Concetti Chiave
- The Pre-Romanticism era (1776-1814) was marked by major revolutions: American, French, and Industrial, promoting new political and social ideals of freedom and equality.
- The Industrial Revolution in England transformed the economy from agriculture to industry, leading to urban migration, job scarcity, and harsh working conditions.
- Pre-Romanticism emerged as a reaction to the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason, valuing fantasy, emotions, and a return to nature and simplicity.
- There was a nostalgic exaltation of the Middle Ages and the simplicity of childhood and rural life, contrasting with the complexity of the industrialized present.
- Graveyard poetry, prevalent in Italy and England, expressed melancholy and existential reflections on life and death, challenging Enlightenment ideals.
Indice
Introduction to the victorian age
In 1814 began the Victorian Age. It was a period of grate changes -> We have three revolution: the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution.
The American and French Revolution spread the new political and social ideas of freedom, brotherhood and equality. This would be evident in the production of Thomas Gray.
The Industrial Revolution took place in England ‘cause the British Empire had row materials that were imported and exported since 1500. With this materials, England made the manufactured and so it was the cradle of the industries. -> New technological invention (ex. steam engine).
Economic and social changes
At the beginning, the England’s economy was based on agriculture and home activities and then there was a passage from it to the big industries. It brought about a terrible change from the economical point of view and social point of view.
Economical: the industrial production was faster, cheaper and more. This meant the downfall of the home activities. Lots of English people used to living in the country and they would have a good style of life, they found themselves jobless and so they moved to the city. The suburb condition was totally unbearable.
England passed to be an agriculture country to an industrial one. The country was left more and more.
There were more jobbers than job so they were underpaid, they were made to work till 13 hours a day in terrible condition and the people fell ill and died easy (nobody helped the family so they got fired).
Social consequences of industrialization
Some men took to drinking and the women became prostitutes.
Social: the country family forced to move to the city, they were exploited, they were no more important as men and they lost their human dignity. They were a mood of melancholy (like Antonio of The merchant of Venice) and nostalgia.
Another reason that pushed this current was a reaction versus the Enlightenment.
The first half of ‘800 was dominated by Enlightenment -> people began to be feed up with reason. It was not possible to enquire the reality throw only the reason. Fantasy, feeling, instinct and emotions were important too.
Country was the symbol of freedom and of the old contact with the natural world.
There was an exaltation of the Middle Age, where the people was free and they had ideals -> good past was last vs. ugly present.
Children and humble people were the exaltation of the simplicity. They looked the world by a naive, simple and true point of view. - childhood vs. adulthood.
The country humble people followed the nature, they lived without the machine humble vs. citizens.
Romanticism and graveyard poetry
The poetic production of the Enlightenment was dominated by the poet diction. There was a style for poetry. It was really difficult language, elaborated, full of poetic figure and the country poetry imitated the classic poetical world (like Greece myths). Who was ignorant, didn’t understand and appreciate them. The Romanticism used a simple style and everyone could understand it.
Graveyard poetry
Moreover in Italy and in England, the graveyard poetry spread. It was the first reaction against the Enlightenment and it was a widespread of melancholy (change of the society).
The poets were mused on death. They realized the precariousness of the human life. -> Life was difficult, people were worried/melancholy and they thought of death.
One of the messages was the grave as contact between the death and the alive.
Domande da interrogazione
- Quali furono le principali rivoluzioni che influenzarono il periodo del Pre-Romanticismo?
- Quali furono le conseguenze sociali ed economiche della Rivoluzione Industriale in Inghilterra?
- Come si differenziava il Pre-Romanticismo dall'Illuminismo?
- Qual era lo stile poetico del Romanticismo rispetto a quello dell'Illuminismo?
- Qual era il tema principale della "graveyard poetry" e quale messaggio trasmetteva?
Le principali rivoluzioni furono la Rivoluzione Americana, la Rivoluzione Industriale e la Rivoluzione Francese, che diffusero nuove idee politiche e sociali di libertà, fratellanza e uguaglianza.
La Rivoluzione Industriale portò a un cambiamento economico e sociale significativo, con la produzione industriale che divenne più veloce e meno costosa, causando la disoccupazione nelle attività domestiche e condizioni di vita insostenibili nelle città.
Il Pre-Romanticismo si opponeva all'Illuminismo enfatizzando l'importanza della fantasia, dei sentimenti e delle emozioni, in contrasto con la sola ragione, e celebrava la semplicità e la vita rurale.
Il Romanticismo utilizzava uno stile semplice e accessibile a tutti, in contrasto con il linguaggio elaborato e difficile della poesia illuminista, che imitava il mondo poetico classico.
La "graveyard poetry" si concentrava sulla precarietà della vita umana e sulla morte, trasmettendo il messaggio del cimitero come contatto tra i vivi e i morti.
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