The romantic poets emerged during the early 19the century. They were classified into first generation and the second generation romantic poets. William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey are considered to be the First Generation Romantic poets. They are sometimes referred to as Lake Poets. William Blake is also considered as a Romantic poet of the First generation but he is mostly credited to the transitional period. P.B Shelley, Lord Gordon Byron and John Keats belonged to the Second Generation Romantic poets.
The most important characteristic feature of the Romantic writing is mysticism. Wordsworth, Blake, Coleridge , Shelley and Keats contributed to the mystical romanticism in their writings. Wordsworth for instance in his poem “Prelude Book 1” recollects the conscious childhood experiences of joy and his engagement with the world of nature which is mysticism. In addition to this, Wordsworth takes this mystical experience to a higher order which many scholars considers it to be pantheism. Blake also focuses on mystical writings and it is evident in his poems such as “The Lamb” where one sees the divine image in the nature considered to be Blakean pantheism. Coleridge always relies upon the supernatural world which becomes the mystical musing of the mind. Keats mystical experiences dive into the world of supernatural and the forces of imagination that he participates into it.
In addition to this, the romantic age encourages individualism in the writing. The power of individualism encourages humanism and this elements becomes a central writing of romantic poems. The romantic poems focuses on individual feelings and experiences and it is also evident based in the romantic poets and their belief systems. Keats writing is largely different from Wordsworth and other Romantic poets. Shelley is revolutionary in his writing while Coleridge largely focuses on supernatural world and relies heavily on imagination.
However, the supernatural element is also the writing style of many romantic poets. Coleridge is main exploiter of supernatural writing. Coleridge’s poem are filled with supernatural elements where the supernatural elements provides human qualities through the use of secondary imagination. The supernatural elements also help shape the mystical world that the poet creates creating many symbolical layers of enchantment, mystery and others. Keats and Shelley also used supernatural elements in their writings.
The other romantic philosophy is the idea of organic being or oneness. The romantic poets believe in the man and nature oneness. Wordsworth and Coleridge propagated the love for nature and man is hurting himself if he destroys the world of nature. It is evident in the poem such as “Tintern Abbey” as well as “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.
The romantic poets appreciate imagination over reason. Coleridge and Shelley compared the poetic imagination to be very close to the imagination of a divine. It is so because the poets are able to create their own mine universe in similitude to the creation prowess of the divine. Coleridge also propagated the power of imagination in his poems. Kubla Khan is notably famous for its appreciation of imagination and the layer of symbolism it dive deep into that reveals the poet’s repressed desires as well as his personal opinions of romantic philosophy. Keatsian imagination is quite different as he believes imagination to be an Adam’s dream and he found out the truth when he woke up. It is seen in his poem “The Eve of St. Agnes”.
The romantic poets enriches their poems with hellenistic themes and imagery. Keats is widely regarded to have exploited hellenestic themes and images in his odes. Hellenistic themes and images gives a sense of grandeur and beauty to the human experiences depicted. They evoke a sense of longing, passion, and the exploration of emotions. The philosophy of human experiences in these poems often emphasizes the intensity of emotions, the pursuit of love and beauty, and the connection between nature and the human spirit. It adds depth and richness to the poems, highlighting the complexities of human existence.
Keats also coined the term negative capability that also became the romantic writing. It is also propagated by Coleridge in his poem such as Kubla Khan. Negative capability has two interpretations. Firstly, it is the ability of the individual to remain in the state of confusion or doubt or uncertainty without reaching or accepting a logical or plausible conclusion or facts. Secondly, it also implies the subtraction of self and objectifying to a particular object to portray it objectively. Keats used both of the interpretations in his poem and odes. “Ode to a Nightingale” shows the poet’s subtraction of self and objectifying himself to the world of a nightingale to portray the poem objectively. “Ode on a Grecian Urn” uses both the interpretations where the speaker “Urn” itself remains in a state of uncertainty and ponders upon the possibility of what exactly happened to the townsfolk who left for the sacrificial rituals. Also, the poet diminishes his self by objectifying himself into the “Urn” by comparing it to a “Sylvan historian”. “Ode to Autumn” has the similar interpretation where it uses both. The poet objectifies himself to the Autumn season and the speaker Autumn season is in a state of uncertainty to the impending death.
Romantic poets such as Keats is considered to be sensuous. He is widely known for his uses of human senses in his writing. Wordsworth poems are meditative and self reflexive with a little bit of sensuousness. Keats uses human senses of sight, hearing, touch, incense, taste that is seen largely in “Ode to a Nightingale”. For Byron, the sensuousness is not something related to escaping the world of reality but the discovery of knowledge. The knowledge that he loves to discover is the place of Europe which is the sensuous world for Byron as evident in “Childe Harold Pilgrimage”.
However, the romantic poets such as Shelley and Southey are revolutionary. Wordsworth revolutionary nature is seen in his radical rejection of Neo-classical writings and their satires, use of bombastic languages. Shelley is revolutionary as he is directly influenced by the French Revolution and so is Southey. They depicted the temporal state of power and monarchy that gets destroyed with time. “Ode to the West Wind” captures the revolutionary ideas blended with layers of symbolism.
Lord Byron is among the romantics who is different from the rest. He is known for his Byronic hero and Heathcliff is the quintessential of it. The Byronic hero is characterized by their rebellious nature, brooding demeanor, and mysterious past. They often possess a magnetic charm, intelligence, and a strong sense of individualism. These heroes are often haunted by their own internal conflicts and exhibit a mix of dark and light qualities. They challenge societal norms, embrace their own flaws, and are often depicted as outsiders or outcasts. The Byronic hero embodies a complex and alluring figure in literature. Childe Harold is a great example of Byronic hero as well as “ Don Juan”.
However, Byron romanticism is filled with passions and desires of a human being that is materialistic in contrast to other romantic poets. He is socially, geographically and culturally centred human being and it is clearly exposed in his long poem “Childe Harold Pilgrimage”. The speaker undertakes his journey to Europe and he criticises war and the tyranny of governments that institute Byron to be materially engaged with the society. His romanticism is such that he filters the objective world through nature that acts as a mediator to express the passionate flow of his desires and feelings. It is quite evident in his poems such as “She Walks in Beauty”.
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