英国文学浪漫主义时期.ppt

The Romantic Period (1798-1832),Introduction,English Romanticism begins in 1798 with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridge’s The Lyrical Ballads and ends in 1832 with Walter Scott’s death. William Blake and Robert Burns also belong to this literary genre, though they live prior to the Romantic period.,What is Romanticism,Romanticism is a movement that emerged as a reaction against Neoclassicism 新古典主义, the age preceding the Romantic movement. The Neoclassical age was also called the “The age of Enlightenment”, which emphasized on reason and logic. The Romantic period wanted to break away from the traditions and conventions that were dear to the Neoclassical age and make way for individuality and experimentation.,Definition from Wikipedia,Romanticism (or the Romantic Era or the “'Romantic Period“') was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. In part, it was a revolt反叛; 反抗against aristocratic social and political norms标准, 规范of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature. It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography, education and natural history.,Historical Background,Politically: the French Revolution “Declaration of Rights of Man“ (1791-2), Thomas Paine “Inquiry concerning Political Justice“ (1793), William Godwin “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman“ (1792), Mary Wollstonecraft Workers’ Movement,,Economically: the Industrial Revolution Continued fast changes took place both in the country and in the cities; Many farmhands driven out of land rushed into the city; Women and children were employed as cheap labor; New machines were set up, rendering many out of work; Disparity was growing between the rich and the poor;,,Ideologically The principle of Ration was giving way to an individualized, free, liberal, imaginative attitude towards life; a tendency to turn or escape from the tumultuous嘈杂的动乱的and confusing society,Characteristics of Romanticism,Love of Nature: The Romantics greatly emphasized on the importance of nature, and one of the main characteristics of Romanticism in poetry is the beauty of nature found in the country life. This was mainly because the industrial revolution had taken man from the peaceful country life towards the city life, transforming man's natural order. Nature was not only appreciated for its physical beauty by the Romantics, but also for its ability to help the urban man find his true identity.,Emotions vs. Rationality: Unlike the Neoclassical age which focused on rationality and intellect, Romanticism placed human emotions, feelings, instinct and intuition above everything else. While the poets in the former era adhered to the rules and regulations while selecting a subject and writing about it, the Romantic writers trusted their emotions and feelings to create poetry. This belief can be confirmed from the definition of poetry by William Wordsworth, where he says that “poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings“. The emphasis on emotions was also spread to music created in the Romantic period, and was seen in the compositions made by great musicians like Weber, Beethoven, Schumann, etc.,,Artist, the Creator: As the Romantic period emphasized on emotions, the position or role of the artist or the poet also gained supremacy. In the earlier times, the artist was seen as a person who imitated the external world through his art. However, Romanticism reverted this belief. The poet or artist was seen as a creator of a piece of work which reflected his individuality and inner mind. It was also for the first time that the poems written in the first person were being accepted, as the poetic persona became one with the voice of the poet.,,Nationalism: The Romantics borrowed heavily from the folklore and the popular art. During the earlier periods, literature and art were considered to belong to the high class educated people, and the country folks were not considered fit to enjoy them. Also, the language used in these works were highly poetic, which was totally different from that which was spoken by people. However, Romanticism changed all this. Their works were influenced from the ballads and folklore that were created by the masses or the common people, rather than from the literary works that were popular. Apart from poetry, adopting from the folklore and ballads is also one of the very important characteristics of Romanticism in music. As the Romantics became interested and focused on developing the folklore, culture, language, customs and traditions of their own country, they developed a sense of Nationalism which reflected in their works. Also, the language used in Romantic poems were simple which was usually used in everyday life.,,Exoticism: Along with Nationalism, the Romantics even developed the love of the exotic.。