Literature Romanticism

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

Literature

Poems from the Romantic Era

1798-1850

Literature this period

•  We will work through the reader/poems/exercises together
• There is a lot of information in the reader, I will not discuss everything, so you will have to read some on your own as well.
  
• In class we will focus on discussing the poems
  
• Questions?
  

Romanticism

- Introduction to the Romantic Era

William Blake "The Lamb"

- William Blake "The Tyger"

Robert Burns "A red red rose"

-  Lord Byron "She Walks in Beauty"

William Wordsworth "I Wandered Lonely"

Walt Whitman "O Captain! My Captain!"

Romantic Period

•  Artistic, literary, intellectual movement.

• Reaction to Enlightenment (Age of reason)
• subjective 

• Introspective intuition, emotion, spontanuity and imagination

Historical Context

•  French Revolution 1789: Human rights and Power to the People, Constitution.
• Start of the Industrial Revolution

Characteristics

Imagination

Emotions

Nature

Pastoral life

Symbolism

Individualism

William Blake

 1757-1827

• Poet, painter, engraver, and visionary
  

•  Born in London in a moderatly wealthy family
  
• No formal schooling, but at age 10 he went to drawing school and at age 14 he became an apprentice to an engraver
• Started writing poetry in 1783
  
• Songs of Innocenence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794).
• He was not very well known in his time and the responses to his work were mixed.
  

Let's read the poem on page 32

William Blake - The Lamb

1. What is the central question of this poem?

2. What is the clothing of delight?

1. fleece
2. silk
3. wool
4. iron

3. What does: "Making all the vales rejoice" mean?

1. Bringing happiness to everything is the surrounding valleys
2. The valleys are sad
3. The sheep are glad

4. For He calls Himself a Lamb. Explain please.

What elements of Romanticism are represented in this poem?

1. Imagination, nature, pastoral life and symbolism.
2. Nature, pastoral life, emotion
3. Individualism, nature, imagination
4. Individualism, pastoral life, emotion

Let's read the poem on page 33

William Blake - The Tyger

1. What part of a tiger burns bright?

1. eyes
2. teeth
3. fur
4. tail

2. What does the tiger represent?

1. power
2. evil
3. guilt
4. mystery and fear

3. What is the central question of the poem?

4. What do distant deeps and skies represent?

5. What profession is referred to in stanza 4?

1. butcher
2. hunter
3. blacksmith
4. god

6. Why does the poet use the word 'dare' in the last line?