6V Literature - Romanticism Part 1

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

A Survey of English Literature

Romanticism

Part 1

Romanticism

- The Eighteenth Century

- The Romantic Period (1798 - 1830)

- Romantic literature: characteristics / poets / authors

What are the main topics of
Romantic literature?

The Eighteenth Century

The Neo-Classical Period / The Age of Reason

• Neo-Classical: classical influence > absolute authority
• Result: "good art" >> imitation of the classics

• Reason: rational and balanced judgement, based on knowledge, no personal emotions
• Result: "good art" > strict rules regarding form and content

The Eighteenth Century

• Britain: becomes the world's leading economic power

• Wealth based on colonies and trade
• Tea, silks and spices (India)
• Atlantic "Triangular Trade"
• Industrial Revolution (introduction of steam engine)

Triangular trade

• Slaves
  
• Plantation crops (sugar, cotton and tobacco)
  
• Manufactured goods
  

The Nineteenth Century

• Late 18th/early 19th century: great changes!

• Society - industrial cities; poverty among workers
• Nature - large-scale environmental pollution
• Great changes outside Britain:

The Nineteenth Century

• 1776 Declaration of Indepence
• French Revolution (1789)
• Inspiration for many British intellectuals (liberty, equality, fraternity)
• Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)
• Gave rise to great patriotism
• Trafalgar: French navy defeated - Lord Nelson
• Waterloo: Napoleon defeated - Duke of Wellington

The Romantic Period

• 1798 - 1830

• Romantic - 
• from 'romance' > story of adventure and imagination
• anti (neo-)classical, anti rationalist!
• six central themes:

The Romantic Period

• the beauty and value of nature
• idealization of the countryside and country people
• the (idealized) past
• distant and exotic cultures
• children (innocent, not yet corrupted by the world)
• the supernatural

Romantic literature

Poetry

• Most of it lyrical (expressing poet's feelings and emotions)
• Some of it narrative (art ballads > imitations of medieval ballads)

Drama

• A re-evaluation of Shakespeare

Prose 

• The historical novel becomes very popular

What are the main topics of
Romantic literature?

Which answer best defines the Triangular Trade?

1. slaves - goods - crops
2. crops - slaves - goods
3. slaves - crops - goods
4. crops - goods - slaves

In which year did the American colonies declare their indepence?

1. 1789
2. 1733
3. 1767
4. 1776

Who defeated the French army at Trafalgar?

1. Duke of Wellington
2. Lord Nelson
3. Lord Tennyson
4. Duke of Edinburgh

Next lesson

Introduction to Romantic poets + novelists

Examples of Romantic literature

Assignments

Bring reader&workbook 3 + your notebook!