Middle Ages – Notes and Quotes (You will be quizzed on ...



Notes (You will be quizzed on this information and it will show up on a unit test – please keep this paper in your notebook to study later.)

What will we be reading? We will be reading a variety of poems by the Romantic poets, as well as viewing a movie from the Romantic period.

What makes it interesting? Many of the ideals that the Romantic poets emphasized are still true of our society/world today. They dealt with issues such as Nature affected by industry (global warming) and extreme class difference (extreme rich versus extreme poor).

Notes

Time: The Romantic Period

• Began in the late 1700’s with the Industrial Revolution

• Ended shortly after 1832 with the First Reform Bill

Who ruled?

• George III (though he became insane in later years and the country was really ruled by his son)

What was going on back then?

The Romantic period was in a sense a reaction to the Restoration, meaning a reaction to the “reason and science” that dominated the 18th century. Romantic ideals included emotion and imagination.

Politics:

Two Revolutions affected England. The American Revolution earlier in the century set a tone of dissatisfaction with class difference and inequality. The French Revolution magnified these problems and England was afraid that it would go through the same thing. Many people in England wanted a revolution to change the living conditions and inequality in lifestyle.

Government’s response to poor conditions was a “laissez faire” attitude, meaning “allow to do” or let things happen as they will.

Developments & Setbacks:

The Industrial Revolution began in the late 1700’s, following the perfection of the steam engine by James Watt. While this seemed to indicate progress, there were certainly drawbacks to this and other new inventions. The face of the work force was greatly changing; it went from mostly hand work to machine work. A worker’s job was to man the machines, often resulting in dangerous working conditions. Generally, labor was exploited and even young children were used for their labor.

Finally, the Industrial Revolution affected the environment in a way that the people of the time could not foresee. In many ways the industry was the basis of our modern world and can be seen as a major shift in the world in general. Factories produced chemicals and pollution that harmed the environment, which is a reality of our world today. Ideally the Industrial Revolution embodies the conflict between progress and destruction.

Important Terms

The term “romantic” does not mean love-related. It actually refers to “romances” which were popular stories during the Medieval period about heroes, dragons, and wizards, dealing with magic and the supernatural.

The term “gothic” also originated at this time referring a mysterious atmosphere. The Gothic genre used castles, mystery, storms, and the powers of Nature as common settings and themes.

Values

Romanticism, in art, music, and literature, reflected the spirit of revolution that swept France and America beginning in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Among its characteristics were a strong interest in Nature, an exaltation of the imagination, a protest against “correctness,” and an increased faith in the worth of the individual. Other key words: emotion, freedom, energy, democracy, renewal.

The Lyrical Ballads – a collection of poems written by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. They emphasized the following concepts:

● To leave behind formal language and use the language of “real men”

● To write about common life

● To focus on Nature

● To explore the supernatural

● To explore the “essential passions of the heart” and human emotion

● To tap into the human mind, personality and imagination

● To emphasize the poet’s role in revealing these topics to the average person through the “spontaneous overflow of emotion”

Lord Byron, Percey Shelley, John Keats – other Romantic poets, some call the second generation – all died tragically young.

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