6 vwo romantic intro

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

The Romantic period

plan

introduction, historical context

literature ( poetry, theatre, prose)

How to read/analyze poetry

John Keats: La Belle Dame Sans Merci

approximate timeline so far

450-1066 : Old English ( Beowulf, Bede, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle)

1066-1500 : Middle English ( Chaucer)

1500-1650ish; Renaissance ( Shakespeare)

1660-1789ish -- restoration, Enlightenment(Pope, Swift)

1789: French Revolution

1768-1800 : Gothic era

1798 - publication of Wordsworth's/Coleridge's  Lyrical Ballads.

The Romantic Period (1798?-1837)

This very short period is the most well-known, loved, studied.. and for good reason; A lot of great writers. 

main sentiments:

- a longing for pre-industrial England, nature

- the rejection of authority and longing for freedom

Instead of embracing politics as writers of some other eras might have the Romantics turned to Nature for self-fulfillment. They were turning away from the values and ideas of the previous era, embracing new ways of expressing their imagination and feelings. Instead of a concentration on "head," the intellectual focus of reason, they preferred to rely on the self, in the radical idea of individual freedom. Instead of striving for perfection, the Romantics preferred "the glory of the imperfect."

characteristics

1 Focus on power and grandeur of nature

2 Superiority of emotion over intellectual thought

3 Imagination over logic

4 Originality was prized  - new forms or radical adaptations

5 Interest in medieval history

6 Fascination with the exotic

7 Anti-authoritarian, anti-establishment

8 Common people are championed as noble

9 Children

the sublime

In Romantic art, nature—with its uncontrollable power, unpredictability, and potential for cataclysmic extremes—offered an alternative to the ordered world of Enlightenment thought. (...) violent and terrifying images of nature (...) As articulated by the British statesman Edmund Burke in1757 

 “all that stuns the soul, all that imprints a feeling of terror, leads to the sublime.”

Literary devices 

Be able to:

• Identify,
• Show its effect,
• Use examples of the poem to highlight this effect.

Which literary devices do you know?

Metaphor

Simile

Personification

I'm drowning in a sea of grief.

The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

My love for you is as deep as the ocean.

What is a 'narrator'?

Give an example of an onomatopoeia.

Which tone of voice is saying the exact opposite of what you mean?

1. satire
2. hyperbole
3. irony
4. alliteration

Alliteration

Hyperbole

Sarcasm

I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

Weather forecast for tonight: dark.

Kim's kid kept kicking like crazy!

What is the aim of imagery?

1. To build suspension.
2. To evoke a response from the reader.
3. To make the writing attractive.
4. To highlight jokes.

What is meant with the 'form' of a poem?

What connotation do you have to the word 'crown'?

La belle dame sans merci

nine characteristics

which one can you see in this poem? How? 

Why is this poetry? How is it different from a prose text? what is the effect?

2nd hour

Stepping Stones

speaking: personal questions

What is “beauty”?

What/who do you consider beautiful?

What does “inner beauty” mean to you?

Do you consider artificial beauty (cosmetic surgery) to still be beauty? Why/why not?

How do you feel about the emphasis that people put on beauty these days?

What would you tell your children about beauty?