Influence Of British Romanticism On British Literature
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Influence Of British Romanticism On British Literature
Characterized by freedom of the mind and an idealistic view of human nature, Romanticism slowly crept out of Neoclassicism to become one of the most influential periods of British literature. It is the emergence of this new literary period called Romanticism that stirred an interest in those who were hungry for a new form of writing and thought. This idea, although relatively short-lived and lasting only from 1798-1832, had enormous effects on the philosophy and literature of the time while leaving its mark on the history of England. When describing Romanticism, an author once said:
This was a turbulent period, during which England experienced the ordeal of change from a primarily agricultural society, where wealth and power had been concentrated in the landholding aristocracy, to a modern industrial nation, in which the balance of economic power shifted to large-scale employers, who found themselves ranged against an immensely enlarging and increasingly restive working class (Abrams 1).
Writers of Neoclassicism have often been described as writing:
most of their poems in heroic couplets, made their center of interest London, were preeminently satirists, had little patience with individual deviations from the dictates of common sense, and placed good manners on a higher level than personal emotion (Bell and Grebanier 13).
These characteristics of Neoclassicism were prominent in Europe for nearly a century, contributing to the British a yearning for change. This long-awaited change was brought about by Romantics focusing more on the sense, emotions, and imagination of each individual, rather than standards that were set by previous writers. The authors’ styles were more free than before while they focused on nature above all else.
This idealistic view of nature was started by French philosopher and Romantic forerunner Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau was a true individualist and strongly believed in the freedom of the human spirit. His most famous quote that characterizes his naturalistic views of life is, “I felt before I thought” (“Romanticism (literature)”). One influential author during the Romantic Period was Edward Gibbon who is known to be the greatest English historian of the Enlightenment. It was once said of him that:
the influence of his iconoclastic rationality was to be felt in the work of a new generation of writers who often distrusted reason and who earnestly sought to redefine the intellectual and political assumptions of its fathers (Sanders 333-334).
Just as Rousseau and Gibbon left their permanent marks on British literature and philosophy, the same can be said about author and scholar Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Although he pioneered Romanticism towards the end of the period, he made a considerable contribution to the literary side of Romanticism. Along with a few other notable authors of the time, 1773 marked the year that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a group of essays entitled Von deutscher Art und Kunst, meaning Of German Style and Art, in 1773. In these essays Goethe discussed the Romantic spirit as portrayed in German folk songs and the plays of William Shakespeare (“Romanticism (literature)”). Along with Von deutscher Art und Kunst, Goethe wrote The Sorrows of Young Werther, which is said to be one of the most influential documents of Romanticism. Written in 1774 and translated in 1779, The Sorrows of Young Werther exalts a fresh sentiment and therefore set a new standard of mood and reflected in the Romantic works to follow. It has been described as having “a fashionable tendency to frenzy, melancholy, world-weariness, and even self-destruction” (“Romanticism (literature)”).
As style was vital to Romanticism, William Wordsworth is said to be one of the most important and influential poets of British literature. As a poet his style was very free and naturalistic which was characteristic of Romanticism. Along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Wordsworth wrote Lyrical Ballads in 1800. In this work, “the two poets affirmed the importance of feeling and imagination to poetic creation and disclaimed conventional literary forms and subjects” (“Romanticism (literature)”). According to Rasnake, “Wordsworth’s disillusionment with the French Revolution” (Rasnake) was a key element in his chosen style and creative direction. The volumes of influential works authored by William Wordsworth brought about significant changes in the literary world. For example, different writing styles emerged with many having freer and more detailed, fast paced plots. Wordsworth combined an abundance of genres into one in order to make the plots so unique. A result of this was the tragicomedy, which was a collection of grotesque and sublime plots. He terminated the use of the three unities of time, place, and action, which were no longer tolerated in classical conventional tragedies. It has been said that:
An increasing demand for spontaneity and lyricism- qualities that the adherents of romanticism found in folk poetry and in medieval romance- led to a rejection of regular meters, strict forms, and other conventions of the classical tradition” (“Romanticism (literature)”).
Because of Wordsworth, “[…] the romantic writers replaced the static universal types of classical 18th-century literature with more complex, idiosyncratic characters […]” (“Romanticism (literature)”). Wordsworth simply revived an interest for old literature by creating fresher scenes and ambiance and adding a sort of warmth that European literary circles were not accustomed to.
Most of the British society viewed Wordsworth as an old and wise intellectual and assigned him sufficient merit. While focusing on the works of Wordsworth, many were unaware of other influential young men who were greatly effecting the British Romanticism style of that day. Sir Walter Scott, for example, was interested in far, distant time and wrote ballads based on the simplicity of nature. Lord Byron, on the other hand, portrayed himself in tragic revolts against society while his satirical spirit and strong sense of social realism kept him separated from other Romantic writers. Percy Bysshe Shelley is yet another Romantic writer with highly acclaimed credentials. Shelley is best known for his self-portrayal and revealing personal experiences in his Prometheus Unbound. It was once said:
His most thoughtful poetry expresses his two main ideas, that the external tyranny of rulers, customs, or superstitions is the main enemy, and that inherent human goodness will, sooner or later, eliminate evil from the world and usher in an eternal reign of transcend[e]nt love (“Romanticism (literature)”).
While all of these writers were considered youthful when compared to those such as Wordsworth and Coleridge, John Keats is recognized as being the youngest romantic writer of all time. Most of his poetry was a response to sensuous impressions. He was concerned with what was going on at the present moment and felt as if there was no time to ponder the future. It has been stated that:
His work had a more profound influence that that of any other romantic in widening the sensuous realm of poetry for the Victorians later in the century” (“Romanticism (literature)”).
It was these authors and intellectuals that shaped and molded the ideas that characterized Romanticism. They paved the way for new thoughts and impressions that changed literature, religion, and the whole British society forever.
It was from the works of these writers that four major themes of Romanticism emerged, greatly influencing religion and philosophy. The first of these themes is Libertarianism which preceded Romanticism. While Romanticism embraced the idea for freedom of the mind and a concentration on nature, Libertarianism was focused on nature alone. The Romantic movement greatly endangered Libertarianism by reversing the neoclassical philosophy. The second theme of Romanticism is nature. Critical to the Romantic movement, nature was most notably represented in the poetry and works of Wordsworth. This theme, “Often combined with this feeling for rural life is a generalized romantic melancholy, a sense that change is imminent and that a way of life is being threatened” (“Romanticism (literature)”). Thirdly, the lure of the exotic was a vital theme to Romanticism. While “In the spirit of their new freedom, romantic writers in all cultures expanded their imaginary horizons spatially and chronologically,” and “[…] turned back to the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century) for themes, settings […]” and characters (“Romanticism (literature)”). The last major theme of Romanticism was that of the supernatural. Supernaturalism was a combination of disillusion and rationalism that was influenced mostly by folk tales and folk ballads. The supernatural developed irrational thought in Romanticism and prompted a certain fascination with the concept of doppelganger, which is German for “double.”
With the new philosophies in place and new authors hungry to present their thoughts and ideas, several new forms of writing emerged during the Romantic era. The first form of writing that developed was that of blank verse. Blank verse is defined as “Unrhymed iambic pentameter, a line of five feet, each with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one” (Pfordresher 898). The second form of writing, or in this case playwright, was drama or that of dramatic monologue. Dramatic monologue “[…] presents a character as revealed unintentionally by his own words” (Abrams 2560). Proceeding drama was the was a form of poetry referred to as lyric. Lyric, according to Pfordresher, is “A poem, usually short, that expresses some basic emotion or state of mind. It usually creates a single impression and is highly personal. It may be rhymed or unrhymed, in any of a number of forms” (Pfordresher 914). Several of the well-known Romantic lyricists include Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Moore, and George Darley.
Changes in the language and pronunciation of words spoken by the English people were a direct result of the effects of these new forms of writing. Romantics were especially intrigued with words and reintroduced many expressions and words back into the English language that had not been used for centuries. In 1773, a man by the name of William Kendrick published a dictionary in which he indicated the vowel sounds and added many new philosophical and scientific words recognized and revitalized by the Romantic authors. Because of this, Romanticism is not only known for focusing on nature and freedom, but also for altering the spoken language as well as the written word.
In conclusion, British Romanticism had major effects on psychology, theories of human nature, literature, religion, politics, and revolution. The psychology and theories of human nature changed during Romanticism because:
for the first time, philosophers no longer urged that the healthy human mind is organized hierarchically with reason, like a king, ruling will and passions. Reason now shares rule with feelings or emotions. (Note how passions, a word with negative connotations, is replaced by a pair of more positive terms and how more "democratic" the new theory appears.) (Lowden)
In literature, the subject of most writings encompasses the emotions of the individual. In essence, one of the goals of Romantics was “to develop an important and significant relation between theory and practice” (Sweet). Literary styles changed from having a set order and balance in the Neoclassical Period to focusing more on the importance of “power, energy, intensity, and sincerity” (Lowden). Because the Romantics looked at humans as having the innate ability to differentiate between good and evil, religion changed from Christianity’s doctrine of original sin and human depravity. Romantics assumed all of the foundations of Christianity to be in error and took the responsibility upon them to grant this innate ability and knowledge to the human being. Lastly, a popular motto for politics and revolution during Romanticism was “Change the system, change the person” (Landow). Romantics could not fathom why people relying on the government were suffering from poverty, ignorance, and illness when man was not innately evil and did deserve to bear the burden of original sin. Although said to have had a “false conscience” (Romantics), Romantics believed that reliance on a changed system of government was the final answer to the unhappiness of man and individual fulfillment in all aspects of life (Romantics). When asked to define Romanticism, one critic answered:
It is, fundamentally, a state of mind, a particular outlook on life, in which the human emotions and the human imagination act upon facts, either accepting them or leaving them alone, since the romanticist is interested chiefly in considering things as he would like them to be rather than as they necessarily are (Anderson 269).
Although characterized by freedom of the mind and an idealistic view of human nature, the Romantic period, while being the shortest of any time period in the history of Europe, is recognized as being one of the most influential eras of British literature and philosophy.
Works Cited
Abrams, M. H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 5th ed. vol. 2. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1986.
Anderson, George K., and Robert Warnock. The World in Literature. vol. 2. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1967.
Bell, Arthur H., and D. N. Grebanier. English Literature: 1800 to 1900. 2nd ed. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 1994.
Landow, George P. “Emotionalist Moral Philosophy: Sympathy and the Moral Theory that Overthrew Kings.” The Victorian Web. 1988. 25 Nov. 2001. <http://65.107.211.206/victorian/philosophy/phil4.html>
Liu, Alan. “Romantics.” Voice of the Shuttle. 1 Nov. 2001. http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2750#top
Pfordresher, John, ed. England in Literature. Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1991.
Rasnake, David K. “William Wordsworth: A Hypertextual Biography.” The William Wordsworth Page. 25 Nov. 2001. < http://members.aol.com/wordspage/bio.htm>
“Romanticism (literature).” Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 99. CD-ROM. 1999.
Sanders, Andrew. The Short Oxford History of English Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1994.
Sweet, William. British Idealism Research Page. 1 Nov. 2001. http://www.stfx.ca/arpa/BI-RP.html |
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