British Romanticism and William Blake

Romanticism

• British Romanticism emerged roughly from the 1780s to 1830s.
• It was a literary and artistic movement.
• It placed emphasis on emotion, nature, and individualism.
• British Romanticism rejected the Enlightenment's focus on reason.
• It favored subjective experience and imagination.

William Blake

• William Blake was a pivotal figure in the Romantic era.
• He was a visionary English poet, painter, and printmaker.
• Blake was known for his innovative artistic style.
• Blake explored profound and often spiritual themes.
• He contributed to both art and literature.
• He blended poetry and visual art.
• "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" is a collection of poems written by Blake.
• "Songs of Innocence and Experience" was published around 1789.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience

• This is a collection of poems divided by two sides; "Innocence" and "Experience."
• It contains illustrations made by Blake.
• Blake intended to show "the two contrary states of the human soul."

Poems in Innocence

• "The Shepherd"
• "The Echoing Green"
• "The Lamb"
• "The Little Black Boy"
• "The Blossom"
• "The Chimney Sweeper"

"The Chimney Sweeper" (Innocence)

• This poem talks about how the protagonist told Tom to not cry when they shaved his head so the soot cannot get in this hair.
• It shows the innocent perspective of a child.
• It portrays how even when sold into child labor, they still have childlike innocence.

Poems in Experience

• "Earth's Introduction"
• "The Cold and the Pebble"
• "Holy Thursday"
• "The Little Girl Lost"
• "The Little Girl Found"
• "The Chimney Sweeper"

"The Chimney Sweeper" (Experience)

• The child acknowledges the harsh realities and exploitation, contrasting with the naive perspective in "Songs of Innocence".
• The shift from innocence to experience is evident in this poem.

Lyric Poem

• A lyric poem is a short, emotionally expressive poem.
• It often has a songlike quality.
• It focuses on the speaker's personal feelings and thoughts, rather than telling a story.

Sublime

• It is an effect of beauty in grandeur.
• It is a feeling of awe, reverence, vastness, and power beyond human comprehension.

William Wordsworth

• William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet.
• He helped launch the Romantic Age with Samuel Taylor Coleridge through their joint publication Lyrical Ballads.
• Wordsworth wrote Lines, Expostulation & Reply, The Tables Turned, Tintern Abbey, Preface to Lyrical Ballad, I wandered lonely as a cloud, My heart leaps up.
• Most of Wordsworth's poems were published around 1798, such as Expostulation & Reply, The Tables Turned, and Tintern Abbey.
• He wrote Preface to Lyrical Ballad published at 1800.
• I wandered lonely as a cloud was published at 1807.
• My heart leaps up was published at 1802.

Expostulation & Reply

• This poem is the story of Matthew and William.
• Matthew tries to dissuade William from idling away his time sitting alone, dreaming.
• Matthew asks William why he is not reading and wasting his time sitting on an old grey stone for half a day.
• William describes the act of idleness as an intuitive process.
• William believes the senses remain active without one's conscious control and knowledge comes to him in the process.
• William describes a state of "wise passiveness" needed to comprehend the "mighty sum of things" forever speaking

The Tables Turned

• The poem emphasizes the importance of nature.
• It suggests books are barren leaves providing empty knowledge.
• Nature is the best teacher, offering lessons about human nature, evil, and good.
• People must humbly open their hearts to the lessons that nature has to offer.
• The speaker urges a friend to put down books and come outside to watch the sunset.
• The speaker insists that experiencing nature is more valuable and enjoyable than intellectual study.

Tintern Abbey

• The speaker reflects on the restorative power of nature.
• The speaker reflects on the enduring impact of childhood memories of nature.
• The speaker reflects on his first visit to Tintern Abbey.
• These experiences have shaped the speaker's perspective and moral character.
• The subject of the poem is memory, specifically childhood memories of communion with natural beauty.
• This subject is hugely important in Wordsworth's work.

Preface to Lyrical Ballads

• Wordsworth advocates for a new approach to poetry.
• He emphasizes using everyday language and ordinary subjects.
• He aims to explore human emotions and nature.
• He wants to create a more accessible and enduring form of poetry.
• The first edition of Lyrical Ballads was published as an experiment to test the public reception of poems that use "the real language of men in a state of vivid sensation."

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

• The plot depicts the poet's wandering and discovery of a field of daffodils by a lake.
• The memory of the daffodils pleases him and comforts him when he is lonely, bored, or restless.
• This poem strongly connects experience, imagination, and language.

My Heart Leaps Up

• This poem describes the delight the speaker feels upon seeing a rainbow.
• This joy prompts the speaker to reflect on the passing of time and the significance of childhood.
• People first feel a sense of powerful awe and wonder at the natural world during childhood.
• The poem reminds us to enjoy simple pleasures.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian.
• He was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England.
• He was a member of the Lake Poets with William Wordsworth.
• Coleridge wrote "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which was published in 1798.
• The story is narrated by a mariner who is compelled to tell his tale to people he encounters.
• The mariner's ship experiences good fortune until the mariner shoots a friendly albatross with his crossbow.
• The ship and its crew seem to be cursed after this event.

Ode

• An ode is a short lyric poem.
• It praises an individual, an idea, or an event.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

• Percy Bysshe Shelley was an English writer and one of the major English Romantic poets.
• He wrote "Mutability," "To Wordsworth," and "Ode to the West Wind."
• He published Mutability and To Wordsworth around 1816.
• He published "Ode to the West Wind" around 1819.

Mutability

• "Mutability" reflects on the power of change.
• Change is the only thing in the world that doesn't change.
• People get thrown around by their ever-changing feelings like ships on a stormy sea.

To Wordsworth

• The poem appears to praise Wordsworth's past works.
• Shelley mocks and taunts the older poet with images of transience and death.
• Shelley uses themes like "childhood and youth, friendship, and love's first glow."

Ode to the West Wind

• The speaker explores nature's destructive and regenerative power.
• The speaker explores death and rebirth.
• The speaker expresses the desire to be inspired and to spread his ideas.
• The speaker seeks to be a vessel for the wind's transformative force.

Sonnet

• A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines.
• It uses any of a number of formal rhyme schemes.
• In English, sonnets typically have ten syllables per line.

John Keats

• John Keats was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets.
• Keats wrote "When I Have Fears," "Bright Star," "Sonnet to Sleep," and "To Autumn."
• He published "When I have Fears" in 1848.
• He published "Bright Star" and "Sonnet to Sleep" in 1838.
• He published "To Autumn" around 1820.

When I Have Fears

• The poem primarily explores death and the fear of it.
• The poem explores what death prevents Keats from doing.

Bright Star

• The poem explores themes of eternal love.
• It explores the speaker's yearning for a steadfast, enduring love.
• It contrasts the constancy of a star with the fleeting nature of human existence and desire for physical intimacy.

Sonnet to Sleep

• The speaker personifies sleep as a gentle, protective force offering respite from the torments of waking life and the anxieties of "curious Conscience".
• The poem explores the longing for forgetfulness.
• The poem explores the power of sleep as a divine escape.

To Autumn

• This poem narrates the passing of both a glorious autumn day and the season itself.
• The poem begins with Keats addressing autumn as a personified figure and describing its abundance and richness.
• Keats notes the presence of fruit and harvest.
• Keats notes the sounds of animals preparing for winter.

Picturesque

• It is "the sort of beauty found, literally, 'in the manner of a picture.'"
• It is a view of nature that resembles a picture.

Jane Austin

• Jane Austin wrote Sense and Sensibility which was published around 1811.

Sense and Sensibility, Volume 1

• After Mr. Dashwood's death, his wife and daughters are left financially insecure.
• Norland Park passes to his son John Dashwood.
• John Dashwood, influenced by his selfish wife Fanny, gives them little support.
• Elinor quietly falls for Edward Ferrars.
• Edward's reserved nature and family obligations make their future uncertain.
• The Dashwoods relocate to Barton Cottage, owned by Sir John Middleton.
• They meet Colonel Brandon, who admires Marianne.
• Marianne falls passionately for the charming John Willoughby.
• She believes he will propose, but he suddenly leaves for London without explanation.
• Elinor learns that Lucy Steele is secretly engaged to Edward, leaving her heartbroken but composed.
• Key themes are Sense (Elinor) vs. Sensibility (Marianne), love and disappointment, and women's financial vulnerability.

Sense and Sensibility, Volume 2

• In London, Marianne eagerly seeks Willoughby, but he coldly snubs her at a party.
• Willoughby later sends a letter breaking things off.
• Willoughby reveals he is engaged to a wealthy woman.
• Colonel Brandon reveals that Willoughby seduced and abandoned Eliza, Brandon's young ward.
• Willoughby's forced marriage is for money.
• Edward Ferrars remains engaged to Lucy Steele, despite loving Elinor.
• Breaking it would ruin his honor.
• The Dashwoods visit Cleveland, where Marianne falls gravely ill due to her heartbreak and carelessness in the rain.
• Colonel Brandon rushes to fetch Mrs. Dashwood, showing his deep care.
• As she recovers, she reflects on her emotional excess.
• She begins to admire Elinor's strength and Colonel Brandon's steady kindness.
• Key themes are romantic disillusionment, honor vs. love, and growth & maturity

Sense and Sensibility, Volume 3

• Edward is disowned after his secret engagement to Lucy Steele is revealed.
• Lucy suddenly marries his wealthy brother Robert Ferrars.
• Edward proposes to Elinor, who joyfully accepts.
• Marianne realizes her excessive sensibility led to heartbreak.
• She begins to appreciate Colonel Brandon's steady love.
• Elinor and Edward marry.
• They settle in a modest parsonage.
• Marianne matures and marries Colonel Brandon.
• She finds true happiness in his quiet devotion.
• Willoughby regrets his choices, but Marianne moves on.
• Austen ends with both sense (Elinor) and sensibility (Marianne) finding fulfillment in their own ways.
• Key themes are true love vs. passion, maturity & self-control, and choices & consequences.

Sense and Sensibility: Relationships

• Elinor Dashwood marries Edward Ferrars.
• Marianne Dashwood marries Colonel Brandon.
• Edward Ferrars is initially engaged to Lucy Steele.
• Colonel Brandon is always devoted to Marianne.
• John Willoughby marries Miss Sophia Grey.
• Lucy Steele marries Robert Ferrars.

Sense and Sensibility: Conclusions

• Elinor and Edward marry after Lucy Steele marries Robert Ferrars.
• Marianne marries Colonel Brandon after maturing emotionally.
• Willoughby admits he still loves Marianne but is trapped in an unhappy marriage.
• Lucy marries Robert Ferrars, securing financial stability.
• Mrs. Dashwood and Margaret remain at Barton Cottage.
• Elinor and Marianne both find love, but in different ways.

The American Renaissance

• The American Renaissance took place from c. 1830-1865.
• It was a period of flourishing literature, philosophy, and art in the United States.
• It is seen as the birth of a distinctly American literary voice.
• Writers explored individualism, nature, democracy, and transcendentalist ideals.
• They broke away from European influences to define American identity and culture.
• This helped shape American literature and thought, influencing future writers and movements.
• It reinforced the uniqueness of American storytelling, blending philosophy, social critique, and deep psychological insight.

Washington Irving

• Washington Irving wrote short stories, essays, biographies, and histories.
• He wrote the short story "Rip Van Winkle" published around 1819.
• Rip Van Winkle is about an amiable farmer who wanders into the Catskill Mountains.
• He comes upon a group of dwarfs playing ninepins.
• Rip accepts their offer of a drink of liquor and falls asleep.
• When he awakens 20 years later, he is an old man with a long white beard; the dwarfs are gone.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote "Nature" at around 1836.
• He wrote "The American Scholar" at around 1837.
• Emerson divides nature into four usages: Commodity, Beauty, Language, and Discipline
• Emerson advocates for a personal, intuitive understanding of the universe.
• He urges readers to break free from tradition.
• He urges readers to embrace self-reliance and original thought.

The American Scholar

• The American scholar should be influenced primarily by nature.
• Nature provides a source of spiritual and intellectual inspiration.
• Personal experience, intellectual curiosity, and creative imagination are important in shaping the American scholar.

Transcendentalism

• Transcendentalism emerged in New England in the early-to mid-nineteenth century
• Transcendentalism (1830s-1850s) emphasized individualism, intuition, and a deep connection to nature as sources of truth.
• Core Beliefs: Self-Reliance, Nature's Divinity, The Over-Soul, Nonconformity
• Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were key figures in this movement.
• It influenced abolitionism, women's rights, environmentalism, and later American literature.

Short Story

• A short story is a concise work of prose fiction.
• It is typically read in one sitting.
• It focuses on a single event or a series of linked incidents.
• It aims to evoke a particular effect or mood.
• Short stories started to appear between 1810 and 1830 to the 19th century.

Henry David Thoreau

• Henry David Thoreau wrote "Walden" and "Where I Lived."
• In Chapter 2 of Walden, "Where I Lived," Thoreau chose a secluded spot by Walden Pond.
• He sought to live deliberately and experience life in its simplest form.
• He describes his goal of understanding the essence of life, stripping away material excess, and living with purpose.
• He criticizes how people become trapped in routines and material concerns, missing out on the true joys of life.
• He uses the metaphor of a bug hatching from wood after years of dormancy to symbolize awakening to a fuller, more meaningful existence.
• He expresses a desire to experience life fully, embracing both its hardships and joys, and "suck out all the marrow of life".

Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "Minister's Black Veil" and "The Birthmark."
• "Minister's Black Veil" was published first in 1832.
• It was published again in 1836 and later in 1837.
• He published "The Birthmark" at around 1843.
• The main themes are hidden sin and underlying guilt.
• The mysterious veil shocks the congregation.
• The townspeople are disturbed and uneasy.
• His preaching becomes more powerful and haunting.
• His fiancée, Elizabeth, asks him to remove the veil, but he refuses and she leaves him.
• Hawthorne continues to wear the veil until his death, never revealing its true meaning.
• On his deathbed, he suggests that everyone wears a metaphorical veil, hiding their sins and true selves from others.
• All people have secret sins they conceal from the world.
• Hooper's veil serves as a reminder of this truth.

The Birthmark

• Aylmer is obsessed with removing the birthmark on his wife, Georgiana.
• Aylmer believes it symbolizes imperfection.
• He attempts to erase it with a potion, ultimately leading to her death.

Edgar Allan Poe

• Edgar Allan Poe wrote "Fall of the House of Usher" and "Tell-Tale Heart."
• He published "Fall of the House of Usher'1839.
• He published "Tell-Tale Heart" around1843.

Tell-Tale Heart

• An unnamed narrator murders an old man because of his "vulture eye".
• He dismembers the body and hides it under the floorboards.
• He confesses his crime after hearing a phantom heartbeat that convinces him of his guilt.
• Key themes include guilt, madness, and time.
• Key symbols include the old man's eye and the beating heart.

Herman Melville

• Herman Melville wrote "Bartleby, the Scrivener" which was published around 1853.
• A Wall Street lawyer hires Bartleby, a quiet and efficient copyist.
• One day, Bartleby refuses to proofread, responding with "I would prefer not to."
• He gradually stops working altogether but refuses to leave the office.
• The lawyer moves his business elsewhere.
• Bartleby is later arrested for vagrancy, refuses to eat, and dies in prison.
• A rumor suggests he once worked in the Dead Letter Office, symbolizing lost hope.
• Key themes are isolation & alienation, passive resistance, dehumanization of work, and compassion vs. indifference

Harriet Jacobs

• Harriet Jacobs wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl which was published in 1861.
• The book documents Jacobs' experiences as a slave and her journey to freedom.
• It focuses on the struggles and sexual abuse faced by enslaved women.
• It stresses the importance of family and motherhood.
• Jacobs recounts her life as an enslaved woman in the South.
• She endures sexual harassment from her master, Dr. Flint, and resists his advances.
• To escape him, she hides in a tiny attic for seven years, watching her children grow from a distance.
• With help, she escapes to the North and gains freedom, though the Fugitive Slave Law threatens her security.
• It exposes the unique struggles of enslaved women.
• It challenges ideals of "true womanhood."
• slavery denied women control over their bodies.
• It appeals to white women in the North, urging them to recognize slavery's brutality.
• It is one of the first slave narratives by a Black woman.

Frederick Douglass

• Frederick Douglass wrote "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" which was published around 1852.
• Douglass condemns the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom while millions remain enslaved.
• The Fourth of July is a cruel reminder that slaves are not free.
• America preaches liberty but practices oppression.
• Slavery's brutality contradicts the nation's founding principles.
• The church and government are complicit in slavery.
• Despite this, Douglass believes in progress and abolition.
• It is one of the greatest abolitionist speeches, challenging U.S. hypocrisy.
• It demands action to end slavery and uphold true freedom.
• It is still relevant in discussions of racial justice today.

Walt Whitman

• Walt Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass which was published around 1855.
• Main Ideas: celebration of individuality in relation to society; celebration of nature and America.
• Other Ideas: love, spirituality, and death.

Leaves of Grass

• Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman, is a poetry collection celebrating nature, democracy, the self, and the human spirit.
• Whitman embraces free verse, rejecting traditional poetic structure.
• It celebrates the individual and the connection between humans and nature.
• It emphasizes democracy, equality, and the American experience.
• It explores the body and soul, breaking taboos about sexuality and identity.
• It redefined poetry, influencing generations of writers.
• It promoted inclusivity, celebrating all people and experiences.
• It reflected the spirit of America, capturing its energy and diversity.