Dear students,
As we study the so called "Romantic Poets" let´s first consider what Romanticism means (From English Literature in Context by Paul Poplawski (Ed.), 2008).

• The Romantic period covers the period between the 1780s and 1830s although some authors argue that the period starts in the 1760s and it finishes in the 1850s.
• Romantic refers to a kind of writing in opposition to neo-classicism in which "reason" dominated.
• It marked a profound change in sensibility as a violent reaction to 18th century "reason".
• The most representative British Romantic poets are William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy B. Shelley, John Keats and Lord Byron.
• Romanticism was apparently inspired by te political revolutions of America in 1776 and France in 1789, and therefore the products of Romanticism were often radical.

Characteristics:

• Romantic poets affirm the creative powers of the imagination.
• They introduce us to a new way of looking at nature which becomes the main subject of their work. The "Unity of being" or transcendence can be achieved through communion with nature: mountains, glaciars, storms, strange and exotic settings.
• Romantic poets often write about the nature of the individual self and the nature of individual experience. They also show high regard for the figure of the artists.

Coleridge was one of the so called "the Lake School Poets". They were attacked by liberal and radical writers, including Byron. It was felt that they had turned their backs on their radical youth and had abandoned progressive politics preferring instead to advocate a quasi-mystical relationship with nature instead of an active engagement with politics.

After reading the poem by Coleridge provided in the link, which of the former characteristics do you find? Do you agree with the criticism made in the previous paragraph?

About Keats, please read the following article in the link provided http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2008/07/07/080707crbo_books_kirsch?currentPage=all

Do you think that his working class origin impacted his lack of acknowledgement in his time?

Now choose one of the poems mentioned in the article, google it, read it and compare it against the characteristics above described. You will be asked to tell us about the poem you have chosen in the next session.