Aurora Lorenzetto Romanticism 5A

In the mid 18th century poets had began to write topics about nature, emotion and feelings
In NIGHT THOUGHTS by Edward Young, the setting of a graveyard— reflect on mutability and
death. This gave inspiration to many poets to set their meditations on the transience of life in
churchyards or cemeteries.
•GRAVEYARD POETRY— Thomas gray : rural elements of his poetry anticipates the
reconsideration of the value of agricultural life made by later poets. With its emphasis on runs and
decay—- gothic novel

•interest in Celtic culture — fascinating because poets were unhappy with the present
(industrialization, pollution…, progress brought negative aspects) — ancient values (revaluation of
middle ages) oh heroes such as the on in the WORK OSSIAN— going back to unspoiled world,
closer to nature, when the age of men was good— society makes it bad— fascination for the
EXOTIC.

•view of the WORLD as a creation with its own spirit— we can understand all that complexity
through imagination and instinct (something we perceive, not using our brain) (misticism—
something felt by your heart not brain)——in contrast to the scientific understanding. Children —
creativeness and innocence are closer to God and heaven— intuitive perception of the identity of
himself (William Blake - The Lamb).
Blake considered the poet as a prophet and a creator — imaginative faculty could see deeply into
reality — more ordinary language with the aim to make also common people (emphasis on them)
understand that truth— imagines and symbols needed to convey real sensations (Wordsworth
Lyrical Ballads)— BALLADS easiest form of art, more accessible und understandable by almost
everyone, and allowed the poet greater freedom while renewing the language, far away from the
on of the Augustan Age.

•will of freedom extended also in the field of society and politics—- INDIVIDUALITY AND
SUBJECTIVITY —- free from restrictions and bones of the society — LIBERTINISM
Self-rialance — avoid conformity and follow your own instincts and ideas (Emerson).
Also free to be religious or not.

•first generation of the romantic movement — emphasis on nature as a place of spiritual truth,
release and regeneration — human being were in closer contact with God and free from the
corruption of society (spoiled primeval innocence oh humankind)— people were purer in a state of
nature (Rosseau) : happy, healthy and peaceful— CHILDREN— unspoiled imagination, innocent,
closer to nature and God, than can be find in nature itself (Emerson, Blake).
Blake and Wordsworth celebrated both children’s bond with nature and their creativeness (mary
shelly—- child-like monster instinctively peaceful ruined by civilization).

- William Blake : believed in the potential of arts for changing people’s minds.
• poetry could challenge the readers to move away from social corruption.
• theory of contraries : psychs and mental opposites are interdependent states of human soul..
without contrary no progress.
• SONG OF INNOCENCE : child sings the world in his privilege contact with the divine.
Innocence does not mean knowing few about the ways of the world, but rather a condition of
pure goodness (no evil present yet)— the lamb symbol of innocence— know the secrets of
creation
• SONG OF EXPERIENCE : experience instead of just possessing knowledge, means accepting
the coexistence of good and evil.
Divine origina creation corrupted by society.
- William Wordsworth : Lake District—- love for nature
• France — revolution —- freedom ideas, equality and sympathy for humble people
• preface of the LYRICAL BALLADS — manifesto of English romantic poetry
• pantheistic worldview —- God present in nature
• LYRICAL BALLADS : nature and humble people main source of inspiration, pantheistic
worldview, children privileged connection with God — with heaven.
Poetic tenets explained in the preface : poetic process starts with a sensory experience —
contact with natural elements that conveys particular emotions, later recollected in tranquility
and transfigure into a poetic form.
Aurora Lorenzetto Romanticism 5A

•SUBLIME : contact with nature — spiritual experience— overwhelming — sense of smallness in

front of natural places and phenomenons such as earthquakes, volcanoes (explosion of Vesuvio
also in painting)— SUBLIME — mixture of awe, fear and sense of wonder, doubt about what he
humankind can control.

•second generation of romantic poets:

- Joan Keats : introduced the idea that beauty could solve the tension between reality and
eternity— he modeled Greek culture and middle ages tradition and focused on romanic natural
images and the relationship between beauty and immortality of art and the transience of life
and suffering
BEAUTY only possible truth— immortality art consolatory for humankind (romantic)
Other theme : continue tension between real and ideal, joy and melancholy — contrasting
states of mind that cannot be separated — synesthesia —ode to a nightingale.
- Mary Shelley : mary shelly—- child-like monster instinctively peaceful ruined by civilization
Scientist succeed in giving life to a creature with the aim to defeat death —- temper with nature
and God — sell his soul to “demon” in exchange of knowledge but the human one has limits.
The monster feels out of the society— OUTCAST — typical of romanticism.
Gothic settings with stars the emotions of the reader.
-
- Ralph Waldo Emerson : exponent of TRASCENDETALISM or spokesman of nature :
• the mind coincides with the natural world (“uncontained and immortal beauty”)
• soul is in direct contact with the divine —
• our soul is in direct contact with divine (same study) — SELF RELIANCE — it is best to trust
our own INSTINCT for a right behavior— INTUITION NOT BY EXPERIENCE BUT SOUL.
•nature must be studied lonely — society conform people— encourage to disregard exterior
authorities.
•child’s innate knowledge — not spoiled by society — all the new should by seen with their
eyes — enjoy the beauty of the nature more than in the alduthood.
•poetry should shown the unity in nature — unity between nature, men and God (refused trinity
conception of the divine) siamo un’unica cosa.

- •Romantic behavior : rebels, atheists and seducers

George Orwell : developed his awareness of class division and sense of guild about British
colonialism. He was against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism— criticized Spanish
communists who followed Stalin unthinkingly no form of confront within the party— ANIMAL
FARM : an allegorical tale warning about perversions of Socialism.
NINETEEN EIGHTY - FOUR : masterpiece, dystopian novel—- negative vision of a future hopeless
civilization characterized by a deep development of technology (such as tv) that could help
totalitarian regime to control suppress people’s different ideologies and information through
violence. As a consequence the government increased alienation, isolation and control of
individual lives by working on the minds of the citizens also through propaganda.