A dictum from Heraclitus may illustrate the origin of romantic poetry, “when we are awake we have a world in common, but when we are asleep each has his own world” (qtd by O'Connell 35). As conceived from the innermost being, romantic poems have a close relationship with dreams. However, as the definitions and characteristics are controversial, some critics oppose to use the term “Romanticism”. For instance, Arthur Lovejoy criticizes that “Romanticism” is an obscure norm. When defined by the association with nature and emotion, even Plato can be regarded as a pioneer in romantic poetry according to this definition (Lovejoy 230).
Poetry before the time of Wood worth employed a lot of philosophical and intellectual engagements. (Stephen 70) The history of William Wordsworth has helped in understanding the poem by firstly knowing that his sister Dorothy was the silent listener mentioned at the end of the poem. It is also important in understanding how the poem was composed and the various situations showing communion with nature. His historical background also shows that he was a Romanticist and together with another composer it gave Wordsworth the ability to grow further in poetry.
Romanticism emerged in the late eighteenth century in reaction to the rationalism of the Enlightenment. Wordsworth and other Romantics emphasized the vigor of everyday life, the importance of human emotions, and the enlightening power of nature. Romanticism also stressed the power of imagination, which encouraged freedom from standard conventions in art and sometimes provocatively reversed social conventions (Newworldencyclopedia.org, n.d.) He helped to unite the serenity of nature and the inner emotional world of men; poetry that reunited readers with true emotions and feelings. (Shmoop, 2008). He became England's poet laureate in 1843, a role he held until his death in 1850 (Kettler, n.d.) Originally inspired by the French Revolution and the social changes it brought, Wordsworth tried to create poetry of the people, in the language of the common man.
Now speaking about role of memory, it has certain properties depending on the type of poem we are writing. If we want to write a melancholic poem, certainly we would be digging up sad memories from our past. similarly, if we want to write a blissful poem, happy thoughts and memories would be recollected. According to Wordsworth, he feels that memory plays a very important role in developing ones imagination. In the poem, Tintern
The Romantic period believed that emotion was a form of intelligence, and art was a path to transcendence. As a result of the change in beliefs, Romantic poetry is often characterized by nature, imagination, memory, and wisdom. Imagination acts as a source of creativity, and allows us to see what is not immediately apparent. The Romantics believed that we could discover the imagination in nature, which often resulted in a harmony of the two. However, there are times when nature and imagination are in conflict with each other; for example, when imagination acts as an illusion, and distracts us from confronting the issue.
Both the former and latter are evident in his late works: The Tower, The Winding Stair and Other Poems, Words for Music Perhaps, A Woman Young and Old, A Full Moon in March, and Last Poems. To that end, Yeats’ late poetic works suggest Romantic themes such as individualism, love of art and nature, and nostalgia. Specifically, his poem “Among School Children” suggests the aforementioned Romantic themes and Yeats’ reluctance to completely abandon Romanticism. Interestingly, Yeats’ poetic works are primarily considered Romantic poetry; however, Helen Vendler in her chapter in The Cambridge Companion to W. B. Yeats contends that Yeats was a Modernist. For that matter, in her article, Vendler asserts that Yeats’ thematic, generic, and formal manipulation of poetry made him a Modernist.
During the early and mid-19th Century, a literature type known as Romanticism evolved in Europe, creating many works of poetry and literature that are still in use presently. Through Romanticism, poets wanted to shed the light on the beauties or the darknesses of human nature and humans themselves with different characteristics that define Romanticism. ¨Dr. Heideggar´s Experiment¨ by Nathaniel Hawthorne and a short story, Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson both present the Romantic Characteristic of preferring youthful innocence over educated sophistication. Both pieces advocate a preference for youth, but ¨Dr.
Grant Renner Mrs. LaMorte English 4 Honors P.4 6 February 2018 Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan” Poetry is a a form of not only expressing feelings an author has but also expressing their thoughts of society in a fantastic form of literature. Poetry was especially unique during the Romantic era. The romantic era was a time period that showed distinct characteristics throughout literature, music, and intellectual studies. Because of the recent events, the people during the time felt a sense of pride and individualism with the push for “power to the people.” This era was also in reaction to the Industrial Revolution, with the Age of Enlightenment, and rationalization of nature. The influence of current events inspired the themes of intuition,
Romanticism glorified art, poetry, music, and nature. Two examples of Romantic poets are Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson, whose writing exemplifies the Romantic theme of individuality, or the divergence from traditional societal norms and beliefs. The poems “A Dream Within A Dream,” by Edgar Allan Poe, and “Much Madness is Divinest Sense,” by Emily Dickinson perfectly display this theme of individuality. Within these poems, one can see both the similarities and differences regarding the theme, numerous elements of Romanticism such as individualism, imagination, and insight, the impact the theme has on societal norms, and the timelessness of the theme by being incorporated into modern day culture. To begin, there are many similarities to be found within “A Dream Within A Dream” and “Much Madness Is Divinest Sense”.
Wordsworth wrote most of his early poetry on the relationship between the mind and nature. The alliance between the inner world and the exterior world and how he saw them as fitted to each other. Wordsworth’s I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (Appendix 2) is said to have been inspired by a walk he took on a visit to Grasmere in the Lake District in 1802. The poem reflects the emotions he experiences that are inspired by the beauty of the daffodils. The