British Romanticism Flashcards
(9 cards)
Q1: What did John Keats say about poetry in his 1818 letter? & what does this mean?
“If Poetry comes not as naturally as the Leaves to a tree it had better not come at all.” This expresses Romanticism’s ideal of poetry as spontaneous and organic, like nature.
Q2: How long does the British Romantic period last and why is it significant?
Roughly from the 1780s to the 1832 Reform Act. Though only about 50 years, it was hugely influential, it is significant as it caused a revolution in poetry’s understanding of art and creativity.
Q3: Was British Romanticism a unified movement?
No. It wasn’t consolidated around one person or manifesto but emerged from shared contexts like political revolutions and industrial change.
Q4: What major historical events shaped the Romantic era?
The American Revolution (1776), French Revolution (1789), Industrial Revolution, rise of liberal movements, and violent episodes like the Peterloo Massacre (1819) where state forces killed peaceful protesters.
Q5: How did Romantic poets express political ideas?
Through explicit protest (e.g., Shelley’s sonnet England in 1819) or allegorical/ambivalent works (e.g., Blake’s The Tyger).
Q6: What did Wordsworth say about language in Lyrical Ballads?
Poets should use “a selection of language really used by men” everyday speech rather than polished or high-flown diction
Q7: Which social groups did Romantic poetry often give voice to?
The marginalised, rural workers, children, the poor, the elderly, and the disabled—as well as emphasising individual subjectivity.
Q8: What is the difference between the beautiful and the sublime in Romantic thought?
Beautiful = smallness, clarity, painless pleasure; Sublime = boundlessness, obscurity, grandeur that stretches imagination (from Burke and Kant).
Q9: What role did the past play for Romantic poets?
They looked back to Greek mythology, medieval ruins, tales of knights and elves, and especially to Shakespeare, who exemplified “Negative Capability” embracing uncertainty and mystery without forcing rational answers.
