Overview
The Romantic Period marked a shift away from Enlightenment rationalism and toward emotion, imagination, and the individual spirit. Poets and prose writers emphasized nature, the sublime, childhood innocence, and rebellion against social constraints. This era laid the groundwork for modern lyricism and introspective thought in literature.
Key Themes and Characteristics
- Emotion over Reason: Literature focused on feeling, intuition, and personal experience.
- Nature and the Sublime: The natural world was seen as a source of spiritual and philosophical insight.
- Imagination and the Individual: Writers valued creativity and individual perception over tradition.
- Rebellion and Social Critique: Many texts challenged class, monarchy, and industrialization.
- Lyric Poetry: Short, expressive poems became the dominant form, often meditating on nature and selfhood.
Major Authors and Works
- William Wordsworth – Lyrical Ballads, Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge – The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan
- Lord Byron – Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, She Walks in Beauty
- Percy Bysshe Shelley – Ozymandias, Ode to the West Wind
- John Keats – Ode on a Grecian Urn, To Autumn
- Mary Shelley – Frankenstein (novel blending Gothic and Romantic concerns)
Quick Tip
Romantic literature often begins with natural description but leads to a deeper emotional or philosophical reflection. Focus on the use of imagery, symbolism, and tone to explore personal and universal truths.