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British Literature I
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| As a literary movement in England, Romanticism fired its first salvo in _____ with William Wordsworth’s (1770-1850) “Preface” to the _______ | - 1801 - Lyrical Ballads( a collection of poetry that Wordsworth co-published w/ Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)) |
| The term “Romanticism,” describing this movement, came after the fact. Romanticism lasted until the mid-1820s, with the deaths of the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) and George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824). | |
| Romantic Period = What years? | (1785-1830) |
| 1775-1783: | American Revolution |
| 1789-1815: | French Revolution and Napoleonic Period in France |
| 1793: | France declares war on Britain, Reign of Terror begins |
| 1795: | William Pitt’s (Prime Minister) Gagging Acts suppresses freedom of speech and assembly in Britain |
| 1798: | Irish rebellion |
| 1801: | Union of Ireland and Great Britain |
| 1807: | British slave trade outlawed (slavery abolished in 1833) |
| 1811: | George, Prince of Wales, acts as regent for George III who has been declared incurably insane |
| 1812-1815: | War between Britain and the United States |
| 1819: | Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, England |
| 1820: | Accession of George IV |
| 1828: | Parliamentary repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts= - kept individuals from being part of town corporation + civil + military offices if they couldn’t pass a test about the rites of the Church of England |
| 1830: | Accession of William IV |
| 1832: | First Reform Act = changed the British Electoral system |
| Poets of the Age (6) | - William Wordsworth - Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Lord George Gordon Byron (only famous poet during era) - Percy Bysshe Shelly - John Keats - William Blake (added Romantic poet later) |
| Which two poets collaborated to compose the *Lyrical Ballads* | William Wordsworth + Samuel Taylor Coleridge |
| Women Poets of the Age - (5) | - Anna Letitia Barbauld - Mary Wollstonecraft - Jane Austen - Ann Radcliffe - Letitia Elizabeth Landon |
| Historical Context to Romantic Period pt.1 (3) | - England went agriculture to industrial nation - American + French Revolution (FR) s caused revolutionary ideals that English rulers repressed w/ traditional liberties -( 1792) England directly involved in FR when France invaded Rhineland + Netherlands |
| Historical Context to Romantic Period pt.2 (3) | - Enclosure implemented - European Literacy was flourishing - due to invention of printing press, it was cheap to circulate literature |
| Enclosure = - (3) | - Def. = open fields + wastelands owned by larger, privately owned holdings - efficient agriculture method to feed big population - BUT socially destructive CUZ broke up villages + Landless class moved to industrial town or be farm laborers |
| Political Context to Romantic Period (4) | - Politicians committed to a laissez-faire attitude - Political reform called w/ focus on men rights as distinct from Women rights - 1832: - Freedom of the press is difficult for elite to monitor. |
| 1832: | 1st reform bill was passed |
| Politicians committed to a laissez-faire attitude (left individuals alone to manage themselves) led to : (3) | - inadequate wages - long hours of work in harsh conditions - unemployment crisis |
| Freedom of the press is difficult for elite to monitor (4) - | - tried trying + indicting “inflammatory” writers who wrote against their political ideologies - taxed written word - concerned that commoners wanted to be in the political climate - Attempts at regulating what women read implemented |
| Characteristics of the Romantic Writing (4) pt.1 | - “spirit of the age”- intellectual and imaginative climate - Preoccupation with revolution - Influenced by Biblical prophecies - Emphasis on individual consciousness/ solitary pursuits |
| Characteristics of the Romantic Writing (3) pt.2 | - Author’s Inner feelings represented in their writing,wrote about everyday life + wrote imaginatively - Natural objects used as symbolism + corresponded w/ inner or spiritual world - Nature seen as wild + untamable |
| Characteristics of the Romantic Writing (2) pt.3 | - Romantic Period best known for its poetry, but all types of writing present - literary critic emerged + censored what was read + what plays produced |
| Characteristics of the Romantic Writing (2) pt.4 | - novel seen as low-brow, in part because 50% of writers were women + more women read novels, but in 1814 “new novel” arrived + changed this perception - “new novel” included historical themes + psychological view of the characters. |
| Author’s Inner feelings represented in their writing,wrote about everyday life + wrote imaginatively | - this type of writing had potential to reinforce feminine ideals of only being able to write about oneself and to emasculate men who were seen as unstable or having a tendency towards melancholy and madness |
| Overview of the Romantic Period (2) | - “Vibrant and Experimental” - Untraditional Voices: |
| “Vibrant and Experimental” - (2) | - Literature filled with emotional extremes. - Wide range of styles and themes |
| Untraditional Voices: (3) | Inclusion of : - women writers - working-class writers - regional voices |
| The “Spirit of the Age” (2) - | - Renovation, Rebellion + Revolution: - Transformation of Life + Literature: |
| Renovation, Rebellion + Revolution: (2) | - Inspired by political + social revolutions of era -Focus on freedom + rights (ex. American French + Haitian revolutions) |
| Transformation of Life + Literature: | - Promised changes in intellectual,spiritual, + imaginative life |
| Romantic Themes of Freedom and Rights | - Political Movements: - Literacy and Culture: |
| - Political Movements: (2) | - Advocacy for abolition of slave trade - Wollstonecraft’s revolution in female manners |
| Literacy and Culture: (2) | - Controversies about political authority + rising literacy rates - Questions about relationship of literature + popular culture |
| Romantic Poetry: (6) | - Dominance of Poetry: + Most Romantic Literature is poetry, especially lyric poetry - Redefining the Poet: +Wordsworth’s Preface to Lyrical Ballads: = The poet as a speaker of the language of common life. = Dissociation from popular mass culture |
| - | |
| - | |
| Fascination with the Individual (2) | - Isolated Figures: - Byronic Hero |
| Isolated Figures - (4) | - Outlaws - outcasts - outsiders - Characters haunted by guilt or defined by past transgressions |
| Byronic Hero (3) | - Derived from Lord Byron’s works (childe Harold’s Pilgrimage) - Alien, mysterious, and superior in passions + powers - Contemptuous of social norms + suffering from unnamed sins |
| Themes and Subject Matter (2) | - Gothic and Enchantment: - Education and New Beginnings: |
| Gothic and Enchantment: (2) - | - Revival of romance + gothic magic after Age of Reason. - Rediscovery of mystery in the universe |
| Education and New Beginnings: (3) | - New schemes for education + literature for children - child is a symbol of revolutionary hope + a democratized world - Literature both reflects the world through a child’s perspective + instills values for survival |
| Romantic Conclusion (2) | - Key characteristics - Romantic Period’s lasting impact on Literature and Culture: |
| - Key characteristics (4) - | - emotional extremes - focus on freedom - nontraditional voices - the celebration of individuality |
| Romantic Period’s lasting impact on Literature and Culture: (4) | - Transformation of literary forms + voices - Rejection of Traditional Authority - Exploration of Individuality + Emotion - Shift in Cultural perception of Children |
| Lyrical Ballads pt.1 (3) | -text that displays “The Spirit of the Age”. - Preface: 1st version published in 2nd edition of Lyrical Ballads (1800) + expanded for 3rd edition (1802) - Major concepts for New Poetry: Scenes taken from common life w/ imagination thrown over them |
| Lyrical Ballads pt.2 (3) | - Language of “men”– no different than language of prose -Recollected calmly -Poetry brings pleasure in acknowledgment of beauty of the universe |
| Lyrical Ballads pt.3 (2) | -New def. of a Poet: poet= “man speaking to men” but w/ heightened sensibility; not different in kind but in degree - Lyrical Ballads: variety of forms, not necessarily ballads; “an experiment.” |
| Lyrical Ballads pt.4 (3) | -In a time of Revolution, Freedom, Rights, Wordsworth is calling for literary revolution based on democratic values - Who is a Poet, Writing for Whom? - Wordsworth in Poetry: |
| Wordsworth in Poetry: (3) pt.1 | - believes poetry should reflect on nature’s ability to heal the soul - emphasizes importance of emotions that arise naturally + later reflected in a calm state - advocates for simple language, often enhanced by unrhymed lines of blank verse |
| Wordsworth in Poetry: pt.2 | - The idea of "egotistical sublime" emerges as the poet describes how his mind shapes images of nature into resembling faith/spirituality |
| Wordsworth in Poetry: pt.3 | - The poem’s beauty lies in the poet’s personal joy + renewal found in nature’s wonders, with hope that readers will experience the same renewal |
| “We Are Seven” How does the poem represent the consciousness or subjectivity of a child? | lively words plus how the child thinks the dead is still here. |
| “We Are Seven” How does this differ from the adult speaker’s perspective? | innocent still sees the dead as here. |
| “We Are Seven” Which predominates in the end? | Both. Adult doesn't try to change the kids mind. |
| “We Are Seven” Themes: (3) | - The Nature of Death. - Childhood Innocence vs. Adult Understanding - Family Bonds |
| medieval = | epic short poems |
| Romantic Era extras - (2) | - The name was coined by Victorian critics(romantic. - Main genre was Poetry. (mainly Lyric Poetry + Ballads) |
| Lyric Poetry - Song, short, 1st person, emotional message Ballads - slow, romantic short songs or poems Both Time of revolutions. America revolutio (freedom, rhuman, women, children. | sung, light + simple w/ rich language to be memorized. very individualistic b express emotion addressing of a wider audience. (not only higher educated people |
| Byronic Hero = | mysterious, brooding anti hero. (outcast not criminal. not adhere to social restraints.) |
| Mary Shelly (also Victorian writer) | first one to be considered Romantic |
| chimey sweepers of experience ( their condiiont, assaulted by parents due to verry poor. were very miserable to the point people had to sell their own kids. | |
| Deification - making something or someone a god. (Romantics see nature aas some sort of God) Transcendentalism is a branch of romaticion belived in inherent goodness of both people and natur, - | Beleived that society corrupt3ed purity of person. and people are at thier best when truly anti-reliant and independent. |
| Lyriccal of Ballads = | collection of poems |
| In traditonal poetry, - (2) | - use complex words - Only for the elite. |
| Wordsworth (4) - | - used simple words for all classes - took lang of rural people - mainly speakers are rural - considers poet=man of very high sensiblity who obesrves + internalized whats going on inside him. communicates his obesrvation with profound emotion. |
| Wordsworth defines good poetry as the "spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions recollected in tranquility." What can be understood from this definition of poetry in the Romantic Period? | - emphasizes emotional authenticity +understanding. - suggests poetry begins w/ strong emotions but only art when emotions are revisited + processed calmly - Romantic cuz focus on life of poet, valuing emotions, universal experiences + imagination |
| Poetry is both deeply emotional and reflective. | |
| According to Wordsworth in the Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, What distinguishes poetry from other forms of writing? | - believes poetry captures common experiences, turing them profound. - Recollection: Unlike other writing, which may focus on logic, poetry blends powerful emotion with thoughtful reflection - imbues normal w/ imagination, transforming mundane into cool |
| How does "the language really used by men" break from previous literary traditions? (3) | - rejects fancy language used in earlier poetry. - By writing in "the language really used by men," seeks to connect with a broader audience and reflect the simplicity and authenticity of everyday life. - values sincerity |
| How does Wordsworth define the poet’s role? Why does he call the poet "a man speaking to men"? (3) | - sees the poet as capable of interpreting the emotional + imaginative depths of human experience. - defines the poet as “a man speaking to men,” emphasizing poet's humanity who shares the same emotions - poets help others see world in profound ways |
| We are Seven" notes - (5) | - different perceptions of death than adults - children see death as another stage in heaven - the adult saw death as that dead person don't exist anymore - exposes us to the perceptoin of the child. - Morality vs. Death |
| We are Seven" Is the poem lyric or narrative? Why? (3) | - narrative cuz the story is an interaction between the speaker + the "little cottage girl." reflecting on her perspective about life and death. - storytelling nature dominates, but also has lyric elements cuz emotional tone + reflection on loss |
| We are Seven" summary (2) | - explores speaker + girl who insists her siblings, though two dead, are still "seven." - speaker reasons dead cant count, but girl’s belief reflects her deep connection to her siblings. The poem juxtaposes innocence w/ rational adult |
| The pre-eminent metrical foot of all these poems is the iamb ( / ): an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. | |
| We are Seven" What is the pre-eminent metrical pattern (monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, hexameter -- i.e. how many iambs per line? If the metrical pattern varies -- what is the effect of the variation? | - follows iambic tetrameter (four iambs per line) variations create mimic natural speech, lending a conversational tone to the poem. |
| We are Seven" What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? Find some examples of alliteration and onomatopoeia? (3) | - ABAB - Alliteration = "graves are green" (repetition of the "g" sound) - Onomatopoeia: Words like "moaning" |
| We are Seven" Find three particularly vivid images (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory or gustatory) | Visual: "Her hair was thick with many a curl / That cluster’d round her head" paints girl's rustic beauty. Tactile: "snow, / And I could run and slide" evokes the texture and chill of a snowy day. Auditory: "I sit and sing to them" conveys innocence |
| We are Seven" (3) What stylistic and thematic elements make this poem Romantic? | - Focus on childhood innocence: - Nature and the spiritual: The graves and the surrounding natural environment . - Emphasis on emotion and imagination: The poem prioritizes the girl's emotional perspective over rationality, celebrating the imagination |
| We are Seven" What is the author's purpose in this poem? | - Wordsworth emphasize emotional connections even after death. - challenges reader to value girl's perspective, prioritizes connection over logical reasoning. - reflects Romantic ideals of emotion, innocence, life, death, and nature. |
| Wordsworth Background and Personal Origins (3) | - Born up middle/up-class family; parents dead, raised by aunt + uncle - has formal education (Hawkshead Grammar School) - when young, deeply influenced by Nature—natural surroundings in Lake District served as a teacher +human nature was his subject |
| Wordsworth Use of Nature and the Supernatural (3) | -Sees Nature as nurturing teacher,source of peace + inspo - poetry emphasizes beauty + power of nat world, linking everyday rural life with deep emotional truths - Subtle Supernat: realistic references to nat world yet imbued w/ spiritual wonder |
| Wordsworth Emotion and Tone(3) "spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions recollected in tranquility.” | - tone =reflective/sincere/tranquil values -Emphasis on authenticity of human experience + universal nat of emotion, seen in innocent child - invites readers to revisit their own emotional experiences in quiet reflection. |
| Wordsworth Language and Style (3) | - uses lang used by men”—plain/ easy - style= simple/clear/intends to resonate w/ everyday experiences +common emotions - employs nat speech patterns of audience, making his work approachable |
| Wordsworth Subject Matter and Themes (3) | - Focuses on common life beauty, child innocence, + connection between humanity + nature - poems examine personal experience, passage of time, + reflective process of memory. -Themes= emotion + reflection, intense feelings, when thought, yield insights |
| Wordsworth Romantic Elements in Their Work (Emotion and Imagination:, Nature, Indidvdual Experience) (3) | - uses simple lang. to convey profound emotional experiences, focusing nat beauty + memory -nature=essential for reflecting on life's mysteries - emphasizes universal nature of human emotion, portraying everyday experiences in reflective, easy way |
| Wordsworth7. The Poet's Role and Language (3) | - Defines good poetry= “spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions recollected in tranquility.” -Believes poetry should use lang of men, easy+genuine Example: poems allow readers to see the extraordinary in the mundane. |
| Blake Background and Personal Origins (3) "- enslaved to another man’s system" | - modest, unknown life -visionary=supernatural childhood experiences(visions of God, angels, and his brother’s soul ascending). - largely self-taught in lang.s + art, got unique style, embracing mystical + rebellious themes, to not be trapped |
| Blake Use of Nature and the Supernatural (3) Example: In The Tyger, nature is depicted in awe-inspiring, fearsome terms—“fearful symmetry” and imagery of fire and forging—implying both beauty and terror in creation | - Incorporates supernatural overtly, using vivid + startling visions to explore themes of good vs evil - Nature is imbued with symbolism—divine beauty and hidden corruption. -art + poetry merge real w/ visionary, norms vs. bold, imaginative imagery. |
| Blake Emotion and Tone (3) -Ex- Tyger—with its repeated questions about the nature of creation—conveys a mix of awe, fear, and wonder | - intense + visionary, confrontational - steeped in revolutionary idealism + moral questioning, often using stark contrasts (such as good vs. evil) to evoke strong responses. -Emotion= raw, driven by imaginative + symbols of human condition |
| Blake Language and Style (3) Example: In The Tyger, his use of metaphor (“What immortal hand or eye”) and dramatic imagery distinguishes his style from the more restrained diction of Wordsworth | - seeks truth in language, visually +symbol rich, mixing text w/art in his illuminated manuscripts -lang= unusual, striking imagery to challenge norms -style reflects rebellious nature, as he creates own style |
| Blake Subject Matter and Themes (3) Example: The Chimney Sweeper (both versions) critiques social injustice and the exploitation of the innocent, while London exposes the dark underbelly of urban life. | - themes= good vs. evil, imagination in liberating human thought, + oppression - subject=myth, religion + critique of established institutions - challenges readers to see beyond appearances, using symbolism to reveal truths about human spirit |
| Blake Romantic Elements in Their Work (Emotion and Imagination:, Nature, Indidvdual Experience) (3) | -harnesses vivid imagery + symbolism to evoke intense emotions and challenge norms, often merging reality with the supernatural. - nature=wonder and terror, -focuses on the inner struggles ,often to question norms. |
| Blake 7. The Poet's Role and Language(3) | - valuing emotional truth, lang imbued w/ symbol - role= challenge + expand reader’s perception of reality, blending the seen with the unseen Example: His illuminated manuscripts, where text and image work in tandem, demonstrate his belief in art |
| Shelley 1. Background and Personal Origins (3) Example: His pamphlet On the Necessity of Atheism (written at Oxford) led to his expulsion, highlighting his non-conformist, rebellious nature | -Born aristocratic family; inherit wealth +seat in House of Lords, yet chose radical nonconformity. high educated Personal Life: Experienced turbulent relationships (e.g., eloping with Harriet Westbrook and later with Mary Godwin) \ |
| Shelley 1. Use of Nature and the Supernatural (3) | - Nature iinspires and symbolizes revolutionary change. - Supernatural Elements: Ode to the West Wind, wind is destructive + creative force—a metaphor for renewal. Example: The wind carries seeds of change, reflecting Shelley’s hope for revolution |
| Shelley 1. 3. Emotion, Imagination, and Tone(3) | - passionate, visionary, and often rebellious. uses vivid imagery + grand metaphors to express emotion + rebel - views imagination as force that can challenge status quo + usher change. |
| Shelley 14. Language, Style, and Subject Matter (3) | - Employs rich, metaphors and striking imagery to convey themes of freedom and change. -Subject Matter=radical political themes, freedom -Purpose: challenge norms and inspire a revolutionary spirit in his readers. |
| Shelley 1. 5. Treatment of Nature (3) | Nature as a Living, Transformative Force: He uses nature not just as scenery but as a symbol of change. The dynamic portrayal in Ode to the West Wind illustrates nature’s role in both destruction and regeneration. personification |
| Shelley 1. 6. Legacy and Influence (3) | -Known as one of the most intellectual Romantic poets, his ideas on radical politics |
| Coleridge 1. Background and Personal Origins (3) | - Born into a conventional Anglican family; father is vicar, expected to join the clergy. - Explored radical religious + social ideas at Cambridge; influenced by Unitarianism + democratic ideals. - later opium addiction |
| Coleridge 2. Use of Nature and the Supernatural(3) | - Nature= awe-inspiring and morally instructive. -Supernatural Occurrences: His narrative weaves ghostly apparitions, cursed events, and allegorical figures (e.g., the albatross, spectral crew) to blur the lines between the natural and supernatural. |
| Coleridge 3. Emotion, Imagination, and Tone (3) | - haunting + meditative. emphasizes the mariner’s internal guilt and eventual redemption. - use of supernatural events often serves as a vehicle to explore themes of guilt, redemption, and existential isolation. |
| Coleridge 14. Language, Style, and Subject Matter(3) | -Subject Matter: mysteries of nat world, +tension between human action + cosmic forces, human psyche (guilt, redempt) -Purpose: inner workings of mind + interplay between reality+ supernatural |
| Coleridge 5. Treatment of Nature (3) | Coleridge’s nature is often dualistic—its beauty contrasts with its potential for terror. nature punishes and redeems |
| Coleridge 6. Legacy and Influence (3) | Viewed the poet as a bridge between the mundane and the sublime, whose work could reveal deep truths about human existence and the natural world |
| Mary Shelley: Family and Upbringing: (3) | - born in famous writers and philosophers Orphaned early + raised largely by her father and stepfamily. -Largely self-educated from her father's extensive library. -Eloped with Percy Shelley at 16, leading a nomadic life across Europe. |
| Mary Shelley: 2. Use of Nature and the Supernatural (3) | - nature= sublime + indifferent, reflecting both beauty and the uncontrollable forces of life. heighten the tragic consequences of human ambition Supernatural Elements: -Frankenstein creating a being that challenges the natural order. |
| Mary Shelley: 2Emotion, Tone, and Language (3) | - tone =somber, reflective, and often cautionary, emphasizing tragic consequences of unchecked ambition + isolation. - deeply intertwined with personal loss and the ethical dilemmas of creation. - Language and Style= formal + descriptive |
| Mary Shelley: 2Subject Matter and Themes(3) | -Subject Matter= creation, the responsibilities of a creator, and the consequences of neglect + isolation, scientific ambition, societal rejection -Themes: Parenting and creation, tragedy, and the burden of guilt. |
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Alynna