The Characteristics of Romantic Poetry The Romantic Movement lasted from about 1750 to about 1870, is often defined as second Renaissance. Romanticism cannot be identified with a sin gle style, technique, or attitude, but romantic writing is generally characteried by a highly imaginative and sub!ective a""roach, emotional intensity, freedom of thought and e#"ression, an idealiation of nature, and a dreamli$e or visionary quality. The Romant Ro mantic ic Movemen Mov ementt is both a revolt and revival .%his movement in literature and the revolutionary idealism in &uro"ean "olitics are both generated by the same human craving for freedom from traditions and tyranny. %he Romantic Movement revives the "oetic ideals of love, beauty, emotion, imagination, romance and beauty of 'ature. (eats celebrates beauty b eauty,, )helley adores love, *ordsworth glorifies nature +yron idealies humanism, )cott revives the medieval lore and oleridge amalgamates su"ernatural. -s -s a result, the Romantic Movement revolts against the ideals, "rinci"les, "rin ci"les, intellectualism, aristocracy and technicality of -ugustan "eriod and smoothed the run of broad emotional gallery of substance relinquishing the rigidity of form/.
rom sociological sociological and "olitical "ers"ective "ers"ective it is not unfair to say that Romanticism Romanticism and rench Revolution are synonymous. n fact, Rousseau/s Rousseau/s social theory roughly embodies in the familiar "hrase of the return to nature/ while the battle cry of rench Revolution 2 liberty, equality and raternity 2 are influential on the youthful imagination of Romantic "oets. Rousseau establishes the cult of the individual and cham"ioned the freedom of the human s"irit. Rousseau/s Rousseau/s sentimental influence touches +la$e, *ordsworth and oleridge3 his intellectual int ellectual influence 4odwin, and through 4odwin )helly. +yron and )helley also share the cham"ion of liberty and revolutionary idealism. - wonderful humanitarian enthusiasm and gorgeous dream of "rogress and "erfection are thus $indled in ardent young souls. %his is the central creed of Romantic "oetry. ere is the "ro"hecy of a new day, forwarding forwarding immediately into an era of realied democratic ideals 2 6%he trum"et of a "ro"hecy wind, f winter comes, can s"ring be far behind9: ;de %o %he *est *ind 2 )helley< )helle y<
%he other most im"ortant feature of Romantic Romantic "oetry is emotionalism. ere is effusion of feelings, emotions and heartfelt a""reciation of beauty in all form 2 human or natural. t s"rings from the heart and ma$es an a""eal to the heart. t is s"ontaneous and natural, and no laboured e#ercise. %he "reface to the second edition of Lyrical Ballads ;1800<, by &nglish "oets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the "rime im"ortance as a manifesto of literary romanticism, affirms the im"ortance of feeling and imagination to "oetic creation and disclaimed conventional literary forms and sub!ects. %hus imagination, emotions ,intuition rolls over to the literary out"ut of sensibility and "assion. =yricism, =yricism, rather than intellectual or satirical, is the basic "reoccu"ation of Romantic "oetry. "oetry. ere is the full e#"ression of one/s own "ersonal feelings and sentiments towards an ob!ect. -s such there is an abundance of lyrics, songs, sonnets, odes, and egotistical "oems in Romantic Romantic "oetry. *ordsworth, *ordsworth, oleridge, )helley, Keats and +yron are all famous lyrical "oets. -ll these lyrics favour sub!ectivity, emotionalism, emotionalism, im"ulse and free "lay of imagination. )uch intensity of feeling can be read in Shelley’s To A Skylark:
*e loo$ before and after, -nd "ine for what is not3 ur sincerest laughter *ith some "ain is fraught ur sweetest songs are those that tells of saddest thought. n their choice of sub!ect matter, the romantics showed an affinity for nature, es"ecially its wild and mysterious as"ects, and for e#otic, melancholic, and melodramatic sub!ects li$ely to evo$e awe or "assion. 'ature comes to the new light in Romantic "oetry. "oetry. t ta$es the widest "ossible connotation. 'ature, for the Romantic "oets, includes landsca"e, trees, "lants, hills, rivers, mountains as well as rural fol$s together with their cottages, shee", goats and rural festivals. (eats visualies its nature3 )helley intellectualies3 *ordsworth mystifies and +yron revolutionies it. *ordsworth, the worshi"er and high "riest of 'ature, thus says 2 6 >>>>.. and that , so long - worshi""er of 'ature, hither come ?nwearied in that service3 rather say *ith warmer love 2 h *ith far dee"er eal f holier love >..: ; Tintern Abbey William Wordsworth < %he medieval age 2 the magic of distance, s"irit of adventure, $night 2 errant, duels, battles and tournaments and voyages over unchartared seas offer a store@house of fascination for Romantic "oets. oleridge creates a ma$e believe world/ on the doctrine of willing sus"ension of disbelief. (eats e#"lores
ellenism as if a 4ree$ born in &ngland. %his lure of e#otic is everywhere in their te#t. -"art from these the "ictorial quality, quality, the subtle harmony of "hrase, e#tensive use of "oetic imagery and sim"licity of diction are the other characteristics of Romantic Romantic "oetry. %hus both in manner and matter Romantic Romantic "oetry are far different from -ugustan -ge. %hough %hough the Romantic age and literature sto"s with the accession of Aueen Bictoria to the throne of &ngland in 18C7, its s"irit is still relevant in "resent day literary "roduction. - See more at: http://ardhendude.blogspot.in/2011/04/characteristics-of-romantic poetry.html#sthash.9ryyn!".dpuf poetry.html#sthash.9ryyn!".dpuf
