The Romantics

The Romantics1780 – 1830

I.The Romantic Age brought a more daring, individual, and imaginative approach to literature and life. The writers of this time turned away from the ideas of the Age of Reason and valued the individual rather than society. The Romantics were optimists who believed in the possibilities of progress and social / human reform.

I. An Age of Revolution

• A. The French Revolution was a tremendously important influence on the Romantic writers. William Wordworth probably would have moved to France and sided with the revolutionaries had he not been barred from traveling there by the government.

A. While the writers from the Age of Reason regarded evil as a basic part of human nature, the Romantics saw humanity as basically good, but corrupted by society and its institutions.

• B. While it inspired the Romantic writers, the outcome (Reign of Terror) contributed to a sense of disillusionment because the oppressed classes became as violent and corrupt as their former rulers.

I. The Industrial Revolution

• A.It took place in England from 1750 – 1850, and changed England from and agricultural to an industrial society.

• B.Housing problems resulted because villagers moved to the cities in search of work and wound up living huddled together in slums.

• A.Labor laws were not yet developed so many children were exploited in the coal mines and textile factories.

• B.Church and government officials and social reformers brought about positive change in the lives of the working classes by organizing Sunday schools, building hospitals, and reforming the prisons and regulating the conditions of child labor.

• I.Revolution Elsewhere in the World• A.The Age of Revolution also

affected Latin America.• B.In the 1780s colonists revolted

against 300 years of foreign rule in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

• C.The first successful revolt which led to independence was the Haitian revolt in 1803.

• A.Simon Bolivar fought for more than twenty years to win independence for what later became Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

• B.The U.S. population was growing and moving west. Settlers from all different ethnic backgrounds were leaving the cities in the east to get their piece of the American dream through the acquisition of land to farm or otherwise develop.

• C.Increase in land area (Louisiana Purchase) and industry led to a tremendous boom time in the United States

• I.A New Spirit in Life and the Arts• A.The favorite subject matter for Romantic

writers was nature. Nature was the principle source of inspiration, spiritual truth, and enlightenment.

• B.Poets of the Romantic Age focused on the ordinary person and common life in order to validate the worth of all people, an d to condemn the evils of an artificial class system that only valued the elite.

• A.There was an increased interest in medieval ballads, Gothic-styled romances filled with castles, secret passageways and supernaturalism of all kinds.

• B.The writers of the Romantic Age emphasized the past, nature, and the Gothic tale of horror.

• I.Two Generations of Poets

• A.Seven Major poets have come to epitomize this era in England– 1.The First Generation (1786 – 1830):

Blake, Burns, Wordsworth, and Coleridge

– 2.The Second Generation (1810 – 1824): Byron, Shelley, and Keats

• A.The First Generation– 1.William Blake - His vision is the

concept of “contraries”, meaning it is necessary to experience opposites in order to understand life (i.e. pain and joy, success and failure, prudence and excess)

• A.The First Generation

• 2. Robert Burns – His lyrics on love, nature, patriotism and the nobility of the common man, and the spontaneous emotions of the heart are expressed in native dialect.

• 1. William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge – Together they wrote the Lyrical Ballads, which set forth a formula for a new type of poetry. The poetic principles they believed in are as follows:

• a.Ordinary life is the best subject for poetry because the feelings of simple people are sincere and natural

• b.Everyday language of common people best conveys their feelings and is therefore best suited for poetry.

• c.the expression of feeling is more important in poetry than the development of an action or storyline

• d.poetry is the “spontaneous overflow of powerful emotion,” and “it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility

• A. Second Generation– 1.Lord Byron – the most popular English poet abroad.

He was reckless, bitter and in constant revolt against society. He is also regarded as one of the greatest satirical poets since Alexander Pope. He was unswervingly dedicated to the cause of freedom and liberty.

– 2.Percy Shelley – He was rebellious, scandalous and charismatic. The keynote of Shelley’s character was his revolt against tyrannical influences. He believed that the church, state and commerce of his day led to superstition, selfishness, and corruption. He wanted to reform the world.

– 3.John Keats – His most famous line was “Beauty is truth, truth is beauty,” which explores the relationship between art and life.

• I.Overall, the literature of the Romantic Age is about the uniqueness of the individual, a deep personal earnestness, sensuous delight in both common and exotic things of this world, a yearning for ideal states of being, and an interest in things mysterious and mystical. Any bitterness noted in these writings is simply the writers’ reactions against an increasingly mechanical and materialistic society.

Introduction, from Songs of Innocence

1. Who is the speaker of the poem?

The piper, who is the poet

2. What kind of songs does the piper play?

Cheerful and happy songs; songs of pleasant glee


3. What is unusual about line 18, “And I stained the water clear”?

this is a reversal because staining water implies a marring with a dark color

4. What is the tone of the poem?

The tone is light, joyful


5. What is the effect of the repetition in lines 16 – 19?

The repetition in lines 16-19 suggests the breathlessness of an excited or happy child

Introduction, from Songs of Experience

1. In the first line, who is the reader instructed to listen to?

The Bard (a poet of olden times)

2. What can the Bard do?

He can see the past, present and future


3. To whom does the “Holy Word” refer?

Jesus

4. In stanza 2, the setting is described as being in the evening. How has the setting changed in stanza 4?

It is now daybreak


5. In stanza 4, what does the Bard call upon the Earth to do?

To “Turn away no more”

The Lamb, from Songs of Innocence

1. How is the Lamb’s wool described in the first stanza?

It is “clothing of delight / softest clothing, wooly bright”

2.What has the Lamb been given that makes “all the vales rejoice”?

A tender voice


3. How does the repetition of “Little Lamb” throughout the poem reflect its content?

It emphasizes the innocent, childlike qualities being addressed in the poem

4. Who or what does the Lamb represent?

Jesus Christ


5. How is Jesus described in lines 15 – 17?

His childlike qualities are described; He is meek, he is mild

The Tyger, from Songs of Experience

1. In your own words, what question is asked in the first stanza?

Who could have created an animal as frightening as the tyger?

2. What “fire” is referred to in stanza 2?

The fire of the tyger’s eyes is referred to, as it was reflected in the distant deeps or skies


• 3. In stanza 4, what further suggestion is given concerning the creation of the Tyger?

That it was forged like iron in a smithy

4. In stanza 5, what question is asked about the Tyger and the Lamb?

Did the same creator make them both?


5. How are the Lamb and the Tyger different?

The Lamb is described as soft, innocent; the Tyger is described as fearful, deadly

Holy Thursday, from Songs of Innocence

1. Where are the children walking in stanza 1?

They are walking to St. Paul’s Cathedral

2. To what is the parade of children compared?

It is compared to the flow of the Thames

Holy Thursday, from Songs of Innocence

3. In stanza 2, what metaphors are used in connection with the children?

They are called “flowers of London town” and “multitudes of lambs”

4. What quality about the children is emphasized in the poem?

Innocence

Holy Thursday, from Songs of Experience

1. The tone of this poem is evident in stanza What is it?

The tone is one of harshness and anger

2. In stanza 1, what makes the speaker angry about the care given to the “Babes reduced to misery”?

They are “Fed with cold and usurious hand; their caretakers are unfeeling and greedy”


3. How is London described in the second stanza?

As a “land of poverty”

4. For whom is it “eternal winter”?

for the children of poverty


5. How does this poem contrast with “Holy Thursday” from Songs of Innocence?

This poem is more critical of the treatment of the poor children, while the other poem

takes a much more idealistic view of these children.

Proverbs of Hell from The Marriage

of Heaven and Hell 1. What do the proverbs in line 1 and line 20 have in

common?

Each ascribes to a certain time of day or time of life an appropriate activity

2. In line 4, what connection is implied between Prudence and Incapacity?

The speaker implies that they often go together; those who claim to be prudent may be masking a lack of ability


of Heaven and Hell 3. How is Blake’s use of contrasting experiences

illustrated in line 23?

The contrasting experiences are “ enough” and “more than enough”

4. What human quality is criticized in line 24?

Deception


of Heaven and Hell 5. Do these proverbs still have meaning for people today?

Yes – they are universal truths

To a Mouse1. What has happened at the beginning of the poem to

cause the mouse to be “cow’rin’ and tim’rous”?

the mouse and her nest have been uprooted by a plow

2. In stanza 2, how does the speaker indicate his similarity to the mouse?

He calls him “earth-born companion” and “fellow-mortal”

To a Mouse3. For what action does the speaker excuse the

mouse in stanza 3?

The speaker excuses the mouse for thievery of food, saying it must live

4. What does the speaker lament in stanzas 4 and 5? Why?

He laments the destruction of the mouse’s nest because of the impending winter and the

lack of materials with which to build a new nest

To a Mouse5. In stanza 7, what comfort does the speaker offer

the mouse?

He tells the mouse that he (the mouse) is not alone in having his efforts prove fruitless, that both mice and men suffer the same problem

6. According to the poem, how is the mouse different from the speaker?

The mouse must deal with only the present, whereas the speaker has regrets over the past and fears the future

A Red, Red Rose 1. In stanza 1, to what things does the speaker

compare his “ luve”?

He compares her to a “red, red rose” and to a “melodie …sweetly played in tune”

2. In stanza 2, to what exaggerated limit does the speaker say he w ill love his “bonny lass”?

he says he will love her “Till a’ the seas gone dry

A Red, Red Rose 3. Write down another use of hyperbole in stanza 3.

The speaker says he will love her “Till…the rocks melt wi’ the sun

4. What does his “fare thee well” in line 13 suggest as to the occasion for the poem?

It implies that he is leaving for a journey and assuring her of this love for her

A Red, Red Rose 5. What does the poem imply about the age of the

lovers?

It implies that they are young. He describes her as a “rose / that’s newly sprung in June”

Auld Lang Syne 1. According to the poem and the footnote, what

does “Auld Lang Syne” mean?

It means old times, former times, in the good old days

2. What is the general tone of the poem?

The tone of voice is nostalgic, slightly regretful

Auld Lang Syne 3. What takes place in stanzas 2 and 3?

The friends toast to old times and share good memories

4. In stanzas 4 and 5, what specific shared memories are mentioned?

Running together on the hillsides among the flowers; paddling in the brook

Auld Lang Syne 5. What lines let you know that much time has

passed since they did those things together?

Line 15 – “but we’ve wandered monie a weary fit…” line 19 – “But seas between us braid hae roared”

6. What do the friends do in the final stanza?

They shake hands and take a goodwill drink

Lines Composed a Few Miles

Above Tintern Abbey 1. How long has it been since the speaker has been

at Tintern Abbey?

Five years

2. How do the first few lines of the poem establish the physical setting of the poem?

The speaker refers to the “waters, rolling from their mountain springs” and to “lofty cliffs.” It is a “wild, secluded scene.”


Above Tintern Abbey 3. Where does the speaker say he is, as he

describes the features of the landscape?

Sitting under a sycamore tree

4. Lines 9 – 22 describe the pastoral elements of the scene. In lines 25 – 28, what does the speaker say these scenes have given him?

“sensations sweet, Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart”


Above Tintern Abbey 5. The natural surroundings of Tintern Abbey have provided pleasant

memories; according to lines 62 – 65, what does the speaker realize?

That the beautiful scenes are the cause of “present pleasure” and “Life and food for future years,” as well


Above Tintern Abbey 6. Summarize the speaker’s reaction to nature when

he first “came among these hills.”

He was younger, more exuberant, less pensive. Then, nature was like an “appetite” or “passion” to him, based solely on his sensual responses.


Above Tintern Abbey 7. According to lines 88 – 102, how was the

speaker’s attitude toward nature changed?

He experiences nature with his whole self, mind, and soul, rather than his senses only

8. In line 115, who is referred to as “my dearest Friend”?

his sister Dorothy


Above Tintern Abbey 9. What is Dorothy’s attitude toward nature?She is enjoying its sensual pleasures, much as William

Wordsworth did on his previous visit

10. What memory does Wordsworth hope will sustain Dorothy through “solitude, or fear, or pain, or grief” or in the event of his death?

The memory of their being together in this beautiful place

This World Is Too Much with Us 1. In lines 1-2, what specific worldly activity is

mentioned?“Getting and spending” refers to the preoccupation with

the accumulation of material possessions

2. According to lines 3 – 7, from what former source of comfort are we estranged?

From nature

This World Is Too Much with Us 3. What does the speaker say he would rather be?

“a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn”

4. Why does he say that?

Because the “Pagan” takes a deep but simple pleasure in nature

Kubla Khan1. Who was Kubla Khan?

He founded the Mongol dynasty in China in the 13th century

2. What does Kubla Khan order to be built?

A “pleasure-dome”

Kubla Khan3. In lines 6 – 11, how does the speaker describe the

pleasure dome?

Ten miles of fertile ground, surrounded by walls and towers; gardens where incense-

bearing trees grow; ancient forests with sunny spots of greenery

Kubla Khan4. Beginning with line 12, Colderidge uses words and phrases to develop

a feeling of mystery, danger, or the supernatural. List three of these.

A savage place, enchanted; haunted / By a woman wailing for her demon lover;

ceaseless turmoil seething; lifeless ocean

Kubla Khan5. In lines 29 – 30, what does Kubla Khan hear “mid

this tumult”?

“ancestral voices prophesying war”

6. Line 36 describes the pleasure-dome as a place of opposites: “A sunny pleasure dome with caves of ice.” Find two other opposites such as this in the poem.

It is a place of calmness and tumult; It has a tamed garden and a savage chasm; a

senseless sea is contrasted with sunny spots of greenery

Kubla Khan• 7. In lines 37 – 40, what vision does the speaker

describe?

An Abyssinian maid playing a dulcimer

8. What wish does the speaker express in lines 42 – 43?

That he could recreate the damsel’s song

Kubla Khan9. The end of the poem is about the speaker and the reaction he would

expect of “all who heard” him. How would you describe that reaction?

His audience would be frightened of him (“hold dread”) but also in awe because of the visionary, almost supernatural nature of his “dome in air.”

She Walks in Beauty 1. Who is the “she” referred to in the poem?

To Byron’s cousin, Lady Wilmot Horton

2. In lines 1 – 2, to what is her beauty compared?

To a cloudless, starry night

She Walks in Beauty 3. In what light is she best observed? Why?

She is best observed in starlight because the light of day is too “gaudy” for her

4. List three things that the speaker says describes her beauty.

She has “raven tresses”, “nameless grace”, “smiles that win”

She Walks in Beauty 5. According to the speaker, what do her “thoughts

serenely sweet” express?

Her pure nature

6. What ideal of beauty, other than physical beauty, is expressed in the poem?

Inner, spiritual beauty

She Walks in Beauty 7. What qualities of inner or spiritual beauty does

she represent?

Serenity (line 11); purity (line 12); goodness (line 16); innocence (line 18)

8. How would you interpret the last stanza in terms of physical beauty versus spiritual beauty?

Byron says that outward, physical beauty is a reflection of inner, spiritual beauty

When We Two Parted 1. According to the first stanza, what must the two

lovers endure?

They will be parting for a long time

2. What signs of foreboding does the speaker mention in stanza 1?

He notes the paleness of his lover’s cheek and the coldness of her kiss

When We Two Parted 3. What has happened in the second stanza?

He has discovered that she has broken her vows to him, and that people are gossiping about her

4. Why does a “shudder” come over the speaker?

Because she is so distasteful to him now that he cannot imagine how she w as once “so dear”

When We Two Parted 5. In the third stanza, with what experience is the

speaker having difficulty?People bring up his lover’s name in front of him assuming he did not know her and he

has to pretend that that’s the case

6. Why must he grieve in silence?

Because their relationship was secret

When We Two Parted 7. How does the speaker say he would greet her

after “long years” apart?

“with silence and tears”

8. What is the mood of this poem?

Sadness

Ozymandias1. In line 1, what adjective is used to express the ancient

nature of the land from which the traveler came?

Antique

2. What objects does the traveler tell of having seen in lines 2 – 4?

A broken statue

Ozymandias3. How is the face of the statue described in lines 4 –

5?

It is “shattered”, bears a frown, a “wrinkled lip” and “sneer of cold command”

4. In lines 6 – 8 , what does the speaker say about the “passions” that seem evident on the face of the statue?

The speaker says the passions on the statues’ face have survived beyond the sculptor and the Pharaoh himself

Ozymandias5. According to the words on the pedestal, what did

Ozymandias call himself?

King of Kings

6. In lines 13 – 14, what words does the speaker use to describe the desolation of the scene?

“boundless and bare” / “lone and level”

Ode on a Grecian Urn 1. Who or what is the “still unravished bride of

quietness” of line 1?

The urn

2. Why might the speaker call the urn the “foster child …. Of Time”?

the urn has remained young despite the passage of time whereas all living creatures age and die

Ode on a Grecian Urn 3. According to stanza 1, what type of scene is

pictured on the urn?

Men are chasing maidens through the woods accompanied by pipe players. It is a scene of “wild ecstasy”.

4. What does the speaker say about “Heard melodies” as compared to “those unheard”?

he says that imagined songs are sweeter than real songs

Ode on a Grecian Urn 5. In stanza 2, what paradoxes (statements which seem

to be contradictory but have meaning) are evident?

The speaker tells the lover not to grieve because they can never kiss – at least she

cannot change or grow less attractive

Ode on a Grecian Urn 6. Why would scenes of happy lovers leave Keats with a “heart high-

sorrowful and cloyed, a burning forehead, and a parching tongue”?

He has suffered through love and is ill and dying at a young age

Ode on a Grecian Urn 7. How does the speaker describe the scene on the

other side of the urn?

He described a priest with a sacrificial heifer and the people from a town

8. What point does the speaker make in lines 46 – 48?

He makes the point that the urn will remain the same though its observers grow old; the urn will see new woes

Ode on a Grecian Urn 9. How would you describe Keat’s concept of

beauty?

Beauty is truth, truth beauty. The urn is beautiful in the glimpse of eternal truth which it affords to the viewer.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci 1. In stanzas 1 and 2, what causes the speaker to

ask the Knight was is wrong with him?

He looks very sick; he’s described as pale, haggard, woe be gone

2. What time of year is it? List three things in stanzas 1 and 2 that establish the time of year.

Late Fall – the sedge has withered; no birds sing; the squirrels granary (storehouse) is full and harvest is done

La Belle Dame Sans Merci 3. Who is the speaker in stanza 4 and in the rest of

the poem?

The Knight

4. How does the Knight describe the Lady he met?

She was beautiful and graceful with long hair and wild eyes; she seemed like some sort of fairy spirit

La Belle Dame Sans Merci 5. In stanza 5, what did the Knight make for the

Lady?

He made garlands of flowers for her hair, wrists and waist

6. What did the supernatural Lady do in stanzas 8 and 9?

She took him to her “elfin grot” (grotto / cave) and caused him to fall asleep

La Belle Dame Sans Merci 7. Why does the Knight remain on the hillside?

He is physically and emotionally unable to get away from her

8. What does this poem say about the nature of love?

It implies that love is cruel and somewhat hopeless – a connection is also made between love and death

The Romantics

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