REBELS AND DREAMERSUnit 4 (1798-1832)

Historical Background After nearly a century of progress in

science and industry, the faith of poets in reason was eroded.

Wordsworth, “Our meddling intellect/Misshapes the beauteous forms of things-/We murder to dissect.”

The time the follows is known as the Romantic period.

To understand this, it is important to understand the history.

Revolution to Reaction Many of the defining historical events for the

end of the 18th century took place in France, not England.

French Revolution began on July 14, 1789 when a mob stormed the Bastille ( a prison for political prisoners)

The successful revolutionaries put limits on King Louis the XVI – established a new government, approved a document called The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen – which emphasized, “liberty, equality, and fraternity.”

France became a Constitutional Monarchy. This scared the English aristocracy.

The Reign of Terror As people jockeyed for power, the French

Revolution became more chaotic. A radical group, the Jacobins gained control

of the French legislative assembly and abolished the monarchy and declared the nation a republic.

Bloody “September Massacres” – this group killed numerous prisoners including the aristocracy and priests.

Within weeks they tried and convicted Louis XVI of treason and sent him to the guillotine.

Cont. Under the power of Maximilien de

Robespierre, the reign of terror began. Over the course of a year, 17000

royalists, moderates, and even radicals were sent to the guillotine – including Robespierre himself!

As a result, France began a citizen army and declared war in the name of liberty on England.

This would drag on for 22 years.

British Reaction Even Britons who were sympathetic to

the French revolutionaries turned against the idea of revolution because the massacres were so shocking.

Conservatives in Briton began to crack down on Jocobian-like groups that threatened the monarchy.

The government began to ban public meetings, suspended basic rights, and outlawed all talk of parliamentary reform.

Society’s Problems Problems were being caused by the

Industrial Revolution: Overcrowded factories Long working hours for low pay. Restless working class Loss of jobs to new machinery Violent protests Attempt to organize unions

Cont. Britain’s government claimed to be

following a hands-off policy, but in fact sided openly with factory owners against workers.

Britain was splitting into two angry camps – the working class and the ruling class.

1824 first labor unions were allowed to organize.

1829 the right to religious freedom was restored to Roman Catholics.

Political Change A Reform Bill of 1832 brought sweeping

changes to British political life. Voting rights were extended to middle

class (males) This law threatened the traditional

dominance of landowning aristocrats in Parliament.

1833 – first laws requiring factory safety were passed AND slavery was abolished.

Literature of the Period The beginnings of Romanticism There was a new interest in the trials and

dreams of the common people. They desired changed and that need grew out

of their desire for democracy. They had a deep attachment to nature and to

a pure, simple past. This was heightened by the industrial revolution

For the Romantics, faith in science and reason, so characteristic of the 18th century no longer applied in this world of factories and tyranny.

The Romantic Movement This movement takes its name from an

interest in medieval romances. Goeth – a German writer who incorporates ideas of democracy and the idea that “Man is born free,” (Rousseau) - shows new attention to feelings and expresses an ideal of self-fulfillment and growth through experience.

The Romantic Age in British Poetry

Romanticism affected literature, music, and art.

This era produced brilliant European composers – Beethoven and Schubert.

Great writers of the time were Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Poetry is, “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings …[and it] takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility”

Words of Wordsworth The new poetry dealt with, “incidents and

situations from common life” over which the poet throws, “a certain coloring of imagination, whereby ordinary things should be presented …. in an unusual way.”

Wordsworth also focused on nature, combining human passions with, “the beautiful and permanent forms of nature.”

Nature was not a force to be tamed and analyzed scientifically; rather it was a wild, free force that could inspire poets to instinctive spiritual understanding.

Second Generation of Romantic Poets

George Gordon, Lord Byron Percy Bysshe Shelley John Keats

All three of these poets rebelled even more against British conservatism than did Wordsworth and Coleridge.

All three died abroad tragically after short lives.

Lord Byron Member of the House of Lords Critics responded harshly to his early

poetry Handsome, egotistical, aloof – he became

the darling of English society – but not for long.

London hostesses were shocked by his radical politics and scandalous love affairs. He was shunned by upper society and left Britain in 1816 – never to return.

Percy Bysshe Shelley Friend of Lord Byron Husband of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Aristocrat and political rebel Shunned for his radical ideas Left Britain in 1818 Remembered for the fervor he brought to

lyric poetry

John Keats Master lyrical poet Trained as a doctor, but abandoned

medicine to pursue poetry Produced most of his famous works in the

first 9 months of 1819 – then died of tuberculosis in Italy at age 25

Romantic Prose Periodicals opened the gateway for

romantic prose of the period – even though poetry was most prominent.

Great essayists of the era (Lamb, Hazlitt, and De Quincey) – transformed the informal essay of the 18th century into a more personal, more introspective Romantic composition.

Romantic Novelists Mary Shelley Romantic novelists did not make a sharp

break with the past. They held onto Gothic ideas and used standard ingredients in their writing – brave heroes and heroines, threatening scoundrels, vast eerie castles, and ghosts.

Romantics had a fascination with the mystery of the supernatural that made novels of this type popular during this time.

Romantic Novelists, cont. Jane Austen The novel of manners – a satirical eye on

British customs Sense and Sensibility and Pride and

Prejudice Her social satire are more reflective of

the classical sensibilities of 18th century rather than the notions of the new Romantic age