Concetti Chiave
- Romanticism is marked by contradictions, with a focus on poetry, nature as a source of inspiration and emotion, and a revaluation of childhood as a symbol of innocence and happiness.
- The ballad was a favored form among Romantics, representing mystery and simplicity; escapism became prevalent due to disillusionment with political events and industrialization.
- The poet's role shifted from a societal teacher to a prophet-like figure, guiding readers through imagination, with an emphasis on simplicity and emotional recollection in poetry.
- The sonnet, with its 14 lines, allowed poets to express personal emotions and connect with nature, often set in the purity of early morning urban landscapes.
- Romantics maintained ideals of fraternity and solidarity, valuing popular life and nature, despite the pessimism of the second generation towards political processes.
What are the contradictions of Romanticism?
During the English romanticism, there was a prevalence of poetry and prose for the imaginary character.
Impossibility to define the romanticism period a movement for the different aspect with contradictions.
The most important trends are:
. prevalence of poetry
. nature – a key point, during this period was revaluated, was consider a centre of interest, as a good mother or a place of comfort, a place of inspiration. The poet study not only his beauty, but also the emotion that provoked in his sense. It is also a place with primitive instinct (Rousseau), so it is also violent
. revaluation of childhood – in the past was consider a time to overcome in a short time to be mature; now was definite like spontaneity, innocence, honesty, purity – synonym of happiness ant it’s important to maintain it.
Ballads and escapism
In the first age the romantics was enthusiastic for the ideals of Napoleon, but during the second period, they have a disillusion.
The form privileged was the ballad (started 2 century ago), because was the expression of unknown, mysterious, aspect that was revaluated by the romantics. Ballad was also a form of composition different, because was a popular form of literature, because the characteristics was simplicity of the form, purity, spontaneity.
Escapism was the tendency to abandon the ordinary life for the disillusion of the French revolution, but also for the changes provoked by industrialization, that create corruption. Resulted in travelling, a lot in Italy, Switzerland to stay in beautiful natural landscape.
The ballad was setting in ideal place. It’s the fruit of the romantics imagination, the possibility for the poet to create something new.
The romantics conserve the ideals of fraternity, equality and solidarity: revaluated the popular life, because live in contact with nature.
The poet of the second generation was pessimistic; in fact, the political process was abandoned and they try to escape to contemporary life.
Role of the poet
The position of the poet change. During the classicism the poet was consider a form of teacher, how to live in society. Now like a prophet, a man that can help the reader to explore the world of imagination, fantastic.
In the preface of Lyrical Ballad, written by Wordsworth (1798), is consider the role of poet and poetry during the 18 century, also was defined the subject. The language was different, no artificiality and complex like the classics, but spontaneity and simplicity.
The creative procession was characterized by the recollection of the past emotion in tranquillity. The poet in a state of astonishment can recapture a vision of a past natural landscape inward eye and the emotion that was generated with that landscape and the feel with the same intensity. So the poet feels joy therefore he can restart to write.
The sonnet and its significance
The sonnet was imported from Italy, by poets of 16 century (Spencer, Shakespeare). Have 14 lines, but was different ranged. The sonnet give to poet the possibility to express the personal feelings and emotion, so it’s subjectivity. There was a natural setting. Nature was presented in her beauty, in the urban context during the month of September, when air was purest and uncontaminated. In addition, the time of the day was special, because it’s smokeless because was early in the morning. Therefore, these presentations make a sense of purity.
These was one of the few poem of Wordsworth where he wrote immediately, for the rest there are the emotion recollected in tranquillity. London was personified like a beautiful woman.
Domande da interrogazione
- What are the key contradictions of Romanticism?
- How did the role of the poet evolve during Romanticism?
Romanticism is marked by contradictions, such as the simultaneous appreciation of nature's beauty and its primitive violence, and the revaluation of childhood as a time of innocence and purity, contrasting with past views of it as a phase to quickly outgrow.
The poet's role shifted from a societal teacher to a prophetic figure, guiding readers through imagination and emotion, with a focus on simplicity and spontaneity in language, as emphasized by Wordsworth in the "Lyrical Ballads."
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