Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

U48 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Romantic writers featured tragic heroes who were doomed by
        their own flaws or by the injustices of the world, emphasising the idea that life is full of suffering & hardship. The most famous example of pessimism is:
        
        Lord Byron's character Childe Harold (Childe Harold's Pilgrimage), who embodies the "Byronic hero", a world-weary, introspective figure, disillusioned with society and his own existence.
        
        William Blake’s poetry, particularly London and The Chimney Sweeper, critiques the dehumanizing effects of industrialization on the poor &vulnerable.
  - - - Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan (1797) is a prime example of an escape into a fantastical world, the mystical land of Xanadu.
        
        In Keats' poem Ode to a Nightingale (1819), we escape into the bird’s world of perpetual beauty.
  - - - Nature, in its most overwhelming forms (mountains, storms, oceans), evoked the sublime, feelings of awe & terror due to their vastness or beauty.
        
        Wordsworth is the quintessential nature poet. In Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey (1798), he expresses his deep, spiritual connection with nature.
        
        In Coleridge's Frost at Midnight (1798) the poet hailed nature as the 'Great universal Teacher!'
        
        Shelley’s Mont Blanc describes the awe-inspiring, almost terrifying power of the mountain
  - - - Romantics were fascinated by the supernatural, mysterious, unknown, irrational, magical, mystical, gothic, dead... They saw the value of the limits of human understanding, the unconscious mind & dreams, which remained free from the tyranny of the age of reason. Also, the exploration of the Gothic genre, emphasizing dark, mysterious & terrifying elements, and set in eerie, ancient & ruined landscapes.
        
        Wordsworth’s I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (1807), celebrate the emotions that nature can evoke in the human soul.
        
        Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847) focuses on the intense emotions & inner life of its protagonist in her quest for emotional fulfillment.
        
        Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience (1794) reflect his belief in the power of imagination to reveal spiritual truths.
        
        Wordsworth described poetry as the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" in his preface to Lyrical Ballads (1798)
        
        Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) incorporates Gothic elements such as horror, the grotesque, and the supernatural.
  - - - British Romanticism fostered a growing sense of nationalism, expressed through literature that celebrated local traditions, folklore & landscapes. Simultaneously, Romantics elevated the experiences of ordinary people, their struggles & everyday life.
        
        Lyrical Ballads sought to use "language really used by men" and depict the lives of common people, arguing that profound emotional experiences were not limited to the upper classes or great historical figures.
        
        Wordsworth’s The Prelude is a long, autobiographical poem emphasizing his subjective experience.
        
        Sir Walter Scott’s historical novels romanticize British & Scottish history, highlighting key moments of national pride & identity.
  - - - In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, the British philosopher and women's rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft, wife of the philosopher Godwin and mother of Mary Shelley (who married Percy Shelley), argues in favor of women's education & equality.
        
        Mary Shelley's Frankestein reflects the position of women in a patriarchal world by exploring themes of motherhood, creation & social rejection.
        
        Jane Austen's novels featured strong & complex female heroines who challenged traditional gender roles & expectations of a society that limits women's opportunities.
- - - - Frankestein; or, The Modern Prometheus
        
        Science fiction
        
        myth of Prometheus
        
        Ghost story challenge
        
        Name misconception
        
        Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) is probably the most famous Gothic novel from the Romantic era. It is often considered the first true work of science fiction (incorporates elements from emerging scientific knowledge), combined with philosophical & Gothic horror elements. It reflects the Romantic fascination with the sublime & the consequences of transgressing natural boundaries. The novel's famous subtitle links it to the myth of Prometheus, who defied the gods to give fire (& knowledge) to humanity, suffering eternal punishment as a result.
        
        1 more item...
  - - - Despite living during the Romantic period, she was not a Romantic writer. Her novels contain elements from the Enlightenment (reason, order & social critique) as well as certain Romantic features (emotion, individualism & inner life) while maintaining a distinctive style of their own. In fact, she was against Romantic literature which she saw as worthless, since she believed that the true object of literature should be the representation of reality.
        
        The themes she was most interested in were love & marriage, which often reflects Romantic ideals: her heroines typically reject marriages based on financial security or social status, instead seeking relationships founded on respect, affection & understanding, emphasizing authentic personal relationships over social expectations. E.g., in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet refuses proposals from Mr. Collins & Mr. Darcy, and her eventual union with Darcy is based on love & mutual respect.
        
        Her novels were based on the everyday lives of the middle- & upper-class circles, with a realistic, critical view on the limitations imposed by society. Austen employs satire & wit to critique social structures like marriage, wealth & class. E.g., absurd male characters like Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice or Mr. Elton in Emma, who embody these flaws.
        
        Sense and Sensibility (1811)
        
        Pride and Prejudice (1813)
        
        Mansfield Park (1814)
        
        Emma (1815)
        
        Northanger Abbey (✞1817)
        
        Persuasion (✞1817)
        
        1 more item...
  - - - Born in Edinburgh, and educated there. He was the son of a lawyer and had a legal career before dedicating himself fully to literature, which gave him an understanding of the historical & political conflicts of Scotland & a foundation for his novels. Before becoming famous as novelist, he began successfully as a poet, writing in verse, but he soon gave up this style, because, as he himself put it, Byron had reached the top in this genre.
        
        As he feared a failure in this new genre, he published his early novels anonymously or under pseudonyms. But he became the 1st English-language author with international celebrity status, his works being translated into numerous languages & celebrated worldwide during his lifetime. Today, he is still the best Scottish writer of all time.
        
        He is considered one of the founders of the historical novel, for his groundbreaking ability to blend fictional characters & historical events. His Waverley series, beginning with Waverley (1814), (originally known as "written by the author of Waverley") established the historical fiction genre that later influenced authors like Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo & Leo Tolstoy.
        
        He was the 1st author to take Scotland as a whole country. His romantic portrayals of Scotland’s landscapes, legends & history played a significant role in reviving Scottish indentity, customs & pride both at home & abroad (including the tartan dress as a Scottish symbol & increasing tourism to the Scottish Highlands).
        
        the "Waverley Novels" Series
        
        Waverley (1814)
        
        Rob Roy (1817)
        
        Ivanhoe (1819)
        ...
        
        Waverley: Sympathetic portrayal of both sides
        
        Rob Roy: Protagonist based on a real historical figure
        
        Ivanhoe: Popularized the medieval romance genre
        
        1 more item...
- - - - Unappreciated & Visionary
        
        Self-published & the poet-artist
        
        Radical political views & influences
        
        He was the first clear voice of Romanticism even before the movement started as such. Considered a fool & misunderstood by his contemporaries, Blake's works were unappreciated during his lifetime & long after his death for his unconventional ideas. He was a visionary from childhood: he had mystical visions from a very young age, which he recorded in his poetry.
        
        He trained /apprenticed as an engraver or printmaker. Later, Blake often self-published his own works by combining his poetry with his engravings in what he called "illuminated printing", illustrated & hand-colored by him. He is known as the "poet-painter", one of the few artists who fully integrated visual & literary mediums.
        
        He had radical political & religious views for his time. Inspired by the American & French Revolutions (which he saw as part of a broader spiritual awakening) & the revolutionary ideas of Thomas Paine, William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft, etc., his works often criticized institutional religion & monarchy. At the same time, he was influenced by the Bible & classical mythology, reinterpreting these sources to express his own unique spiritual visions.
        
        Poetical Sketches
        
        Songs of Innocence & Experience (1794)
        
        The Book of Urizen (1794)
        
        The Four Zoas (1797–1807)
        
        1 more item...
      - (1757-1827)
    - - Early tragedies
        
        the Poet of nature
        
        Coleridge & Preface to ~
        
        Revolutionized poetry
        
        Wordsworth’s early life was marked by personal loss. He was orphaned at a young age, with his mother & his father passing away when he was 8 & 13 respectively. This had a profound impact on him & his works, cultivating a deep sensitivity to the themes of loss & memory.
        
        He was born & lived in the Lake District (associated with the Lake Poets), a region of England whose natural beauty profoundly inspired his poems, and spent much of his quiet life there. He is known as "the poet of nature", which he saw not just as beautiful, but as a source of spiritual guidance & wisdom with the power to heal & nurture the soul (as seen in Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey & I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud).
        
        He had an influential friendship with Coleridge. Together, they co-authored Lyrical Ballads (1798), whose Preface is a kind of manifesto for the Romantic movement that Wordsworth used to explain his philosophy of poetry. In this Preface, Wordsworth famously defined poetry as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”, written in "language really used by men" & born spontaneously as "emotion recollected in tranquility".
        
        Wordsworth managed to revolutionize poetry by making it more accessible & deeply personal, shifting away from the formal, elaborate style of previous poetic traditions. Hence, he turned his attention to rural life, common people & nature, as well as to reflecting authentic human emotions, instead of intellectual thought or social commentary (emotion over reason).
        
        Lyrical Ballads (1798): Tintern Abbey
        
        I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (1807)
        
        The Prelude (✞1850)
        
        3 more items...
      - (1770-1850)
    - - (1772-1834)
      - Child prodigy
        
        Philosopher & theologician
        
        Friendship with Wordsworth
        
        Poor health & addiction
        
        Coleridge showed signs of being a child prodigy. His avid reading & intellectual curiosity began at an early age and continued throughout his life. By the time he was 15, he had read works by Homer, Virgil & Shakespeare.
        
        He was not only a poet but a philosopher & theologian. He studied German philosophy (the works of Immanuel Kant & Friedrich Schelling), and sought to integrate philosophy, theology & literature in his work. His later works, including his Biographia Literaria, combined literary criticism, philosophy & autobiography.
        
        He co-founded the Romantic Movement by writing Lyrical Ballads (1798) along with Wordsworth. They shared a close but complex friendship, as over time it became strained partly due to Coleridge’s addiction & deteriorating health.
        
        Coleridge suffered from poor health throughout his life, including chronic pain, depression & anxiety. Also, for much of his adult life he struggled with opium addiction (a common, highly addictive medical drug at the time, which he was prescribed for rheumatic pain), impacting his health, productivity & relationships. That is why he often struggled to complete projects, leaving them fragmented & incomplete despite his immense talent.
        
        Lyrical Ballads (1798): The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
        
        Kubla Khan (1816)
        
        Biographia Literaria (1817)
        
        3 more items...
  - - - Aristocratic but troubled child
        
        Scandalous affairs & Exile
        
        Travels & friendships
        
        Celebrity & the Byronic hero
        
        Born in London into an aristocratic family with Stuart blood. He had great physical beauty & a deformity on his right foot which caused him discomfort thoughout his life. His father was known as "Mad Jack", and was notorious for his reckless spending & behaviour, died when he was only 10.
        
        He was known for his wild & scandalous love life including numerous love affairs & an unconventionally open bisexual lifestyle. Also, his rumored incestuous affair with his half-sister Augusta Leigh caused a major scandal in British society, making him an outcast and is believed to have inspired his later works. At 28, he saw himself forced to leave England due to these scandals & his incresing debts, and he would never return again.
        
        After leaving, traveled extensively across Europe, living in places such as Switzerland & Italy, where he formed close friendships with Percy & Mary Shelley. They spent the summer of 1816 together at Lake Geneva, Switzerland, where Mary Shelley's Frankestein & Polidori's The Vampyre were produced out of a ghost story challenge (precursors of the Science Fiction & Vampire genres).
        
        Byron became a literary celebrity/superstar right after the publication of his epic poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812) with people flocking to see him and hear him speak. Also, Byron's own works & personal life inspired his creation of the Byronic hero: a flawed, passionate, rebellious & charismatic figure who appears in many of his works. This tormented hero has become a literary archetype (E.g. Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre) that extends far beyond Romantic literature into today's popular culture (E.g. Bruce Wayne in Batman and James Bond).
        
        Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812)
        
        Manfred (1817)
        
        Don Juan (✞1824)
        
        3 more items...
      - (1788-1824)
    - - (1792-1822)
      - Scandalous & tragic marriages
        
        Children's tragic death
        
        Exile to Italy & Accidental death
        
        Posthumous fame & legacy
        
        At just 19, Shelley eloped with Harriet, a 16 year-old schoolgirl. Their marriage was controversial & strained from the beginning. Only 3 years later, he met Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, daughter of the famous feminist Mary Wollstonecraft & of the philosopher William Godwin. They fell in love & eloped to France even though Shelley was still married to Harriet, who, due to this tragic turn of events in her life, suicided by drowning while pregnant, which allowed him to re-marry at age 24.
        
        Shelley & Mary endured several other personal tragedies such as the deaths of their children, which deeply affected them and led to a period of grief & depression. Their first child, Clara, died as an infant, and their second, William, died of malaria at the age of 3.
        
        Shelley's scandalous personal life & unorthodox beliefs (he was expelled from Oxford for Atheism) had damaged his reputation & made him an outcast in England. At 26 he decided to leave England permanently & settle in Italy, where he spent the last years of his life and wrote some of his most famous works. At the age of 29 he died tragically overturned by a storm in a boat accident, his dead body being washed ashore.
        
        Despite his early death, his fame only grew as Mary worked hard to preserve his literary legacy, editing & publishing his works posthumously. Also, Shelley's influence extended beyond his period, being praised by writers & philosophers like Karl Marx & Friedrich Nietzsche for his radical progressive ideas about freedom & individualism as well as religion, politics, marriage & monarchy (E.g. as depicted in The Masque of Anarchy and Queen Mab).
        
        Queen Mab (1813)
        
        The Masque of Anarchy (1819)
        
        Ode to the West Wind (1819)
        
        Prometheus Unbound (1820)
        
        To a Skylark (1820)
        
        2 more items...
    - - (1795-1821)
      - Surrounded by tragedy
        
        Surgeon & poor Poet
        
        Masterpieces in one year
        
        Keats was surrounded by tragedy throughout his life. His father died in a riding accident when Keats was just 8. His mother passed away from tuberculosis when he was 14, the same disease that would kill his brother and later Keats himself at age 25, cutting short what might have been an even greater literary career.
        
        Before dedicating himself fully to poetry, Keats studied to become a surgeon. He completed his medical training in London but decided to pursue his passion for poetry instead. He lived in povervy all his life, relying on a small inheritance & loans from friends to survive. His poetry, though now considered timeless, was often criticized by contemporary reviewers.
        
        His poetic career only lasted about 6 years and he wrote several masterpieces in a single year (1819 at age 24), the most creative year of his short life while suffering from illness.
        
        Ode to a Nightingale (1819)
        
        Ode on a Grecian Urn (1819)
        
        To Autumn (1819)
        
        3 more items...