Romantic Poetry Notes (AO3 Context)
5 MAIN TROPES OF ROMANTICISM:
(aids comparison)
The 5 main tropes contribute to the general idea about social emancipation, a value derived
from the French Revolution that Romantic poets idealised:
Idealisation of Women:
Typically through the personification of nature as “she”, Greek mythology, natural imagery and
supernatural imagery eg. “moon”.
- Beauty was attributed to women and thus nature; Romantic poets cared about artistic
appearance as a response to rationality.
- Both women and nature were to be adored and mourned, but never touched or relied
upon. For example, the “moon” is typically referred to using the female pronouns
“she” and “her”, which implies a physical distance between the poet and the idealised
woman. Nature is also seen as unpredictable, which was how women in the
Romantic Era were typically viewed.
- According to feminist literary theory, ‘the male gaze’, Men perceive and write women
in literature in objectifying ways, typically through lustful and sexual imagery.
Individuality:
Typically through themes of freedom, eg. natural imagery, unrestricted rhyme schemes.
- Ideas about Individuality were derived from the French Revolution, which promoted
personal freedoms and democratic ideals.
- Individuality asserts the importance of the individual or the unique and eccentric.
- For example, the “unique and eccentric” is prevalent in Lord Byron’s poetry (Byron’s
Romantic Hero: The Byronic Hero).
Isolation and Melancholy:
Typically, through natural imagery that distances the poets from society and themes of appearance vs
reality, mimicking the unveiling of the reality of society that makes Romantic poets melancholy.
- Isolation was derived from the recognition of the reality of society.
- Death was celebrated in Romanticism as a means of that freedom from the reality of
society.
Nature:
Typically, through pathetic fallacy/ the sublime, natural imagery.
- The role of nature was seen as acquiring meaningful insight into the human
condition.
Context of Romantic Poets
William Blake:
From A* exemplar to use in my own essays: ‘Through x, Blake challenges the religious and political
institutions that formed the “mind-forg’d manacles” of his society.’
, Allusions to John Milton’s poem ‘Paradise Lost’:
- Paradise Lost tells a story through poetry that recounts Satan’s rebellion against
God, his exile from Heaven and his plots to corrupt the world.
- In Blake’s response to Paradise Lost, Lucifer is idealised as a Romantic hero.
- In Blake’s reconstruction of Lucifer to be exempt from perfection/ Heaven, Satan is
presented as a warrior who does not give up.
- As supported by anti-authoritarian and religious dissents.
- To Blake, this view of religion is mainly derived from seeing the corruption of the
Church.
Political Context:
- In both England and France (amidst the French Rev.), political discussions were
made without discussion, implying an enslavement to the monarchy.
- Blake supported freedom of speech, and through poetry, he aims to empower
marginalised voices. For example, exploited children.
- “Free love” movement: to remove the restriction on sexual relationships, marriage
and adultery. Marriage is seen by Blake as a form of enslavement.
The recurring theme of Innocence vs Experience:
- Main Principle: losing innocence of the human soul changes your perception of the
world because of the new knowledge gained from experience
- A necessity for both innocence and experience to coexist
John Keats:
The recurring concept of ‘Negative Capability’: The appreciation of uncertainty and
contradiction, rejecting logic and reason.
- Reinforces Keat’s identity as an Idealist.
- Reinforces Keat’s rejection of Rationalism (logic and reason of the Enlightenment
Era).
In Keats’ Poems, the recurring concept of ‘Negative Capability’ is evident through the
following literary devices:
- Ambiguous tone, mimicking Keats’ ideal that human life should be treated as
spontaneous rather than lived through scientific lenses.
- Dichotomy/ Juxtaposing literary features: indicating that human life is not
straightforward and not as it seems (again, treating life as spontaneous).
- Supernatural elements (such as constant references to the moon), reinforcing Keats’
rejection of the logic and reason of the Enlightenment Era, against science.
Keats’ approach to nature differs from other poets:
- Nature entices pure happiness (whereas most of the other poets use nature to
reference its danger and unpredictability).
- Specifically, this is evident through a child-like approach and delight for nature.
5 MAIN TROPES OF ROMANTICISM:
(aids comparison)
The 5 main tropes contribute to the general idea about social emancipation, a value derived
from the French Revolution that Romantic poets idealised:
Idealisation of Women:
Typically through the personification of nature as “she”, Greek mythology, natural imagery and
supernatural imagery eg. “moon”.
- Beauty was attributed to women and thus nature; Romantic poets cared about artistic
appearance as a response to rationality.
- Both women and nature were to be adored and mourned, but never touched or relied
upon. For example, the “moon” is typically referred to using the female pronouns
“she” and “her”, which implies a physical distance between the poet and the idealised
woman. Nature is also seen as unpredictable, which was how women in the
Romantic Era were typically viewed.
- According to feminist literary theory, ‘the male gaze’, Men perceive and write women
in literature in objectifying ways, typically through lustful and sexual imagery.
Individuality:
Typically through themes of freedom, eg. natural imagery, unrestricted rhyme schemes.
- Ideas about Individuality were derived from the French Revolution, which promoted
personal freedoms and democratic ideals.
- Individuality asserts the importance of the individual or the unique and eccentric.
- For example, the “unique and eccentric” is prevalent in Lord Byron’s poetry (Byron’s
Romantic Hero: The Byronic Hero).
Isolation and Melancholy:
Typically, through natural imagery that distances the poets from society and themes of appearance vs
reality, mimicking the unveiling of the reality of society that makes Romantic poets melancholy.
- Isolation was derived from the recognition of the reality of society.
- Death was celebrated in Romanticism as a means of that freedom from the reality of
society.
Nature:
Typically, through pathetic fallacy/ the sublime, natural imagery.
- The role of nature was seen as acquiring meaningful insight into the human
condition.
Context of Romantic Poets
William Blake:
From A* exemplar to use in my own essays: ‘Through x, Blake challenges the religious and political
institutions that formed the “mind-forg’d manacles” of his society.’
, Allusions to John Milton’s poem ‘Paradise Lost’:
- Paradise Lost tells a story through poetry that recounts Satan’s rebellion against
God, his exile from Heaven and his plots to corrupt the world.
- In Blake’s response to Paradise Lost, Lucifer is idealised as a Romantic hero.
- In Blake’s reconstruction of Lucifer to be exempt from perfection/ Heaven, Satan is
presented as a warrior who does not give up.
- As supported by anti-authoritarian and religious dissents.
- To Blake, this view of religion is mainly derived from seeing the corruption of the
Church.
Political Context:
- In both England and France (amidst the French Rev.), political discussions were
made without discussion, implying an enslavement to the monarchy.
- Blake supported freedom of speech, and through poetry, he aims to empower
marginalised voices. For example, exploited children.
- “Free love” movement: to remove the restriction on sexual relationships, marriage
and adultery. Marriage is seen by Blake as a form of enslavement.
The recurring theme of Innocence vs Experience:
- Main Principle: losing innocence of the human soul changes your perception of the
world because of the new knowledge gained from experience
- A necessity for both innocence and experience to coexist
John Keats:
The recurring concept of ‘Negative Capability’: The appreciation of uncertainty and
contradiction, rejecting logic and reason.
- Reinforces Keat’s identity as an Idealist.
- Reinforces Keat’s rejection of Rationalism (logic and reason of the Enlightenment
Era).
In Keats’ Poems, the recurring concept of ‘Negative Capability’ is evident through the
following literary devices:
- Ambiguous tone, mimicking Keats’ ideal that human life should be treated as
spontaneous rather than lived through scientific lenses.
- Dichotomy/ Juxtaposing literary features: indicating that human life is not
straightforward and not as it seems (again, treating life as spontaneous).
- Supernatural elements (such as constant references to the moon), reinforcing Keats’
rejection of the logic and reason of the Enlightenment Era, against science.
Keats’ approach to nature differs from other poets:
- Nature entices pure happiness (whereas most of the other poets use nature to
reference its danger and unpredictability).
- Specifically, this is evident through a child-like approach and delight for nature.
