Certainly! The Romantic era in the history of English literature was a period that spanned roughly from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century. It was a time of profound cultural, social, and political changes, and these shifts had a significant impact on the literary landscape. Here is a brief description of the Romantic era in English literature: 1. **Historical Context:** - The Romantic era emerged as a reaction to the rationalism and order of the Enlightenment period. - It coincided with major historical events such as the French Revolution (1789-1799), the Industrial Revolution, and the Napoleonic Wars. 2. **Emphasis on Emotion and Imagination:** - Romantic writers valued emotion and imagination over reason and logic. - They sought to express personal and subjective experiences, often exploring the inner world of emotions and the human psyche. 3. **Nature as a Source of Inspiration:** - Nature played a central role in Romantic literature, serving as a source of inspiration, beauty, and solace. - Poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge celebrated nature as a reflection of the divine and a powerful influence on human emotions. 4. **Individualism and Freedom:** - Romanticism celebrated the individual, emphasizing personal expression and the uniqueness of each person. - There was a focus on the individual's quest for freedom, both in personal relationships and in the larger societal context. 5. **Celebration of the Sublime:** - Romantic writers often explored the concept of the sublime, portraying vast and awe-inspiring natural landscapes to evoke feelings of reverence and awe. 6. **Medievalism and Folklore:** - Romantics were fascinated by medievalism and folklore, looking to the past as a source of inspiration. - They often drew on legends, myths, and fairy tales to create works that reflected a sense of nostalgia and a longing for a simpler, more authentic past. 7. **Social Critique:** - Romantic literature frequently addressed social and political issues of the time, including the plight of the poor, the impact of industrialization, and concerns about the dehumanizing effects of progress. 8. **Prominent Figures:** - Major literary figures of the Romantic era include William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats in poetry; and Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, and Sir Walter Scott in prose. 9. **Forms of Expression:** - Poetry was a dominant form of expression during the Romantic era, with the publication of significant poetic works. - The novel also gained prominence as a literary form, with authors experimenting with new narrative styles and themes. 10. **Legacy:** - The Romantic era had a lasting impact on literature, influencing subsequent literary movements and shaping the way writers approached themes of individualism, nature, and emotion. In a presentation on the Romantic era, you can explore these key aspects.

1. History of E nglish
Literature:
R omantic Age
(1 7 9 8 -1 8 2 4 )

2. Introduction
The m ov em ent b egins w ith p u b lic ation of L yric al Ballads in
1 9 7 8 .
• L yric al b allads w as a joint w ork of W illiam W ordsw orth
& S.T. Coleridge.
It is a collection of poems, known for its
innovative approach to poetry, featuring
simple language and everyday subjects,
and for its emphasis on the individual's
experience and emotions.

3. Age of R evolutions
The Am eric an R ev olu tion w as a p olitic al
and soc ial m ov em ent in the 1 8 th c entu ry
that resu lted in the thirteen Am eric an
c olonies b reaking aw ay from British ru le
and form ing the U nited States of Am eric a.
The rev olu tion w as sp arked b y tensions
ov er tax ation, rep resentation, and
indiv idu al rights, and u ltim ately led to the
D ec laration of Indep endenc e in 1 7 7 6 and
the estab lishm ent of a new , indep endent
nation.
The Frenc h R ev olu tion w as a p eriod of
radic al soc ial and p olitic al c hange in
Franc e from 1 7 8 9 to 1 7 9 9 . It w as
m arked b y the ov erthrow of the
m onarc hy, the estab lishm ent of a
rep u b lic , and the rise of N ap oleon
Bonap arte. It resu lted in signific ant
c hanges to Frenc h soc iety and
gov ernm ent, inc lu ding the ab olition of
feu dal p riv ileges, the dec laration of the
R ights of Man and of the Citiz en, and the
rise of a new p olitic al order.

4. Liberity, E quality & Fraternity (1977-1989)

5. Impact on E nglish Literature & Society
The m ajor c hanges ex p erienc ed b y soc iety du ring this transform ation p eriod
w as:
• Change in soc iety
• D ev elop m ent of Tow ns and Cities
• R ise of Middle c lass
• V oting reform s & D em oc rac y
This period saw a shift towards more personal and emotional writing, as well as
a greater emphasis on individual rights and the struggle against tyranny.
The revolutions also led to the rise of romanticism in literature, characterized by
an emphasis on emotion, imagination, and the individual experience.

6. Classics
• H ead c ontrolled H eart
• P riority: R eason & Intellec t
• O rdered Soc iety
• H eroic Cou p lets
• O b jec tiv ity & E m otional
restraint
• U p holds c larity, sym m etry,
and estab lished p oetic style
R omantic
s
• H eart c ontrolled H ead
• P riority: Feelings &
Im agination
• Indiv idu al Sp irit
• Free v erse & Blank V erse
• Su b jec tiv ity & P ersonal
E x p erienc es
• E x p lored E x otic ,
Su p ernatu ral and the
u nu su al
R evolt against Classical School of P oetry

7. L ake p oets: W illiam Blake, W illiam
W ordsw orth, and Sam u el Taylor Coleridge
natu re, im agination, and indiv idu al
em otion, reflec ting a dep artu re from the
stric t literary c onv entions of the tim e.
W ordsw orth's em p hasis on "em otion
rec ollec ted in tranq u ility"
Coleridge's fasc ination w ith the
su p ernatu ral.
Blake, know n for his m ystic ism and
v isionary p oetry, c hallenged soc ietal norm s.
The Y ou nger generation p oets: L ord
Byron, P erc y Bysshe Shelley, and J ohn
K eats.
rebellious spirit and a departure from the
optimism of their predecessors, they delved
into themes of individualism, nature’s
su b lim e p ow er, and the darker asp ec ts
of hu m an ex p erienc e.
Byron’s b rooding skep tic ism .
Shelley’s idealistic v isions.
Keats’s sensu al lyric ism c ollec tiv ely
enric hed the R om antic literary landsc ap e.
1st generation and 2nd generation poets

8. Difference between R enaissance and R omantic
R evival
The R enaissanc e, oc c u rring from the 1 4 th to the 1 7 th c entu ry, foc u sed on a
rev iv al of c lassic al art, literatu re, and learning from anc ient G reec e and R om e.
It em p hasiz ed hu m anism , indiv idu alism , and a renew ed interest in sc ienc e.
O n the other hand, the R om antic rev iv al, w hic h took p lac e in the late 1 8 th to
m id-1 9 th c entu ry, was a reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment. It
celebrated emotion, nature, and the individual’s im agination, often v alu ing the
m ediev al and folkloric ov er c lassic al influ enc es.
W hile b oth p eriods inv olv ed a rev iv al of artistic and intellec tu al p u rsu its, their
u nderlying p hilosop hies and influ enc es differed signific antly. The R enaissanc e
looked to c lassic al antiq u ity, em b rac ing reason, w hile the R om antic rev iv al
rejec ted reason in fav or of em otion and natu re.

9. Difference between E lizbethan and R omantic P oetry
E liz ab ethan p oetry, (1 5 5 8 -1 6 0 3 ) from the 1 6 th c entu ry, often foc u sed
on them es like lov e, natu re, and p olitic s. It em p loyed stru c tu red form s like
sonnets and b lank v erse.
R om antic p oetry, (1 7 9 0 -1 8 3 0 ) em erging in the late 1 8 th to early 1 9 th
c entu ry, em p hasiz ed em otion, natu re, and indiv idu al ex p erienc e, often u sing
free v erse.
W hile E liz ab ethan p oetry w as m ore form al and stru c tu red, R om antic
p oetry em b rac ed sp ontaneity and p ersonal ex p ression.

10. The R omantic Novel:
D u ring the R om antic Age, w hic h sp anned
rou ghly from the late 1 8 th to the early 1 9 th
c entu ry, nov els b ec am e a p rom inent literary
form .
These nov els often ex p lored them es of indiv idu alism , em otion, and the su b lim e,
reflec ting the sp irit of the R om antic m ov em ent.
● Sir W alter Sc ott regaled the readers b y his historic al rom anc es.
● Mrs.Anne R adc liffe w as one of the m ost su c c essfu l w riters of ex aggerated
rom anc es.

11. Noteable Woks
P ride and
P redijuice
By J ane Austen
Wuthering Heights
By Bronte Sisters
Frankenstein
By Mary Shelley

12. Continued…
● It is the p rodu c t of the fu sion of tw o fac u lties of the artist-his
sensib ility and im agination.
● The R om antic sp irit c an b e defined as an ac c entu ated
p redom inanc e of em otional life.
● The R om antic L iteratu re w as fed b y intense em otion c ou p led
w ith the intense desire to disp lay that em otion throu gh ap p rop riate
im agery.
● The R om antic literatu re is a genu inely a c reativ e literatu re.
● Calling into the highest fac u lty of m an.

13. R om antic p oetry w as antithesis of c lassic al p oetry.
• Age of R ev olu tions.
• There w as no c om m on denom inator in p oetry.
• N o age in literatu re has p rodu c ed su c h great G iants in the field of
p oetry.
• The only c om m on c harac teristic in p oetry w as intense faith in
im agination.
• For rom antic s im agination w as fu ndam ental..
• R om antic p oets ob eyed an inner c all to ex p lore m ore fu lly the
w orld of the sp irit .
The R omantic P oetry

14. Coledrige’s Imagination
"Is but another name of absolute power,
and clearest insight, amplitude of mind
and reason in her most exalted mood“
• N atu re w as the sou rc e of
insp iration
Wordsworth imagination
R omantics and Imagination
intim ate c old w orld in w hic h ob jec ts as ob jec ts are essentially fix ed
and dead
• U nearthly p ow er

15. —William Wordsworth
“'P oetry is the sp ontaneou s
ov erflow of p ow erfu l feelings: it
takes its origin from em otion
rec ollec ted in tranq u ility.'”

16. R omantics & Imagination
“Is there so sm all a range in the p resent strength of m anhood, that the
high Im agination c annot freely fly, As she w as w ont of old? p rep are her
steeds , P aw u p against the light, and do strange deeds U p on the
c lou ds? H as she not show n u s all? From the c lear sp ac e of ether, to
the small Breath of new buds unfolding? From the meaning of Jove's large
eye-brow, to the tender greening Of April meadows”
Keats’s Imagination
Shelley’s Imagination
P oetry is the ex p ression of im agination. For him the u ltim ate reality is
the eternal m ind, and this holds the u niv erse together.

17. The lake p oets w ere a grou p of p oets
w ho liv ed in lake distric t of E ngland
du ring late 1 8 th and early 1 9 th c entu ry .
• The three p rom inent figu res am ong
them w ere Sam u el Taylor Coleridge,
W illiam W ordsw orth and althou gh
no stric tly a p art of grou p b u t
influ ential in the R om antic
m ov em ent, W illiam Blake.
The Lake poets

18. The Lake P oets
William Wordsworth William Blake
S. T. Coleridge

19. The Lake P oets
• w rote a w ide v ariety of O des & Sonnets
• the greatest p oet of the R om antic p eriod.
H e dec lared: " A p oet is a m an endow ed w ith m ore liv ely
sensib ility, m ore enthu siasm and tenderness, w ho has a
greatest know ledge of the hu m an natu re, and a m ore
c om p rehensiv e sou l, than are su p p osed to b e c om m on
am ong m ankind."
• H is w riting style is Classic al.
• W ordsw orth w rote a large nu m b er and v ariety of lyric s.
• R elation b etw een Man and N atu re
His notable works include:
1. Lyrical Ballads (1798)
2. The Prelude (1850)
3.I wandered lonely as a
cloud (also known as
“Daffodils”)
William Wordsworth
1.

20. ● E arly life & b ac kgrou nd
● L iterary & Artistic w ork
P oetry: Blake's p oetic w ork is often fou nd alongside
his illu strations, c reating w hat he term ed "illuminated
printing.“
Art:
● Philosophy & Vision
● Legac y
His notable works
include:
1. Songs of Innocence &
E xperience (1789)
2. The Marriage of
Heaven and Hell (1790-
1793)
Wiliam Blake
2.

21. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1833)
Coleridge m ade the su p ernatu ral his sp ec ial dom ain.
● G av e p oetic ex p ression to p oetic al asp iration in
i. R eligiou s Mu sing.
ii. D estiny of nations.
iii. O de to the dep arting year
● Cam e u nder the influ enc e of Frenc h rev olu tion
● Began to think differently and this is show n in his p oem , Franc e: an ode
L ac k of w ill p ow er and addic tion to op iu m
● H as trem endou s influ enc e in field of theology, p hilosop hy and literary
c ritic ism .

22. The ancient mariner
Introdu c ed to a su p ernatu ral
realm . In it p oet deals in a su p erb
m anner w ith the p rim al em otions
of lov e , hate p ain and hate
Kubla khan
Story of p u re girl w ho fell u nder
the sp ell of a sorc erer. H as
strange m elody and ex q u isite
p oetry
Christable
P oet has p ainted a gorgeou s oriental dream
p ic tu re
Famous Works of S.T. Coleridge
H is other m ajor w orks inc lu de L ov e, The D ark ladies, Y ou th & Age and
D ejec tion: An ode

23. R obert Southey (1774-1843)
L ac ked higher q u alities of p oetry
V orac iou s reader
V olu m inou s w riter
W rote nu m b er of b allards and short p oem s
Fam ou s p oem s:
● Thalab a
● The c u rse of kehta
● Medoc and R oderic
P rose: W rote m u c h b etter p rose
● L ife of N elson
● Poet lau reate

24. w as the first to m ake rom antic p oetry
p op u lar
H is fam ou s p oem s:
• Marm ion
• L ady of the L ake
• The lady of the last Ministrel
• R okeb y
• The L ord of the Isles
The SCO TT G R O U P :
Sir Walter Scott (1771-
1832)

25. Thom as Cam p b ell(1 7 7 4 -1 8 4 4 ) and Thom as Moore(1 7 7 9 -1 8 5 2 ):
Both w ere p rom inent am ong a host of m inor p oets w ho follow ing the v ogu e of Sc ott
w rote v ersified rom anc e.
• Cam p b ell w rote G ertru de of W yom ing in the Sp enserian stanz a .
• The p oem s of Moore are now old fashioned . H e w rote long series of Irish Melodies .
H is L alla R ookh is a collection of Oriental Tales in which he employs luscious im agery.
THE SCO TT
G R O U P

26. They rep resent the sec ond flow ering of E nglish R om antic ism .
The Y ounger G roup
Lord Byron P .B. Shelley
J ohn
Keats
1788-
1824
1792-
1822
1795-
1821

27. Lord Byron (1788-1824)
Byron w as the m ost p op u lar of all rom antic p oets.
● H is p ersonality
● G lam ou r of his c areer
● H is p oetry does not p ossess high ex c ellenc e that w e
find in Shelley's and Keat’s.
● Ac c orded a low er p osition in the hierarc hy of
R om antic p oets.
W ork & Style:
Show ed regard for the p oets of the 1 8 th c entu ry.
H e ridic u led his ow n c ontem p oraries in his early satiric al
p oem E nglish Bards and Sc ottish R ev iew ers (1 8 0 9 )
called as Romantic Paradox .

28. Works of Lord G eorge Byron
Works
Best Part
Satires
Tragedies
• 1 st tw o Cantos of Childe H arold P ilgrim age.(1 8 1 2 )
“I woke one morning and found myself famous”
• Byronic H ero.
The third and fou rth Cantos of Childe H arold(1 8 1 6 -1 8 1 8 ).
Tw o Som b re and self-c onsc iou s tragedies : Manfred and
Cain
• Bep p o (1 8 1 8 )
• The V ision of J u dgem ent (1 8 2 2 )
• D on J u an (1 8 1 9 -2 4 )

29. P E R CY BY SSHE SHE LLE Y ( 1792-
1822)
● R ev olu tionary Idealist
● D ream ed of G olden Age
● Constru c tiv e
● Inc arnated the asp ec t of the Frenc h
R ev olu tion.
● Shelleys rep u tation lies in his lyric al p ow er.
1. 1 st long p oem Q u een Mab .
2. The R ev olt of Islam (1 8 1 7 )
3. P rom etheu s U nb ou nd( 1 8 2 0 )
Introduction
Works
Great Poems:
● Alastor (1 8 1 6 )
● J u lian and
Meddalo(1 8 1 8 )
● The Cenc i
● L yric al dram a H allas
● E p ip syc hidion
● Adonais

30. Starting of his P assion:
J ohn Keats (1795-1821)
Inspired by Chaucer, Milton & Spenser, he wrote
his first long poem in 1818 “Long Poem
Endymion”
J ohn K eats w as b orn in L ondon on 3 1 O c tob er
1 7 9 5 .
J ohn K eats is know n as m ost p erfec t
rom antic ists.
K eats c am e from a p oor fam ily.
A thing of b eau ty is a joy forev er;
It's lov eliness inc reases;
it w ill nev er p ass into nothingness;
b u t still w ill keep
A b ow er q u iet for u s; and sleep
Fu ll of sw eet dream s, and healthy, and q u iet b reathing.

31. Famous Writings of J ohn Keats
• Isab ella
• L am ia
• The E v e of St
• H yp erion
• L a Bella D am e Sans Merc i
•Ode to a N ightingale
• O de on a G rec ian U rn
• Ode to Au tu m n
Famous O des:
Famous Works:

32. Age:
Charles Lamb (1775-
1834)
Charles L am b is one of the m ost lov ab le p ersonality in
E nglish literatu re
● Fam ily b ac kgrou nd
● Lamb interested in the city crowd, it's pleasure and
occupation
● His styles is also full of surprise
● Style of Lamb is described as 'quaint’
● Essays of Elia (1823) & Last Essay (1833)
Famous Works:

33. Thomas D e Q uincey (1785-1859)
D e Q u inc ey is fam ou s as the w riter of
'im p assioned p rose’.
The sp ec ialty of his style c onsists in desc rib ing
inc idents of p u rely p ersonal interest and in also
shared the reac tion against the sev erer c lassic ism
of the eighteenth c entu ry, p referring rather the
ornate m anner of J erem y Taylor , Sir Thom as
Brow ne and their c ontem p oraries.
• The readers of D e Q u inc ey attrac ted b y the
c om b inations of b est elem ents of p rose and
p oetry.

34. H e deal w ith all sorts of su b jec ts- ab ou t him self and his friends, life in general,
art, literatu re, p hilosop hy, and religion. Mostly he w rote in the form of artic les for
jou rnals.
O n his au tob iograp hic al sketc hes the b est know n is his "confession of an
English Opium Eater“
H is m ost p erfec t historic al essay is on " J oan of Arc ".
H e also giv es an distinc tion b etw een the literatu re of K now ledge and P ow er.
"O n the knoc king at the G ate in Mac b eth" is the m ost b rilliant.
Works & Style of Thomas D e Q uincy

35. J ane Au sten w as an E nglish nov elist.
She w rote m any b ooks of rom antic fic tion ab ou t the
gentry.
H er w orks m ade her one of the m ost fam ou s b elov ed
w riters in E nglish L iteratu re.
She is one of the great m asters of the E nglish nov el.
• J ane Au sten distinc tiv e literary styles relies on a
c om b ination of p arody , irony, free indirec t sp eec h
and a degree of realism .
J ane Austen (1775-
1817)

36. Famous book of J ane Austen is " Pride and Prejudice"
Au sten c reated the c om edy of
m anners of m iddle- c lass life in the
E ngland of her tim e, rev ealing the
p ossib ilities of
" dom estic '' literatu re.
0
1
famous for
Au sten b elongs in a c ategory w ith
the literary R om antic s.
0
2
R omantics
H er heroines defy gender norm s, and
p u sh for m ore agenc y in their ow n
liv es.
0
3
Feminist
Jane Austen lived write through the
French, American, and industrial
Revolutions and the Napoleonic wars.
0
4
Historical
Context
J ane Austen

37. SIR WALTE R SCO TTS 1771-1832
E arly Life
Famous works
Sir W alter Sc ott w as ap p ointed sheriff dep u te to the c ou ntry of Selkrik in 1 7 9 9 and
w as also a p artner in a p rinting firm ow ned b y the Ballantyne b rothers.
Sc ott w as one of the dom inant figu res in E u rop ean R om antic ism , w as ac tiv e in
the fields of antiq u arianism , p oetry, fic tional and non- fic tional narrativ e
arc hitec tu re and in p u b lic life.
SIR W AL TE R SCO TTS introdu c ed a
new form of fic tion: The historic al
N ov el
• (1 9 0 0 ) The W av erley N ov els
• (1 8 6 3 ) The lady of the L ake
• (1 8 1 6 ) O ld Morality

38. THANK Y O U !!