Historical influence on Romantic Movement

Historical influence on Romantic Movement were two
One was Germany, other being French Revolution…

During second half of eighteenth century
almost after an eclipse of nearly two centuries!
Poetry and drama under Goethe and Schiller…
 great strides, did they take!

Transcendental philosophy under Kant and Schelling
fascinated Coleridge and De Quincey…
Philosophy that rejected
materialistic interpretation of the Universe
and held that Reality was a spiritual essence...
transcending or that which lies beyond the sense experience!

French Revolution on the other hand,
began with the fall of Bastille in 1789!
Thomson’s “Seasons”(1726-30), first shot
of romantic revolution against Pope!

Ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity
being infectious…
Mightiest upheaval
influencing civilized thoughts!

 

Revolution against entire established
order of things…
Not lasting long though, due to
its horror and cruelties!

Wordsworth words, leaving a mark in history:

Three impulses of Romantic then is three:
Imagination being the first impulse,
Passion for Nature, the second
Yearning for the Past being third
elaboration, in little might be required then!

An escape from monotonous routine and custom
being the trait of imagination…

Passion for Nature, manifests in Romantic Spirit
picnic in the countryside at times,
boating in the moonlight…exploring mountain peak,
  colorful dress or girls pigtail…
A runaway marriage it could be
or, one hanging behind the other in front!

 

Yearning for the past being third
separated from us by distance,
either of time and space…
Remoteness fascinating “the being,”
distance leading enhancement to the view!

Romantic Movement in Literature
began with publication of “Lyrical Ballads”
by Wordsworth and Coleridge in 1798…
The period extending from 1798 to 1837, then!

First Generation, or Older Generation of Poets being:
William Words-worth, Samuel Tay-lor Coleridge
Walter S-cott and Robert South-ey!

Second, the younger generation,
of Revolutionary poets being:
Lord By-ron, Percy Bysshe Shelley
and JohnKeats!

Romantic Movement, popularly categorized
in two terms…
One being, The Romantic Revival
Other being, The Romantic Revolt!

While, the Romantic Revival, revived
the poetic ideals of The Elizabethan Age!
Love, beauty, emotion, imagination,
romance and beauty of Nature
being the trait of the age!

Romantic Revolt, on the other hand
revolted against, matter and manner
of Neo-Classical Poets, Poets:
rational, didactic, argumentative
and satirical in nature…

 Romantic Movement is then nothing
but, an extension to the field of literature…
Combination of strangeness and beauty
reveling in strangeness, extraordinary and remote!

Pic Courtesy: Google