英国文学浪漫主义时期

1、The Romantic Period(1798-1832),Introduction,English Romanticism begins in 1798 with the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridges The Lyrical Ballads and ends in 1832 with Walter Scotts death. William Blake and Robert Burns also belong to this literary genre, though they live prior to the Romantic pe

2、riod.,What is Romanticism,Romanticism is a movement that emerged as a reaction against Neoclassicism 新古典主义, the age preceding the Romantic movement. The Neoclassical age was also called the “The age of Enlightenment”, which emphasized on reason and logic. The Romantic period wanted to break away fro

3、m the traditions and conventions that were dear to the Neoclassical age and make way for individuality and experimentation.,Definition from Wikipedia,Romanticism (or the Romantic Era or the Romantic Period) was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the

4、 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. In part, it was a revolt反叛; 反抗against aristocratic social and political norms标准, 规范of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature. It was embodied most strongly in the

5、visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography, education and natural history.,Historical Background,Politically: the French Revolution Declaration of Rights of Man (1791-2), Thomas Paine Inquiry concerning Political Justice (1793), William Godwin A Vindication of the R

6、ights of Woman (1792), Mary Wollstonecraft Workers Movement,Economically: the Industrial Revolution Continued fast changes took place both in the country and in the cities; Many farmhands driven out of land rushed into the city; Women and children were employed as cheap labor; New machines were set

7、up, rendering many out of work; Disparity was growing between the rich and the poor;,Ideologically The principle of Ration was giving way to an individualized, free, liberal, imaginative attitude towards life; a tendency to turn or escape from the tumultuous嘈杂的动乱的and confusing society,Characteristic

8、s of Romanticism,Love of Nature: The Romantics greatly emphasized on the importance of nature, and one of the main characteristics of Romanticism in poetry is the beauty of nature found in the country life. This was mainly because the industrial revolution had taken man from the peaceful country lif

9、e towards the city life, transforming mans natural order. Nature was not only appreciated for its physical beauty by the Romantics, but also for its ability to help the urban man find his true identity.,Emotions vs. Rationality: Unlike the Neoclassical age which focused on rationality and intellect,

10、 Romanticism placed human emotions, feelings, instinct and intuition above everything else. While the poets in the former era adhered to the rules and regulations while selecting a subject and writing about it, the Romantic writers trusted their emotions and feelings to create poetry. This belief ca

11、n be confirmed from the definition of poetry by William Wordsworth, where he says that poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. The emphasis on emotions was also spread to music created in the Romantic period, and was seen in the compositions made by great musicians like Weber, Beeth

12、oven, Schumann, etc.,Artist, the Creator: As the Romantic period emphasized on emotions, the position or role of the artist or the poet also gained supremacy. In the earlier times, the artist was seen as a person who imitated the external world through his art. However, Romanticism reverted this bel

13、ief. The poet or artist was seen as a creator of a piece of work which reflected his individuality and inner mind. It was also for the first time that the poems written in the first person were being accepted, as the poetic persona became one with the voice of the poet.,Nationalism: The Romantics bo

14、rrowed heavily from the folklore and the popular art. During the earlier periods, literature and art were considered to belong to the high class educated people, and the country folks were not considered fit to enjoy them. Also, the language used in these works were highly poetic, which was totally

15、different from that which was spoken by people. However, Romanticism changed all this. Their works were influenced from the ballads and folklore that were created by the masses or the common people, rather than from the literary works that were popular. Apart from poetry, adopting from the folklore

16、and ballads is also one of the very important characteristics of Romanticism in music. As the Romantics became interested and focused on developing the folklore, culture, language, customs and traditions of their own country, they developed a sense of Nationalism which reflected in their works. Also

17、, the language used in Romantic poems were simple which was usually used in everyday life.,Exoticism: Along with Nationalism, the Romantics even developed the love of the exotic. Hence, in many of the literary as well as artistic works of that period, the far off and mysterious locations were depict

18、ed. Though this was completely opposite from the ideal of Nationalism, they never clashed with each other. The reason for this is that just like the exotic locations, the people did not know about the folklore of their places before, and so they seemed to be as vague as the far away places. Exoticis

19、m is also one of the most prominent characteristics of Romanticism in art, along with sentimentality and spirituality.,Supernatural: Another characteristic of Romanticism is the belief in the supernatural. The Romantics were interested in the supernatural and included it in their works. This fascina

20、tion for the mysterious and the unreal also lead to the development of the Gothic romance which became popular during this period. Supernatural elements can be seen in Coleridges, Kubla Khan and in Keats poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci.,Overview of Romantic literature,The romantic period is an age of

21、poetry. Wordsworth and Coleridge are the most representative writers. They explore new theories and innovate new techniques in versification诗律. They believe that poetry could purify individual souls and society.,Lake poets,Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey were known as Lake Poets because they lived

22、 and knew one another in the last few years of the 18th century in the district of the great lakes in Northwestern England. The former two published The Lyrical Ballads together in 1798, while all three of them had radical inclinations in their youth but later turned conservative and received pensio

23、ns and poet laureateships from the aristocracy.,Satanic Poets,Other greatest Romantic poets are: John Keats, P.B. Shelley and G. G. Byron. They are referred to as Satanic Poets by Robert Southey for their violent imagination and rebellious spirit.,Feminist works,Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindicati

24、on of the Rights of Woman in 1792. Gothic novel is a type of romantic fiction that predominates in the late 18th century and continues to show its influence in early 19th century. Its principal elements are violence, horror, and the supernatural. Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley and The Mysteries

25、 of Udolpho (1794) by Ann Radcliffe are masterpieces of English gothic novel.,Romantic Fictions,English fiction gropes its way amidst the overwhelming Romantic poetry. It revives its popularity in the hands of Jane Austen his greatest work Poems in Two Volumes (1807): contains “Ode: Intimations of I

26、mmortality”, the autobiographical narrative “Resolution and Independence” The Excursion (1814),Subjects,Poems on nature “To a Butterfly” “To a Skylark” “To the Cuckoo” “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” “Tintern Abbey”,Poems on simple rustic life in the countryside Lucy poems “She Dwelt Among the Untrod

27、den Ways” Other poems about common people and their humble life “Michael” “The Solitary Reaper”,Characteristics of Wordsworths poety,Wordsworths personality and poetry were deeply influenced by his love of nature, especially by the sights and scenes of the Lake Country. A profoundly earnest and sinc

28、ere thinker, he displayed a high seriousness comparable, at times, to Miltons but tempered with tenderness and a love of simplicity. Pioneer in the use of the language of ordinary speech. (criticized for this quality),Wordsworths theory of poetry,“The principal object, then, which I proposed to myse

29、lf in these poems are to choose incidents and situations from common life and to relate or describe them, throughout, as far as was possible, in a selection of language really used by men; and, at the same time, to throw over them a certain colouring of imagination, whereby ordinary things should be

30、 presented to the mind in an unusual way; and above all, to make these incidents and situations interesting by tracing in them, truly though not ostentatiously, the primary laws of our nature: chiefly as far as regards the manner in which we associate ideas in a state of excitement.” (Preface to the

31、 second edition of the Lyrical Ballads ),华兹华斯的诗论,关于诗歌的题材问题以微贱的田园生活作题材 关于诗歌的语言问题采用人们（农村的下层民众）真正使用的语言来加以描述或描写 关于诗的本质问题诗是强烈情感的自然流露 诗人的特殊才能想象力和语言表达能力,抒情歌谣集序言,Significance:,With Samuel Taylor Coleridge ushered in the English Romantic movement Many consider him the most important English Romantic poet suc

32、ceeded Southey as Poet Laureate,她住在人迹罕至的小路间She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Way,她住在人迹罕至的小路间 在鸽子谷的清泉旁 一个无人赞扬 也很少人爱的姑娘。 青苔边的一朵紫罗兰 一半令人看不见 美得像颗星星，孤孤单单 在天上闪现。 她默默无闻，很少有人晓得 露西死于何时 但她已在墓中，啊！ 我怅然若失！,It is a three-stanza poem, is the best known of Wordsworths series of five works which comprise his Lucy series

33、, and was a favourite amongst early readers. It was composed both as a meditation on his own feelings of loneliness and loss, and as an ode to the beauty and dignity of an idealised woman who lived unnoticed by all others except by the poet himself.,我曾远游海外I Travelled among Unknown Man,我曾远游海外， 周围都是陌生

34、的眼光; 英格兰，不知爱你有多深沉， 只因未曾去过异国他乡! 忧郁的梦全都散去， 远游的念头旱已消亡， 只因爱你越发深沉， 我不愿再次背起行囊。,你的崇山中有我的欢乐， 你的峻岭下有我的期望; 傍着英格兰炉火摇着纺车， 还有我那心爱的姑娘。 你的展曦照着她在林阴流连， 你的夜幕伴着她在茅舍徜徉; 还有你那碧绿的田野。 引来露西最后深情的眺望。,I Wandered Lonely as a cloud,我如行云独自游I Wandered Lonely as a cloud,我好似一朵孤独的流云， 高高地飘游在山谷之上， 突然我看到一大片鲜花， 是金色的水仙遍地开放。 它们开在湖畔，开在树下 它们

35、随风嬉舞，随风飘荡。 它们密集如银河的星星， 像群星在闪烁一片晶莹； 它们沿着海湾向前伸展， 通往远方仿佛无穷无尽； 一眼看去就有千朵万朵， 万花摇首舞得多么高兴。,粼粼湖波也在近旁欢跳， 却不如这水仙舞得轻俏； 诗人遇见这快乐的旅伴， 又怎能不感到欢欣雀跃进； 我久久凝视-却未领悟 这景象所给予我的精神至宝。 后来多少次我郁郁独卧， 感到百无聊赖心灵空漠； 这景象便在脑海中闪现， 多少次安慰过我的寂寞； 我的心又随水仙跳起舞来， 我的心又重新充满了欢乐.,This is simply a superb poem depicting poets love for nature. It is a

36、 lyric poem focusing on the poets response to the beauty of nature. The poet is never alone when he is with nature.Poet never felt himself isolated in the company of nature. He is truely a Pantheist, who loves nature as a mother. The poem tells us that the bliss we can enjoy in the real sense of the

37、 term if we can merge in the nature.,威斯敏斯特桥上Composed Upon Westminster Bridge (sonnet),大地再没有比这儿更美的风貌：若有谁，对如此壮丽动人的景物竟无动于衷，那才是灵魂麻木；瞧这座城市，像披上一领新袍，披上了明艳的晨光；环顾周遭：船舶，尖塔，剧院，教堂，华屋，都寂然、坦然，向郊野、向天穹赤露，在烟尘未染的大气里粲然闪耀。 旭日金挥洒布于峡谷山陵，也不比这片晨光更为奇丽；我何尝见过、感受过这深沉的宁静！河上徐流，由着自己的心意；上帝呵！千门万户都沉睡未醒，这整个宏大的心脏仍然在歇息！,The poem is a s

38、onnet describing London, viewed from one of the bridges over the Thames, in the early morning. It was first published in 1807. In the poem the theme is that of Nature.This reiterates his conviction that the city, at this particular point of day, does not clash with nature but becomes a part of it.,T

39、he solitary reaper 孤独的割麦女,看，一个孤独的高原姑娘在远远的田野间收割，一边割一边独自歌唱，请你站住或者俏悄走过！她独自把麦子割了又捆，唱出无限悲凉的歌声，屏息听吧！深广的谷地已被歌声涨满而漫溢！,还从未有过夜莺百啭，唱出过如此迷人的歌，在沙漠中的绿荫间抚慰过疲惫的旅客；还从未有过杜鹃迎春，声声啼得如此震动灵魂，在遥远的赫布利底群岛打破过大海的寂寥。,她唱什么，谁能告诉我？忧伤的音符不断流涌，是把遥远的不聿诉说？是把古代的战争吟咏？也许她的歌比较卑谦，只是唱今日平凡的悲欢，只是唱自然的哀伤苦痛昨天经受过，明天又将重逢？,姑娘唱什么，我猜不着，她的歌如流水永无尽头；只见她一

40、面唱一面干活，弯腰挥镰，操劳不休我凝神不动，听她歌唱，然后，当我登上了山岗，尽管歌声早已不能听到，它却仍在我心头缭绕。,Themes,The poem mainly discusses the theme of poetry Wordsworth maintained that poetry should not rely on artificial diction for its effort. Rather, it should be written in more ordinary language and simpler form so that all classes might a

41、ppreciate it.,Byron,Life,Family: Born lame in an impoverish noble family Father died when he was three;lived in loneliness and poverty with his mother in Scotland Made Lord Byron at 10 by the death of his granduncle,Early experience: Cambridge: Hours of Idleness(1807); and English Bards and Scotch R

42、eviewers two years later Tour on the Continent (1809-1811): visited Portugal, Spain, Albania, Greece and Turkey,Return to England: Embarked on his political career; made speeches in the parliament to support the proletariat Published the first two cantos of Childe Harolds Pilgrimage(1812); wrote som

43、e narrative poems which were called “Oriental Tales” Married Ann Milbank who left him one year after the marriage,Years on the Continent In Switzerland: made acquaintance with Shelley In Italy: finished Childe Harolds Pilgrimage; wrote Don Juan, Cain In Greece: plunged himself into Greek peoples str

44、uggle for national independence; died of fever,Major Works,English Bards and Scotch Reviewers (1809) Oriental Tales The Giaour(1813) The Corsair(1814) Lara(1814) Childe Harolds Pilgrimage(1812-1818) Don Juan(1818-1819) Poetic Drama: Manfred(1817) Cain(1821) The Two Foscari (1821),Childe Harolds Pilg

45、rimage,4cantos, written in the Spenserian stanza Canto I: Portugal the difference between lifes appearance and its actuality) Epic satire: a satire on abuses of the present society;,Artistic Features,Revolutionary spirit Byronic hero Variety in style from passionate outcries to pathetic utterance, f

46、rom solemn expressions to ironic mockeries, from serious musings to playful fancies, from highly lyrical passages to everyday prosaic speech, from lofty phrases in grand style to clownish play on words.,Byronic Hero,a proud revolutionary figure of noble origin, rising single handed against any kind

47、of tyrannic rules in government or religion or moral society with unconquerable wills and inexhaustible energies. These towering figures stand in sharp contrast with the heroes in the verse narratives of the Lake Poets, who are either submissive agents of God or of other supernatural forces or are w

48、rapped in the mysterious atmosphere of mysticism or magic.,Evaluation,Having great influence on the romantic poetry with the novelty of his oriental scenery, the romantic character of the Byronic hero, and the easy, fluent and natural beauty of his verse. Two controversial opinions: In England: the

49、perverted man, the satanic poet On the Continent: the champion of liberty, poet of the people,Shelley,Life,Born into an aristocratic family entered the Oxford University College in 1810; expelled from the college for publishing The Necessity Of Atheism in 1811 eloped with the 16-year old Harriet Wes

50、tbrook; spent the following two years traveling in England and Ireland, distributing pamphlets and speaking against political injustice. In 1813 published his first important poem, the atheistic Queen Mab.,In 1814 traveled abroad with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin;married Mary Wollstonecraft after Harr

51、iet drowned herself in 1816 Wrote The Spirit of Solitude (1816) and The Revolt of Islam ( 1817) moved to Italy; drowned in 1822,Major Works,In England: Queen Mab The Spirit of Solitude The Revolt of Islam,In Italy: Two poetic dramas: Prometheus Unbound The Cenci Prose: A Defense of Poetry,Poems: Pol

52、itical lyrics: The Mask of Anarchy Song to the Men of England Lyrics on nature and love Ode to the West Wind To a Skylark Elegy: Adonais,Ode,a lyric poem of some length, dealing with a lofty theme in a dignified manner and originally intended to be sung,Romantic ode,Evolved from the ancient Greek od

53、e, written in a serous tone to celebrate an event or to praise an individual Not intended to be sung, yet quite emotional The author focuses on a scene, ponders its meaning, and presents a highly personal reaction to it that includes a special insight at the end of the poem,Ode to the West Wind,Cont

54、ents This is one of Shelleys best known lyrics. The poet describes vividly the activities of the west wind on the earth, in the sky and on the sea and then expresses his envy for the boundless freedom of the west wind and his wish to be free like it and to scatter his words among mankind. The celebr

55、ated final line of the poem, If winter comes, can Spring be far behind has often been cited to illustrate Shelleys optimistic belief in the future of mankind.,Characteristics,a great variety of poetical style rich in myth, symbols and classical allusions a strong dramatic power an intellectual thoug

56、ht abundant in personification and metaphor and other figures of speech,Shelley and Byron Compared,Byron: only attached political tyranny; thought more of ones personal happiness and sorrow and believed chiefly in the might of individual heroes but had contempt for the common people Shelley:also saw

57、 the cruel relations of economic exploitation in the feudal bourgeois world; had faith in the collective strength of the people and worked for the interests of the masses,John Keats,Life,Born in 1795; son of a livery-stable keeper apprenticed at 15 to learn surgery devote himself to poetry under the

58、 influence of Leigh Hunt and the artist Haydon in1816,Literary creation from 1816-1820: Published his early poems in The Examiner (1816) Published his first volume of poetry, met with very severe criticism(1818) Published his second volume of poetry (1820) Fell ill with tuberculosis; traveled to Italy upon the invitation of Shelley (1820) Died of illness (1821),Major Works,On First Looking into Chapmans Homer Endymion Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, poor health and hopeless love Exclamation of his artistic ide