger, Jack, and Deidre S. Lynch. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. D. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. 1-25, 76-79, 243-245, 424-426, 514-515. The Romantic Period. Print.