Abstract This paper relates that the main ideas of romanticism were exalting the praises of the ordinary and speaking to the masses. However, some of the literature of this period demonstrates that various British romantic authors, most often men, still were rooted in the style of the classics of John Milton. The writings of William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord George Gordon Byron, Mary Robinson, Mary Wollstonecraft and Anna Leticia Barbauld are reviewed. The women authors of the romantic period, the author believes, were much more down to earth; thereby, by definition, these women can be more clearly classified as romanticwriters than these men.
From the Paper "Anna Leticia Barbauld also wrote of women being strong and is perhaps the best example of a Romantic's Romantic. One of the best examples of her work is "Washing Day," a satirical "epic" poem about the washerwoman and her excessive burden of laundry day in the Romantic era. This is as authentic a piece of Romantic literature as one may find. It is not written for the privileged few, it is not hindered by overly aristocratic language or superfluous length, and it can be understood universally, as well as on many different levels."
Abstract This literary study examines the ideology of romantic beauty in the poem "On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The writer notes that the central theme of romanticism that arises in this poem focuses on the dark and terrifying Grecian mythological creature Medusa. The writer maintains that for romantic poets such as Shelley, there was a concerted effort to represent feminine beauty and grace through the veil of darkness or death in this poem about Da Vinci's famous painting. In essence, the premise of death and decay is the central element of romantic beauty in Shelley's poem about Da Vinci's depiction of the terrifying Medusa.
From the Paper "This critical perspective is one key aspect for understanding why Shelley saw beauty in this terrible creature--through the lens of mythological history and the victimization of Medusa at the hands of Minerva and Neptune. In this manner, the basis of romantic beauty hinges on the darkness of humanity, which invariably will produce a cycle of life. For romantics like Shelly, this cycle of death and decay is an essential part of life that illuminates the beauty he sees within Da Vinci's Medusa.
"The evolution of the poem further builds upon the beauty of Medusa as a seductive woman figure that seeks to bring down any man that comes within her grasp. Shelly is keen to point out her horrifying appearance, but it is her inner 'grace' that defines her beauty through the image of death and decay that seduces men .."
Abstract An argumentative paper about romantic poets. The author argues that romantic poets were not prophets as most view them to be but rather writers who desired to share their passion and appreciation of nature with their readers. A look at the works of William Wordsworth and John Keats.
From the Paper "The Romantic Period is characterized by a poet's fascination and harmony with the natural world. Lines upon lines were devoted to the description, exultation, and mystery of nature, yet the readers of the third millennium occasionally view Romantic poetry as pretentious and capricious. While only a handful of Romantic poets believed themselves to be prophets, others like Wordsworth proclaimed themselves voices ?of the common man.? Their intention was not to serve a higher power through their works of poetry, but instead they chose to describe natural beauty to an audience who might not have discovered the beauty for themselves. We can see through William Wordsworth and John Keats that most of the Romantics were not interested in being modern prophets; rather, they were merely sharing their passion for nature."
Abstract This paper begins with a discussion of the Romantic Period, and then turns to Nathaniel Hawthorne, a writer of that time. Three of his works, "Young Goodman Brown", "The Minister's Black Veil", and "The Scarlet Letter" are discussed as examples of writings of the Romantic Period.
From the Paper "The Romantic Period can be characterized by four things, "a return to nature and to belief in the goodness of humanity; the rediscovery of the artist as a supremely individual creator; the development of nationalistic pride; and the exaltation of the senses and emotions over reason and intellect" (Encyclopedia.com). Nathaniel Hawthorne is one writer whose work is generally classified as Romantic. By looking at three of his important works, we can see how Hawthorne meets the criteria of a Romantic and also how Hawthorne goes beyond this definition, not only making a comment on the place of humans, but actively encouraging all humans to reconsider their place in the world."
Abstract This paper studies the Romantic period in English literature, from 1798 to 1832. The paper evaluates the lyrical ballads of Sir William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which were published at the turn of the 19th century. The paper first analyzes William Wordsworth's poems "Expostulation and Reply" and "The Tables Turned", to demonstrate how the Romantic poets turned to nature as their schoolroom and derived life's lessons from nature. Next, the paper examines three Coleridge poems: "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," "Kubla Khan" and "Christabel". The paper explains that each of these poems demonstrates the juxtaposition between nature and the sub-conscious, particularly the dream-state.
From the Paper "The old regime in England took its stand in the face of revolutionary fervor based on the American and French Revolutions. For those who sympathized with the Revolution, they needed a new revolution directed against reason and toward something else, and that "something else" was imagination (Adams 363). Romanticism was a movement marked by a shift in feeling, a shift in sensibility, as well as a new concept of man's relation to the natural order and to Nature in particular. As with most movements, the perception that a group of poets exhibited this sort of shift in sensibility is something imposed after the fact by critics reading the works of Keats, Coleridge, and Wordsworth, among others, and finding that many of their sentiments and responses demonstrate a similarity in outlook different from the previous age. Romanticism was marked by certain attitudes, among them the following: 1) a growing interest in Nature and in the natural, primitive, and uncivilized manifestations of Nature; 2) a growing interest in scenery; 3) an association of human moods with the "moods" of Nature, leading to a subjective feeling for it and interpretation of it; 4) an emphasis on natural religion; 5) an emphasis on the need for spontaneity in thought and action and in the expression of thought; 6) more importance given to natural genius and the power of the imagination; 7) a tendency to exalt the individual and his or her needs and an emphasis on the need for a freer and more personal expression; and 8) the cult of the Noble Savage (Cuddon 814-815)."
Abstract This paper, after relating the life of Abraham Lincoln, states that he is another Romantic age writer just like Emerson. The author points out that Lincoln's writings uses language as if he were talking to people. The paper stresses that the biggest difference between Lincoln and the other great writers of his day is that Lincoln wrote about politics and his writings still stand today not only as literary works but also as moral guideposts for our country's leaders. The author concludes that both the "Gettysburg Address" and "A House Divided" were delivered relatively quickly for the time period. The paper suggests that Lincoln's writings not only changed the future of American attitudes, but also influenced the style in which written laws would be interpreted.
From the Paper "Lincoln wrote this speech at the time not to win the election but instead to voice his opinion about slavery at this setting. Clearly, this was not the best time to make such statements that would be considered outlandish. There was a greater purpose though in this speech. D. Fehrenbacher says that instead of wanting to create a new radical stance for the Republican Party, Lincoln simply wanted to prevent the party from giving up its position. This position he was talking about was the fact that if you stopped the spread of slavery you could eliminate it all together with time."
Abstract This paper studies the life and work of three romanticwriters: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe and John Keats. It focuses on their attitudes toward the idea of the role and responsibilities of artists to society. The paper examines each author individually, but attempts to make connections between their attitudes.
From the Paper "The function of the artist played a key element in the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Keats and Edgar Allen Poe. Each of these three artists felt an urge ? a responsibility ? that goes along with the thrill of writing. Each examined the role of an artist in society. Each examined the responsibilities of artists."
Abstract This paper looks at the details which characterize the musical romantic and classical periods. It begins with a look at the classical styles and its composers, and then moves to address the romantic style and its composers. It concludes that distinct differences in purpose, emotion, form, function and fusion of musical genres are apparent in the two.
From the Paper "Classical music ranged from about 1750 to 1820, at which point Romantic music became the current style, which itself lasted until around the year 1900. As one inevitably lead into the other, their characteristics perhaps can be best described when they are fully compared to one another. The classical style, as exemplified by its composers, was more fixated on form, design, balance and grace, while romantic style instead aimed at fusing together musical genres to capture the true, expressive spirit of the work, as likewise captured by the composers of this era. The classical period aimed backwards in history, attempting to recreate the classical period of the past in Grecian and Roman terms. Classical music, like many other periods, had variations of its styles. Beginning as a courtly style, which most likely was a remnant of the previous baroque period, it was intended to please the ..."
A paper which details the contributions writers such as Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe and Mary Wollstonecraft made to the emancipation of female literary talent.
Abstract The paper shows that the objective during the time of revelation in early nineteenth century Britain was for British women writers to give of themselves in a more defiant manner, setting themselves apart from the calmer, more feminine climate that had heretofore inhabited British literature. The paper shows that British women writers decided they wanted to be better recognized for their inherent literary contributions without being labeled either too feminine or too masculine; rather, they wanted to write like a man without having to be branded by the stigma that typically came with it. The paper explores how authors such as Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe and Mary Wollstonecraft contributed to this emancipation movement.
From the Paper "Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe and Mary Wollstonecraft represent an era of the Romantic Period where women were beginning to come out of their literary shells and confront the strongly emotional and defiant aspects of writing that their male counterparts had harbored for so many years prior. With their guidance, subsequent British women writers were given the much-needed opportunity to express themselves in such a manner that embraced both their feminine and masculine sides."
Abstract This paper discusses the idea that the Romantic era is a period that is often greatly misunderstood. This paper further discusses that readers who are not intimately familiar with its artists, its works, and its characters often dismiss the entire movement as one of petty immorality, total emotionalism, and being void of logic or real thought.
From the Paper " Yet, when one looks at the resultant writers and classics of the Romantic era, one is struck by the imagination, the thought, the richness and depth of the works. In his Prelude, Wordsworth used looming cliffs and other dark imagery, fear, and depression to reach into the depths of his imagination. Coleridge did the same with his own darkest despair and melancholy, writing of lime-tree bowers and Abyssinian maids as the result. Yet, if this gloom and dismay, this Romantic depression, is left unchecked and untamed, if it is not allowed to become a muse and inspiration for things of beauty."
This paper explores Virginia Woolf's thoughts on women writers (including Charlotte Bronte) in her essay "A Room of One's Own". There is discussion of Woolf's work as well as Bronte's novel, "Jane Eyre."
Abstract This paper focuses on the difficulties women writers faced and what was expected of them. According to the paper, Virginia Woolf feels that women should remain stoic when writing and the character, Jane Eyre is such an example of what not to do. However, the writer explains, Jane Eyre is a beautifully written character by a brilliant writer, Charlotte Bronte. The dichotomy between Woolf's opinion and the effect of Bronte's work is explored.
From the Paper "Woolf argues that novels written by women should come solely from imagination and not from personal feelings because ?insight is confused; it can no longer distinguish between the true and the false (Woolf, 73).? Woolf opposes displaying anger in the novel because it draws attention away from the novel and towards the author as a woman, who seems to be protesting that although she is a woman, she is worthy of writing. Woolf appears to believe that writers should be stoic and conform to this rigidity throughout the writing process."
A brief historical review of the California gold rush and the writers that came to record, illustrating the lives, times and seasons that brought hordes of people out West in search of gold.
Abstract This paper looks at the styles of the many Gold Rush writers that came out west in search of writing the great American story. The writers shows that while often that didn't happen, these writers each had their own descriptive analysis of the way the gold rush affected the society.
From the Paper "I was out prospecting on the Stanislaus, tramping all day long with pick and pan and horn, and washing a hatful of dirt here and there, always expecting to make a rich strike, and never doing it. It was a lovely reason, woodsy, balmy, delicious, and had once been populous, long years before, but now the people had vanished and the charming paradise was a solitude" (Twain 14). This quote from "The Californian's Tale" shows the affect of the gold rush upon the California landscape. Once the land was charming and full of people, but now it is barren. While most people think of the gold rush era of American history as a time where miners grabbed their shovels and headed west to dig in the clean air and peaceful surroundings of the California mountains, the gold rush was anything but peaceful. Mining was difficult and miners had little affinity for the land; they only cared about excavating the land for the gold. These miners brought a carefree attitude to the west, not weighing the effects of their actions upon the California landscape. However, the miners were not alone in their actions. The "gold rush writers", the most popular of whom was Mark Twain, also brought a something-for-nothing attitude to California. He was surprisingly unconcerned about the impact of so many people on so fragile a land. The most salient of which concerned romanticizing the gold rush, exploiting the resources of the California landscape, and the destruction of the land."
Tags: authors, miners, rush, stanislaus, writers, twain, pinchot, indian
Abstract "This paper discusses modern women writers of China. It focuses on specific works of several modern women writers and discusses how their writing reflects their new found freedoms in China. Additionally, it discusses how these women all feel a pull from the past that they cannot ignore, and how difficult that pull is when they are considering the possibilities of their future.
From the Paper "Can Xue is a woman of China who has seen the evolution of a society in transition throughout her life. She is further a writer who is considered one of the first Chinese women of literature to be recognized by the government as a literary artist. Can Xue has written several stories in which she discusses the elements of her life as a youth, and her current existence. The Summons is one such story. In her work she recognizes both the harshness of a Communist government that has been her past, and the position of women in China that has evolved during her lifetime. Thought of as a writer who relies on no conventional form to create her works, Can Xue is often depicted as an irrational writer whose work is full of vivid and wild images."
Abstract This paper addresses the following question. The 18th century English writer Henry Fielding called the Odyssey "that eating poem." Focusing on specific passages, discuss food as a site of conflict, community, or cultural transaction in the Odyssey.
Tags: LITERATURE / ENGLISH LITERATURE, writer henry fielding
Abstract This paper examines how writers during the the Victorian era, typically identified from the years 1832 through 1901, did not differ from the Romanticwriters as much as the Romanticwriters differed from their Restoration predecessors. It looks at how Victorian writers, surrounded by change and advancement, reflected attitudes in response to their circumstance and these attitudes varied and were as diverse as the ideas themselves and how often a common theme that can be seen in the literature of this period is that of the past. It shows how these writers recognized the incredible impact their work would have with the recollection of days gone by and whether clinging to the past fearfully or willing to remember but not let go and move forward, the Victorian writers contributed greatly by simply remembering anything at all.
From the Paper "Victorian literature is not only prominent, but it is also versatile because it ranges from sentimental fiction to he the fictional reworking of the ideologies that were in progress at the time. It could be asked if the Victorian writers exaggerated their history and if they did, by how much. Historical accounts can be balanced with history records, leaving the reader to enjoy the literature as it was written and how it was meant to be enjoyed as a piece of art. Art when England was on the brink of an industrial revolution probably makes it more insightful and interesting to the reader."
