The Romantic Period is a term applied to the literature of approximately the first third of the nineteenth century. During this time, literature began to move in channels that were not entirely new but were in strong contrast to the standard literary practice of the eighteenth century. 

How the word romantic came to be applied to this period is something of a puzzle. Originally the word was applied to the Latin or Roman dialects used in the Roman provinces, especially France, and to the stories written in these dialects. Romantic is a derivative of romant, which was borrowed from the French romaunt in the sixteenth century. At first it meant only ‘like the old romances' but gradually it began to carry a certain taint. Romantic, according to L. P. Smith in his Words and Idioms, connoted "false and fictitious beings and feelings, without real existence in fact or in human nature"; it also suggested “old castles, mountains and forests, pastoral plains, waste and solitary places" and a "love for wild nature, for mountains and moors." 

The word passed from England to France and Germany late in the seventeenth century and became a critical term for certain poets who -scorned and rejected the models of the past; they prided themselves on their freedom from eighteenth century poetic codes. In Germany, especially, the word was used in strong opposition to the term classical. 

The grouping together of the so-called Lake poets (Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey) with Scott, Byron, Keats, and Shelley as the romantic poets is late Victorian, apparently as late as the middle 1880s. And it should be noted that these poets did not recognise themselves as ‘romantic’, although they were familiar with the word and recognised that their practice differed from that of the eighteenth century. 

According to René Wellek in his essay 'The Concept of Romanticism' (Comparative Literature, Volume I), the widespread application of the word romantic to these writers was probably owing to Alois Brandl's Coleridge und die romantische Schule in England (Coleridge and the Romantic School in England, translated into English in 1887) and to Walter Pater's essay ‘Romanticism his Appreciations’ in 1889. The reaction to the standard literary practice and critical norms of the eighteenth century occurred in many areas and in varying degrees. Reason no longer held the high place it had held in the eighteenth century: its place was taken by imagination, emotion, and individual sensitivity. The eccentric and the singular took the place of the accepted conventions of the age. A concentration on the individual and the minute replaced the eighteenth century insistence on the universal and the general. Individualism replaced objective subject matter: probably at Bo other time has the writer used himself as the subject of his literary works to such an extent as during the romantic period. Writers tended to regard themselves as the most interesting subject for literary creation: interest in urban life was replaced by an interest in nature, particularly in untamed nature and in solitude. Classical literature quickly lost the esteem which poets like Pope had given it. The romantic writers tuned back to their own native traditions, The Medieval and Renaissance periods were ransacked for new subject matter and for literary genres that bad fallen into disuse. The standard eighteenth century heroic couplet was replaced by a variety of forms such as the ballad, the metrical romance, the sonnet, ottava mma, blank verse, and the Spenserian stanza, all of which were forms that had been neglected since Renaissance times. The romantic writers responded strongly to the impact of new forces, particularly the French Revolution and its promise of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The humanitarianism that had been developing during the eighteenth century was taken up enthusiastically by the romantic writers. Wordsworth, the great champion of the spiritual and moral values of physical nature, tied to show the natural dignity, goodness, and the worth of the common man. 

The combination of new interests, new attitudes, and fresh forms produced a body of literature that was strikingly different from the literature of the eighteenth century, but that is not to say that the eighteenth century had no influence on the Romantic Movement. Practically all of the seeds of the new literary crop had been sown in the preceding century. 

The Romantic Period includes the work of two generations of writers. The first generation was born during the thirty and twenty years preceding 1800; the second generation was bom in the last decade of the 1800s. The chief writers of the first generation were Wordsworth, Coleridge, Scott, Southey, Blake, Lamb, and Hazlitt. The essayist Thomas De Quincey, born in 1785, falls between the two generations. 

Keats and Shelley belong to the second generation, along with Byron, who was older than they were by a few years. All three were influenced by the work of the writers of the first generation and. ironically, the careers of all three were cut short by death so that the writers of the first generation were still on the literary scene after the writers of the second generation had disappeared. The major writers of the second romantic generation were primarily poets; they produced little prose, outside of their letters. Another striking difference between the two generations is that the writers of the first generation, with the exception of Blake, all gained literary reputations during their lifetime. Of the writers of the second generation, only Byron enjoyed fame while he was alive, more fame than any of the other romantic writers, with perhaps the exception of Scott, but Keats and Shelley had relatively few readers while they were alive. It was not until the Victorian Era that Keats and Shelley became recognised as major romantic poets. 

Romantic age in English literature

Green Land | March 04, 2024 | 0 comments

The Romantic Period is a term applied to the literature of approximately the first third of the nineteenth century. During this time, literature began to move in channels that were not entirely new but were in strong contrast to the standard literary practice of the eighteenth century. 

How the word romantic came to be applied to this period is something of a puzzle. Originally the word was applied to the Latin or Roman dialects used in the Roman provinces, especially France, and to the stories written in these dialects. Romantic is a derivative of romant, which was borrowed from the French romaunt in the sixteenth century. At first it meant only ‘like the old romances' but gradually it began to carry a certain taint. Romantic, according to L. P. Smith in his Words and Idioms, connoted "false and fictitious beings and feelings, without real existence in fact or in human nature"; it also suggested “old castles, mountains and forests, pastoral plains, waste and solitary places" and a "love for wild nature, for mountains and moors." 

The word passed from England to France and Germany late in the seventeenth century and became a critical term for certain poets who -scorned and rejected the models of the past; they prided themselves on their freedom from eighteenth century poetic codes. In Germany, especially, the word was used in strong opposition to the term classical. 

The grouping together of the so-called Lake poets (Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey) with Scott, Byron, Keats, and Shelley as the romantic poets is late Victorian, apparently as late as the middle 1880s. And it should be noted that these poets did not recognise themselves as ‘romantic’, although they were familiar with the word and recognised that their practice differed from that of the eighteenth century. 

According to René Wellek in his essay 'The Concept of Romanticism' (Comparative Literature, Volume I), the widespread application of the word romantic to these writers was probably owing to Alois Brandl's Coleridge und die romantische Schule in England (Coleridge and the Romantic School in England, translated into English in 1887) and to Walter Pater's essay ‘Romanticism his Appreciations’ in 1889. The reaction to the standard literary practice and critical norms of the eighteenth century occurred in many areas and in varying degrees. Reason no longer held the high place it had held in the eighteenth century: its place was taken by imagination, emotion, and individual sensitivity. The eccentric and the singular took the place of the accepted conventions of the age. A concentration on the individual and the minute replaced the eighteenth century insistence on the universal and the general. Individualism replaced objective subject matter: probably at Bo other time has the writer used himself as the subject of his literary works to such an extent as during the romantic period. Writers tended to regard themselves as the most interesting subject for literary creation: interest in urban life was replaced by an interest in nature, particularly in untamed nature and in solitude. Classical literature quickly lost the esteem which poets like Pope had given it. The romantic writers tuned back to their own native traditions, The Medieval and Renaissance periods were ransacked for new subject matter and for literary genres that bad fallen into disuse. The standard eighteenth century heroic couplet was replaced by a variety of forms such as the ballad, the metrical romance, the sonnet, ottava mma, blank verse, and the Spenserian stanza, all of which were forms that had been neglected since Renaissance times. The romantic writers responded strongly to the impact of new forces, particularly the French Revolution and its promise of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The humanitarianism that had been developing during the eighteenth century was taken up enthusiastically by the romantic writers. Wordsworth, the great champion of the spiritual and moral values of physical nature, tied to show the natural dignity, goodness, and the worth of the common man. 

The combination of new interests, new attitudes, and fresh forms produced a body of literature that was strikingly different from the literature of the eighteenth century, but that is not to say that the eighteenth century had no influence on the Romantic Movement. Practically all of the seeds of the new literary crop had been sown in the preceding century. 

The Romantic Period includes the work of two generations of writers. The first generation was born during the thirty and twenty years preceding 1800; the second generation was bom in the last decade of the 1800s. The chief writers of the first generation were Wordsworth, Coleridge, Scott, Southey, Blake, Lamb, and Hazlitt. The essayist Thomas De Quincey, born in 1785, falls between the two generations. 

Keats and Shelley belong to the second generation, along with Byron, who was older than they were by a few years. All three were influenced by the work of the writers of the first generation and. ironically, the careers of all three were cut short by death so that the writers of the first generation were still on the literary scene after the writers of the second generation had disappeared. The major writers of the second romantic generation were primarily poets; they produced little prose, outside of their letters. Another striking difference between the two generations is that the writers of the first generation, with the exception of Blake, all gained literary reputations during their lifetime. Of the writers of the second generation, only Byron enjoyed fame while he was alive, more fame than any of the other romantic writers, with perhaps the exception of Scott, but Keats and Shelley had relatively few readers while they were alive. It was not until the Victorian Era that Keats and Shelley became recognised as major romantic poets. 

Romantic Period

English romantic movement was both a revival and a revolt. It was a revival of Elizabethan romance, imagination, love for nature and the beauty and it was a revolt against the classicism or neo-classicism of the 18th century. The romanticism of 19 century revived the spirit of Elizabethan renaissance like love for nature and beauty, medieval romance, supernaturalism, freedom, subjectivity etc. All the romantic poets add strangeness to beauty. They present ordinary things to be extra-ordinary, usual things to be unusual, throwing the colouring of imagination they take the readers into a strange land, for from the world of reality. 

The romantic movement is also a revolt because romantic poets reacted against the style of 18th century poets. The 18th century poets used simile, metaphor, allusion and other poetic dictions like heroic couplet in their poetry. As a result, their poetry was artificial, witty and intellectual for their understanding of common people. Their poetry was a criticism of life and society. On the other hand, romantic poets believed the language of poetry should be simple so that common people may be understand and get pleasure. Poets must not use poetic dictions. The 19th century romantic poets revolted against the 18th century poets and used simple language and language of the common man to be language of poetry. 

In fact, romanticism is a new poetic movement of 19th century. it is a movement for freedom and imagination, love for nature and beauty. The 18th century poets wrote about upper class society, fashionable life, artistic drawing room, but Wordsworth and his followers wrote about common people and ordinary objects of nature. Therefore, to the 18th century poets, nature means human nature, the feeling of sorrows, sufferings but to the romantic poets, nature means the world of leaves, trees, flowers, seas, hills, forest etc.

Is Romanticism a revival or a revolt?

Green Land | December 26, 2023 | 0 comments

English romantic movement was both a revival and a revolt. It was a revival of Elizabethan romance, imagination, love for nature and the beauty and it was a revolt against the classicism or neo-classicism of the 18th century. The romanticism of 19 century revived the spirit of Elizabethan renaissance like love for nature and beauty, medieval romance, supernaturalism, freedom, subjectivity etc. All the romantic poets add strangeness to beauty. They present ordinary things to be extra-ordinary, usual things to be unusual, throwing the colouring of imagination they take the readers into a strange land, for from the world of reality. 

The romantic movement is also a revolt because romantic poets reacted against the style of 18th century poets. The 18th century poets used simile, metaphor, allusion and other poetic dictions like heroic couplet in their poetry. As a result, their poetry was artificial, witty and intellectual for their understanding of common people. Their poetry was a criticism of life and society. On the other hand, romantic poets believed the language of poetry should be simple so that common people may be understand and get pleasure. Poets must not use poetic dictions. The 19th century romantic poets revolted against the 18th century poets and used simple language and language of the common man to be language of poetry. 

In fact, romanticism is a new poetic movement of 19th century. it is a movement for freedom and imagination, love for nature and beauty. The 18th century poets wrote about upper class society, fashionable life, artistic drawing room, but Wordsworth and his followers wrote about common people and ordinary objects of nature. Therefore, to the 18th century poets, nature means human nature, the feeling of sorrows, sufferings but to the romantic poets, nature means the world of leaves, trees, flowers, seas, hills, forest etc.

Romantic Period

From the 1800s to about 1910, Western classical music was defined by its soaring melodies and ever-expanding orchestrations, originality and self-expression. Here are the composers who made all this possible: There are many musicians in the romantic period.

Romance time. In the wonderful words of composer and classical FM host John Branning, "They named him twice. So good."

The 'early' Romantic era began around 1800 with the great classical music of the time Ludwig van his Beethoven. His symphonic revolution ushered in a new era in music history. Fast forward to the turn of the century and music looked very different from the classical era (1730-1820). Late-romantic composers like Rachmaninoff and Mahler expanded the orchestra to an unprecedented scale, adding more colors and instruments, transforming the music into a range of human emotions, from sorrow to joy, passion to sorrow. I changed it to a way to express the whole range.

Here we explore some of the biggest contributors to romance.

01. Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Frédéric Chopin was a virtuoso pianist who wrote almost exclusively for his instrument. The piano underwent major changes in his nineteenth century, with composers becoming more ambitious in range, color and dynamics. It became a symbol of Romanticism and was expanded to meet the needs of musicians like Chopin. Of his repertoire, preludes were favorites of Polish Romanticism, and his nocturnes, waltzes, etudes, mazurkas, sonatas and concertos are still some of the pianist's most popular repertoires today.

02. Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Another composer, Franz Liszt, called "the world's first rock star", took the virtuoso piano art to new heights. The great Hungarian composer, known for his astonishingly demonic La Campanella repertoire, was a showman who revolutionized the performing arts. At his recital, Liszt's fans stripped him of his clothes and shouted his name. This is the phenomenon that the German poet Heinrich Heine called "listomania".In today's recital, we often hear Liszt's timeless and beautiful song No. 3 in A-flat major.

03. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

The undisputed king of Italian opera, Verdi is known not only for his monumental Requiem, but above all for his great stage productions: La Traviata, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida. Fate of Destiny" and "Il Trovatore". Written primarily around the time of Italian unification, Verdi's operas have become an integral part of Italy's national identity, and his chorus has been adopted as the hymn of Italian freedom fighters. In nineteenth-century Italy, Verdi was the king of music. His death in 1901 brought grief to a nation deeply connected to his passion for opera.

04. Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Richard's list of Wagnerian innovations in 19th-century music goes on, including new instruments, bespoke venues, and extraordinarily long works A rather controversial figure largely due to his ties to Nazism – see his gallery of facts here for more – Wagner was a musical visionary best known for opera . His most enduring works include The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Tristan, Isolde and of course his monumental Ring Cycle, his four opera productions lasting 15 hours. . He gave the opera a "leitmotif". It is a musical feature that is widely used today and intended to represent characters and themes. Remember the music of Darth Vader from Star Wars.

05. Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)

Fanny Mendelssohn was a truly great composer, but getting her work published in the 19th century was an almost overwhelming ordeal. Her brother Felix Mendelssohn wrote that the Violin Concerto in E Minor and Hebrides was a regular feature in her 21st Century Concerts program, and Fanny felt she should not publish music as a woman. was He decided that many of her works, including her rather wonderful song Italia, should be published under his name. In all, Fanny wrote 460 pieces of music, including many without words, a genre of piano music made famous by her brother Felix Mendelssohn. Musicologists now believe Fanny to be the pioneer of this form.

06. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Tchaikovsky is one of the most successful Russian composers. He is a prolific composer of symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, and chamber music, whose ballets The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty are guaranteed to sell out worldwide, and whose symphonies and The concerto is a mainstay on the international concert stage today. Tchaikovsky was also a deeply troubled man, and his work was shaped by the emotional aftermath of a disastrous marriage, multiple love affairs, and homosexuality, which was illegal in Russia at the time.

07. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Have you heard the German Requiem? Brahms is one of the most respected and beloved composers of the Romantic era. His symphonies, piano and violin concertos, delightful academic overtures for his festivals, and the moving German Requiem, written after the death of his mother, are among his most performed works. . Discovering Brahms' music also means exploring the fascinating blend of classical tradition with folk and gypsy influences that are the inspiration for his 21 dynamic and varied Hungarian dances. .

08. Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

You say sobbing Aria, we say Puccini. This great Italian composer is one of the most performed operas of our time, including La Bohème, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, and Turandot, and the core of every song is absolutely heartbreaking music. In fact, his last opera, Turandot, contains the great tenor's aria "Nessundorma", making him one of the few 20th-century operas to gain a foothold in opera houses around the world. It's one. While working on his final work, Puccini said:

"God Almighty touched me with his pinky finger and said, 'Write for the play, remember only for the play.' "And I obeyed his highest orders."

09. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Rachmaninoff is now moving into the late-romantic period, the ideal turn-of-the-century type of grandiose melodies and virtuoso pianism, whose masterpiece was certainly his 1901 Piano Concerto 2. Its subsequent use in the movie Brief Encounter made it one of the most popular to date. A famous gentleman with big hands, Rachmaninoff could have spanned his 12 piano keys from little finger to thumb. His Piano Concerto No. 3 has long been a favorite in his concert halls and challenges the soloist (literally) to the limits of his abilities.

10. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

For many, Mahler represents the culmination of the astonishing transformation that Western classical music has undergone over his century. As a symphonic master, Mahler thought: it must encompass all. There's more to Mahler's symphonies: frenzied violence, deep sentimentality, existential boredom. With Symphony No. 2, the phrase 'size matters' has never been more appropriate, but Mahler wanted to emphasize life and death in all its terrifying glory. Its emotional range and melodic tension make him one of those classic repertoire pieces that not only audiences want to hear, but orchestras and conductors alike want to play. .

Of course, romantic music doesn't end with these ten composers of his. The 19th century produced a melting pot of musical expression, with composers such as Richard Strauss, Felix Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Berlioz, Schumann, Grieg, Dvořák and Debussy contributing productively. Click on the name to learn more about the composer and their music. 

Musicians in the romantic period

Green Land | January 21, 2023 | 0 comments

From the 1800s to about 1910, Western classical music was defined by its soaring melodies and ever-expanding orchestrations, originality and self-expression. Here are the composers who made all this possible: There are many musicians in the romantic period.

Romance time. In the wonderful words of composer and classical FM host John Branning, "They named him twice. So good."

The 'early' Romantic era began around 1800 with the great classical music of the time Ludwig van his Beethoven. His symphonic revolution ushered in a new era in music history. Fast forward to the turn of the century and music looked very different from the classical era (1730-1820). Late-romantic composers like Rachmaninoff and Mahler expanded the orchestra to an unprecedented scale, adding more colors and instruments, transforming the music into a range of human emotions, from sorrow to joy, passion to sorrow. I changed it to a way to express the whole range.

Here we explore some of the biggest contributors to romance.

01. Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Frédéric Chopin was a virtuoso pianist who wrote almost exclusively for his instrument. The piano underwent major changes in his nineteenth century, with composers becoming more ambitious in range, color and dynamics. It became a symbol of Romanticism and was expanded to meet the needs of musicians like Chopin. Of his repertoire, preludes were favorites of Polish Romanticism, and his nocturnes, waltzes, etudes, mazurkas, sonatas and concertos are still some of the pianist's most popular repertoires today.

02. Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Another composer, Franz Liszt, called "the world's first rock star", took the virtuoso piano art to new heights. The great Hungarian composer, known for his astonishingly demonic La Campanella repertoire, was a showman who revolutionized the performing arts. At his recital, Liszt's fans stripped him of his clothes and shouted his name. This is the phenomenon that the German poet Heinrich Heine called "listomania".In today's recital, we often hear Liszt's timeless and beautiful song No. 3 in A-flat major.

03. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

The undisputed king of Italian opera, Verdi is known not only for his monumental Requiem, but above all for his great stage productions: La Traviata, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida. Fate of Destiny" and "Il Trovatore". Written primarily around the time of Italian unification, Verdi's operas have become an integral part of Italy's national identity, and his chorus has been adopted as the hymn of Italian freedom fighters. In nineteenth-century Italy, Verdi was the king of music. His death in 1901 brought grief to a nation deeply connected to his passion for opera.

04. Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Richard's list of Wagnerian innovations in 19th-century music goes on, including new instruments, bespoke venues, and extraordinarily long works A rather controversial figure largely due to his ties to Nazism – see his gallery of facts here for more – Wagner was a musical visionary best known for opera . His most enduring works include The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Tristan, Isolde and of course his monumental Ring Cycle, his four opera productions lasting 15 hours. . He gave the opera a "leitmotif". It is a musical feature that is widely used today and intended to represent characters and themes. Remember the music of Darth Vader from Star Wars.

05. Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)

Fanny Mendelssohn was a truly great composer, but getting her work published in the 19th century was an almost overwhelming ordeal. Her brother Felix Mendelssohn wrote that the Violin Concerto in E Minor and Hebrides was a regular feature in her 21st Century Concerts program, and Fanny felt she should not publish music as a woman. was He decided that many of her works, including her rather wonderful song Italia, should be published under his name. In all, Fanny wrote 460 pieces of music, including many without words, a genre of piano music made famous by her brother Felix Mendelssohn. Musicologists now believe Fanny to be the pioneer of this form.

06. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Tchaikovsky is one of the most successful Russian composers. He is a prolific composer of symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, and chamber music, whose ballets The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty are guaranteed to sell out worldwide, and whose symphonies and The concerto is a mainstay on the international concert stage today. Tchaikovsky was also a deeply troubled man, and his work was shaped by the emotional aftermath of a disastrous marriage, multiple love affairs, and homosexuality, which was illegal in Russia at the time.

07. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Have you heard the German Requiem? Brahms is one of the most respected and beloved composers of the Romantic era. His symphonies, piano and violin concertos, delightful academic overtures for his festivals, and the moving German Requiem, written after the death of his mother, are among his most performed works. . Discovering Brahms' music also means exploring the fascinating blend of classical tradition with folk and gypsy influences that are the inspiration for his 21 dynamic and varied Hungarian dances. .

08. Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

You say sobbing Aria, we say Puccini. This great Italian composer is one of the most performed operas of our time, including La Bohème, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, and Turandot, and the core of every song is absolutely heartbreaking music. In fact, his last opera, Turandot, contains the great tenor's aria "Nessundorma", making him one of the few 20th-century operas to gain a foothold in opera houses around the world. It's one. While working on his final work, Puccini said:

"God Almighty touched me with his pinky finger and said, 'Write for the play, remember only for the play.' "And I obeyed his highest orders."

09. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Rachmaninoff is now moving into the late-romantic period, the ideal turn-of-the-century type of grandiose melodies and virtuoso pianism, whose masterpiece was certainly his 1901 Piano Concerto 2. Its subsequent use in the movie Brief Encounter made it one of the most popular to date. A famous gentleman with big hands, Rachmaninoff could have spanned his 12 piano keys from little finger to thumb. His Piano Concerto No. 3 has long been a favorite in his concert halls and challenges the soloist (literally) to the limits of his abilities.

10. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

For many, Mahler represents the culmination of the astonishing transformation that Western classical music has undergone over his century. As a symphonic master, Mahler thought: it must encompass all. There's more to Mahler's symphonies: frenzied violence, deep sentimentality, existential boredom. With Symphony No. 2, the phrase 'size matters' has never been more appropriate, but Mahler wanted to emphasize life and death in all its terrifying glory. Its emotional range and melodic tension make him one of those classic repertoire pieces that not only audiences want to hear, but orchestras and conductors alike want to play. .

Of course, romantic music doesn't end with these ten composers of his. The 19th century produced a melting pot of musical expression, with composers such as Richard Strauss, Felix Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Berlioz, Schumann, Grieg, Dvořák and Debussy contributing productively. Click on the name to learn more about the composer and their music. 

Romantic Period , The Romantic Period

Bring out fully the impact of the French Revolution on English Romantic poets

the impact of the French Revolution on English Romantic poets

French Revolution is one of the remarkable events in the history of world. It started in 1789 in France and continued till 1799. Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau taught individualism. They inspired revolution for more freedom and quality During the reign of Louis-XVI of France, there were several social inequalities among the people. The king and the nobility were enjoying all the good things of the country. But the common people were deprived of their due shares. The law of the country was not equal for all classes of people.Thh existing social injustices prompted the great revolution known as the French Revolution. The slogan of the revolution was "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity." The king along with his queen was overthrown by the common people. This revolution was able to create tremendous effect on the life and literature of the people of England. Many contemporary writers went to France and join the French Revolution. William Blake, William Wordsworth, S. T Coleridge and P. B Shelley were influenced by it to a great extent. Another idea of the revolution was that of liberty. The Revolution itself was a protest against oppression and exploitation. The old fortress of Bastille was regarded as a symbol of oppression by the Revolutionaries. It was long used by French kings as prison. The Paris mob rose on July, 14, 1789. The fortress was their first target of attack. That was the beginning of the end of the Old Regime based on suppression of liberty. Wordsworth and Coleridge heard the crash of its towers. Both of them recorded their joy and welcomed it in the dawn of a new era. Before the Revolution, the rich and the powerful had enjoyed all the rights and privileges. They enjoyed them so long and considered them to be divine. They thought that it was their divine rights to exploit the poor for their own good. After the Revolution, such thought came to be regarded as the vilest wrong. It was condemned seriously. The Revolutionaries were also visionaries. They saw the vision of the universal regeneration of mankind. They thought of a Golden Age to come in not too distant future. The philosophers proclaimed the right of all mankind to happiness and perfection in the Golden Age to come. Shelley's imagination caught the idea. He flung aside all social and political limitations with the true revolutionary zeal and fiery wrath. He lost himself in song of welcome to the new era. The Fourth Act of "Prometheus Unbound" is the choral song of the universal regeneration of all mankind in love, peace and joy. "Ode to the West Wind" is one of the greatest poems of Shelley. In this ode, he represents as a rebel poet. His revolutionary zeal is expressed through a series of symbols and images. He wants to destroy oldness, tyranny, suppression, oppression, orthodoxy and corruption from the world. On the contrary, he wants to preserve newness in the society. He would like to bring about a golden millennium. He is a dreamer and an idealist. He is a prophet and thinker. He makes a prophecy at the end of the poem- 

"If Winter comes,Can Spring be far behind?

His optimism consoles the human breasts with courage. It dreams their golden and bright future. According to Matthew Arnold, "Shelley is pessimist about the present, but optimist about the future." In fact, Shelley talks about equality, liberty and fraternity in his poems.

Wordsworth is one of those poets who greeted the French Revolution with much enthusiasm. In the prime of his life, he went to France to join the Revolution. French Revolution excited his blood, stimulated his revolutionary spirit and throbbed his heart. Returning to England, he expressed his experience in many of his poems. He has written "French Revolution". "It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free" and other poems whose themes are the Revolution.

French Revolution has its permanent impact upon the Romantic poetry. The Romantic Period and its literary ideals are hued with the colour of the spirit of the Revolution. As a result of the stimulus provided by these powerful ideas concerning man and his rights, a great development of individuality took place. The Revolutionary ideals kindled human intellect and passion. Wealth, birth, and rank lost their age-old prestige. "A man is a man for all that."it is his right to say what is in him. The English poets, all from common stock with one exception (Keats) caught these ideas and proclaimed them in impassioned language. Each of the great romantic poets reacted in a different way to the call of the Revolution

Bring out fully the impact of the French Revolution on English Romantic poets

Literaturemini | July 31, 2018 | 0 comments

the impact of the French Revolution on English Romantic poets

French Revolution is one of the remarkable events in the history of world. It started in 1789 in France and continued till 1799. Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau taught individualism. They inspired revolution for more freedom and quality During the reign of Louis-XVI of France, there were several social inequalities among the people. The king and the nobility were enjoying all the good things of the country. But the common people were deprived of their due shares. The law of the country was not equal for all classes of people.Thh existing social injustices prompted the great revolution known as the French Revolution. The slogan of the revolution was "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity." The king along with his queen was overthrown by the common people. This revolution was able to create tremendous effect on the life and literature of the people of England. Many contemporary writers went to France and join the French Revolution. William Blake, William Wordsworth, S. T Coleridge and P. B Shelley were influenced by it to a great extent. Another idea of the revolution was that of liberty. The Revolution itself was a protest against oppression and exploitation. The old fortress of Bastille was regarded as a symbol of oppression by the Revolutionaries. It was long used by French kings as prison. The Paris mob rose on July, 14, 1789. The fortress was their first target of attack. That was the beginning of the end of the Old Regime based on suppression of liberty. Wordsworth and Coleridge heard the crash of its towers. Both of them recorded their joy and welcomed it in the dawn of a new era. Before the Revolution, the rich and the powerful had enjoyed all the rights and privileges. They enjoyed them so long and considered them to be divine. They thought that it was their divine rights to exploit the poor for their own good. After the Revolution, such thought came to be regarded as the vilest wrong. It was condemned seriously. The Revolutionaries were also visionaries. They saw the vision of the universal regeneration of mankind. They thought of a Golden Age to come in not too distant future. The philosophers proclaimed the right of all mankind to happiness and perfection in the Golden Age to come. Shelley's imagination caught the idea. He flung aside all social and political limitations with the true revolutionary zeal and fiery wrath. He lost himself in song of welcome to the new era. The Fourth Act of "Prometheus Unbound" is the choral song of the universal regeneration of all mankind in love, peace and joy. "Ode to the West Wind" is one of the greatest poems of Shelley. In this ode, he represents as a rebel poet. His revolutionary zeal is expressed through a series of symbols and images. He wants to destroy oldness, tyranny, suppression, oppression, orthodoxy and corruption from the world. On the contrary, he wants to preserve newness in the society. He would like to bring about a golden millennium. He is a dreamer and an idealist. He is a prophet and thinker. He makes a prophecy at the end of the poem- 

"If Winter comes,Can Spring be far behind?

His optimism consoles the human breasts with courage. It dreams their golden and bright future. According to Matthew Arnold, "Shelley is pessimist about the present, but optimist about the future." In fact, Shelley talks about equality, liberty and fraternity in his poems.

Wordsworth is one of those poets who greeted the French Revolution with much enthusiasm. In the prime of his life, he went to France to join the Revolution. French Revolution excited his blood, stimulated his revolutionary spirit and throbbed his heart. Returning to England, he expressed his experience in many of his poems. He has written "French Revolution". "It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free" and other poems whose themes are the Revolution.

French Revolution has its permanent impact upon the Romantic poetry. The Romantic Period and its literary ideals are hued with the colour of the spirit of the Revolution. As a result of the stimulus provided by these powerful ideas concerning man and his rights, a great development of individuality took place. The Revolutionary ideals kindled human intellect and passion. Wealth, birth, and rank lost their age-old prestige. "A man is a man for all that."it is his right to say what is in him. The English poets, all from common stock with one exception (Keats) caught these ideas and proclaimed them in impassioned language. Each of the great romantic poets reacted in a different way to the call of the Revolution

Romantic Period