The salient features of Romantic Poetry
Question: Discuss the salient features of Romantic Poetry.
Introduction
Romanticism, which is also known as the Romantic Era, was an inventive literary intellectual movement that originated in Europe in the latter part of the 18th century. The duration of the age was from 1798 to 1932. In England, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats, and Byron symbolize Romanticism. In France, a poet like Victor Hugo led the movement.
Features of Romantic Poetry
The poetry of this age has enraged the thirst of the common readers. The above poets of England put some magical forces in their poems and made them exceptional. The striking features of Romantic Poetry are drawn below:
Subjectivity
Subjectivity has got its own exact identity in the poetry of this age. Through subjective realization, the poets create a link between the external world with the inner world. ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, ‘She Walks in Beauty’, and ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ are some examples of Subjectivity.
High imagination
In Romantic Poetry, high imagination, emotion, and passion have been stuffed a lot. Through imagination, the lifeless world is renovated into a real and living one. The powerful conception of imagination in poetry is so high that it comprises and manifests their ideas of beauty and truth. ‘Kubla Khan’, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ are some finest examples of high imagination.
Love for nature
As we know that Romanticism is the reaction against Neo-classicism (1660-1785), urban life and beauty cannot get any chance to be its vital feature because in Neo-classical poetry nature is starkly absent. The poets of the Romantic Period deeply feel frustration because of the absence of nature in poetry that is why they take vehement steps to focus on nature which is the source of life and productivity. No poet of this age is devoid of having a strong passion for nature and Wordsworth’s doctrine is that nature is a true friend of human beings.
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Supernaturalism
The use of supernatural elements in poetry is another key feature of Romantic Poetry. Poets like Coleridge and Scott have drawn a thumping image of wonder and mystery in poetry. Supernatural objects create a romantic atmosphere with the rage of wonder, horror, suspense, and remoteness.
Simplicity in style
Romantics use the language of common people in their poetry. Instead of artificial style, they tried to use iambic pentameter or blank verse so that they could avoid the complexity for the purpose of composing poetry. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is one of the famous poems by Coleridge written in a very simple style. And Wordsworth must be called the master of simplicity.
Escapism
Some of the poets felt annoyed with the oppression and ugliness of the materialistic world of their time. To avoid this chaos, they often tried to escape from the greedy and chaotic world to a world of ideal beauty and joy which is described in their poems. ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’, in all these poems, poets have always wanted to flee from the practical world to an ideal world.
Love for medievalism
In Romantic Poetry, the presence of medievalism is everywhere. Romantic poets showed their love for medieval literature. A nostalgic tone of the past is one of the important features of romantic poetry. ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ is a perfect example of this trait. The affection and charm of middle age are presented here in this poem.
Religious outlook
The Romantics thought that nature should not be justified scientifically but as a living force. Nature is either made by a creator or a thing of divinity. Much of the romantic poems sketch the beauty of nature and glorifies God or criticizes the materialistic world and corrupt human beings.
The rural or common life
The most significant characteristic of Romantic Poetry is to inject the story of common or rural life. In Neo-classical poetry, there was no practical use of nature in poems. But in the Romantic era, the interest of poets converted from a town to rural life and the beauty of nature got the utmost intensity. In the poems of Wordsworth, Shelley, and Byron, there are a lot of use of nature and the common life of human being.
Conclusion
Actually, Romantic poetry emerges as a new kind of poetry in English literature. The poets give us a musical journey from the corrupted society to the heart of nature. Romantic poetry reveals the bosom love for nature to human beings. To put it differently, nature is praised and romanticized in English romantic poetry by a bunch of poetic genius.
