Romanticism and its features,romantic revival

               

                 Romanticism and its features

Romanticism

                                                  

                        

The romantic revival or the Romantic age is the age in the English literature which falls after the Neo-classical age of the 18th century . The romantic age is also called "The age of Wordsworth"

The term Romanticism has been variously defined by various writers ,for example PHELPS defines it as the "Re-awakening of the middle Ages"

Romantic Revival has its own Features which distinguish it from other periods of English literature.

           FEATURES OF ROMANTIC PERIOD

(1) The Age of Poetry :

The glory of the age is the poetry of Wordsworth , Keats , Colleridge , Shelley , Byron , And Southey . The prose of this age is very meagre as compared to poetry . It is mainly formed by the essays of lamb and Scott and by the Novels of Jane Austin .

(2) Nature:

Unlike the poet's of the 18th century the poet's of the romantic age has great love for nature . Wordsworth remains a great nature poet of the English Literature,he found the presence of living spirit in nature ,He depicted the beautiful aspect of nature .He called nature his Teacher ,guardian , nurse , and Goddess .

"Tintern abbey",  "The prelude" , "ode to autumn", are some of the remarkable nature poems of the age.

(3) Lyricism :

Subjectivity colours the poetry of the Romantic period .it led the romantic poets to write lyrics ,lyricism predominates the Romantic poetry and all the Romantic poets have fine lyrics to their credit.
"Shelley" however, surpasses all in this respect "ode to the west wind" is a supreme examples of his lyrical gift .

(4) imagination and emotion :

In romantic poetry Reason and intellect were replaced by emotion and imagination . All the poet's of the age gave primary place to passion and emotion . Wordsworth called poetry "Spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions " and Colleridge has written about "imagination and Dejection " an ode is the best example of this fact . Wordsworth "Lucy poems " are highly emotional.

(5) Love for country life and common people's :

The poetry of the 18th century was concerned with city life which was artificial ,but the poet's like Wordsworth in the romantic age gave importance to countryside and nature . The poet's of this age took interest in the life of the common people . Wordsworth lyrical ballads prove the truth of the fact.

(6) Love for the supernatural:

Supernaturalism is the notable quality of the Romantic poetry . A sense of wonder and mystery was given to poetry by the poet's like Scott and Colleridge . This element gave poetry the atmosphere of wonder and mystery ,so a critic calls this age as " The Renaissance of wonder ". "The rimes of ancient mariner" and "kubla khan" serves as examples of poetry having the supernatural elements .

Some others Features are:

•Love for liberty and Freedom

•Melancholy

•Simplicity of style

•Break from set rules :in the neo classical age rules and regulations were outlined for writing poetry.

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