Concetti Chiave
- The Romantic period predominantly featured poetry, with novels emerging as significant prose works.
- Gothic novels, rooted in the idea of the sublime, are set in ancient, isolated places and often feature terror, darkness, and supernatural elements.
- Historical novels, exemplified by Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe", blend fictional and real characters, providing detailed historical settings to compare past and present.
- Novels of manners, developed from bourgeois novels, focus on upper middle-class society, highlighting themes of marriage, love, and societal norms.
- Dialogue plays a crucial role in novels of manners, where emotions are subtly implied rather than overtly expressed, often using irony.
Romantic period literary genres
In the Romantic period the mainly literary genre was poetry but we also have a prose production, mainly novels. There are three types of novels:
• The first is the gothic novel that takes its origins from what was the idea of sublime. Usually is set in ancient times and in isolated places, for example castles or ruins. Terror is a fundamental element in gothic novel and it is the predecessor of horror. Another fundamental element is darkness. Furthermore the characters described are exaggerated, they communicate their feelings in an exaggerate way and there is usually an heroine, a young woman, who is always threatened by a villain and she always run away from this villain. There is also a hero that attempts to defend the heroine. This hero is a sensitive man. Another important characteristic is the presence of ghosts, monsters, supernatural beings, vampires. The most important gothic novels are “The castle of Otranto”, “The monk”, “Frankenstein” that is developed in an epistolary style;
Historical novel features
• Another type of novel is the historical novel. The most important author is Walter Scott and one of the most important work written by Scott is “Ivanhoe”. The contest in which the stories are set always has historical bases. Some characters are invented and other are really existed. There is always a very detailed description of the time, society, places: this gave the idea of a true story. The narrator is always in the third person, he is out of the story that is usually told in chronological order but with frequent flashbacks. The narrator wants to compare the past and the present and show how many things they have in common (not much has changed);
Novel of manners
• The last kind of novel is the novel of manners that is the development of the so called bourgeois novel because the themes are more or less the same. The most important author is Jane Austen. These novels are set in the upper middle class. There is a distinction between upper middle class and middle class. All the protagonists are really influenced by the rules and manners of the society of that time and all the events are described as occasion for meeting. The main themes in this type of novel are marriage and love (Jane Austen talks about marriage market). Love is always described as complicated. Also friendship is another important theme. Dialogue is very important. Feelings and emotions that are felt by the characters are not directly expressed because in the society described passion and emotions are not considered topics of conversation and often irony is employed.
Domande da interrogazione
- What are the key characteristics of a Gothic novel during the Romantic period?
- How does the historical novel differ from other genres in the Romantic period?
- What defines the novel of manners, and who is a notable author in this genre?
- How does the Romantic period's prose production complement its poetry?
Gothic novels are set in ancient, isolated places like castles or ruins and emphasize terror and darkness. Characters are exaggerated, with a heroine threatened by a villain and a sensitive hero attempting to protect her. Supernatural elements like ghosts and vampires are common, as seen in works like "The Castle of Otranto" and "Frankenstein."
Historical novels, exemplified by Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe," are set against a backdrop of historical events with a mix of real and fictional characters. They feature detailed descriptions of society and places, narrated in the third person, often using flashbacks to compare past and present.
The novel of manners, developed from the bourgeois novel, focuses on the upper middle class and societal rules. Jane Austen is a prominent author in this genre, exploring themes of marriage, love, and friendship, with dialogue playing a crucial role and emotions often expressed through irony.
While poetry was the main literary genre of the Romantic period, prose, particularly novels, offered diverse storytelling through Gothic, historical, and manners novels. Each type explored different themes and settings, enriching the period's literary landscape with varied narratives and styles.
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