1、ROMANTICISM Classicism Sentimentalism Pre-Romanticism RomanticismSentimentalism 1st half of 18th century: poetry / novel： led by Popestyle： classicism heroic coupletcontent： confined to clubs, drawing- rooms, social and political life of Londonpurpose： to entertain and educate the middle classdefect
2、： no message for the laboring people. Mid-18th century : *Sentimentalism gradually appeared as a result of a bitter discontent among the enlightened people with social reality. * continued to struggle against feudalism, at the same time they sensed the contradictions in the process of capitalist dev
3、elopment. Dissatisfied with reason, appealed to “sentiment”, to “ the human heart”. Style: classical heroic coupletContent: countryside, the poverty-stricken peasantsPurpose: sincere sympathy. Latter half of 18th century : Romantic Revival ( Pre-Romanticism)Pre-Romanticism 2nd half of 18th century:
4、a new literary movement arising in Europe, the Romantic Revival / Pre-Romanticism in England . Features : 1. strong protest against the bondage of classicism;2. claiming passion and emotions;3. renewed interest in medieval literature. Representatives: William Blake (1757-1827); Robert Burns (1759-17
5、96)William Blake (1757-1827) Life Works Appreciation of his works Blakes position in English literatureBlakes Time Line son of a London hosier; never went to school; at 14, apprenticed to an engraver; then, making a living as an engraver; in 1782, married Catherine Boucher, illiterate in 1793, began
6、 to write poems; at late age, gave up poetry, turned to painting and engraving; in 1809, put on a one-man exhibition in 1827, died in obscurity and poverty Blakes Works Poetical Sketches 1783Style: trying Spenserian stanza, Shakespearean and Miltonic blank verse, ballad form and lyric meters.Content
7、: lament the feeble, artificial and meager achievement in poetry of his time; contempt on the rule of reason prevailing then; strong sympathy with the Pre-Romanticists. Songs of Innocence 1789 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell 1790 ( a prophetic satire in prose, impetus of French Revolution) The Frenc
8、h Revolution, a Prophecy 1791 (describing the epoch-making attack on the Bastille 1789,7,14) Visions of the Daughters of Albion and America, a Prophecy 1793 (describing the triumph of American Independence). Songs of Experiences 1794 “Songs of Innocence” : simplest language for children; happy condi
9、tion of a child before knowing pains of existence. ( harmony, light, peace, love); everything seems to be in harmony. e.g. The Lamb “Songs of Experience”: pictures of neediness and distress; sufferings of the miserable; conscious of “some blind hand” crushing the life of man, as man crushes the fly.
10、 ( power of evil, great misery, pain of peoples life, “ the lapsed soul weeping in the evening dew”.) e.g. The Tiger The LambLittle lamb, who made thee?Dost thou know who made thee?Gave thee life, and bid thee feedBy the stream and oer the mead;Gave thee clothing of delight,Softest clothing, woolly,
11、 bright;Gave thee such a tender voice,Making all the vales rejoice?Little lamb, who made thee?Dost thou know who made thee?Little lamb, Ill tell thee,Little lamb, Ill tell thee:He is called by thy name,For He calls Himself a Lamb.He is meek, and He is mild;He became a little child.I a child, and tho
12、u a lamb,We are called by His name.Little lamb, God bless thee!Little lamb, God bless thee!The Tiger Tiger! Tiger! burning brightIn the forests of the night,What immortal hand or eyeCould frame thy fearful symmetry?In what distant deeps or skiesBurnt the fire of thine eyes?On what wings dare he aspi
13、re?What the hand dare seize the fire? And what shoulder, and what art,Could twist the sinews of thy heart?And when thy heart began to beat,What dread hand? and what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain?In what furnace was thy brain?What the anvil? what dread graspDare its deadly terrors clasp
14、?When the stars threw down their spears,And watered heaven with their tears,Did he smile his work to see?Did he who made the Lamb make thee?Tiger! Tiger! burning brightIn the forests of the night,What immortal hand or eyeDare frame thy fearful symmetry? Blakes position in English literature opposed
15、to classical tradition in the 18th century; displaying romantic spirit;“natural sentiment and individual originality are essential to literature creation.“ His revolutionary passion goes near to that of Shelley. So Blake is called a Pre-Romantic or a forerunner of the Romantic poetry of the 19th cen
16、tury.Romanticism William Wordsworth (1770-1850) Samuel T. Coleridge (1772-1934) Robert Southey (1774-1843)= “3 lake poets” George G. Byron (1788-1824) Percy B. Shelley (1792-1822) John Keats (1795-1821)William Wordsworth born in a lawyers family in England in 1770 orphan at early age 13 school in th
17、e lake district in Northwestern England 1787-1791, Cambridge 1790-1792, visited France twice ( during the French Revolution period), participated in the Republic, but relatives threatened to cut off finance, so he had to come back to England 1795, settled in the countryside, began the observation of
18、 nature 1843 made “ poet laureate” 1850 death 1789, Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey丁登寺杂咏 1798, co-authored “ lyrical Ballads” with Coleridge ( marking the break with the classicism, marking the beginning of the Romantic Revival in England ) ( The preface to “Lyrical Ballads” served as
19、 the manifesto of the English Romantic Movement in poetry.) 1807, Intimations of Immortality不朽颂 Lake poets started their political life with radicals and ended it with conservative. Wordsworth proclaimed the natural flow of strong emotions. “ emotion immediately expressed is as raw as wine newly bot
20、tled”, “ tranquil contemplation of an emotional experience is like the refining of old wine.” He is best in descriptions of mountains and rivers; flowers and birds; children and peasants; reminiscences of his own childhood and youth. = nature. He is best in bringing charm to elementary sensations wi
21、th words, languages simplicity and purity. George G. Byron (1788-1824) born in an impoverished noble family in London born with a clubfoot; unhappy early years at 10, became Lord Byron for the death of a granduncle, then studied at Harrow and Cam- bridge at 19, published “ Hours of Idleness” (1807)
22、(collected poems), criticized by critics; taking it as a challenge instead of a blow at 21, wrote a satire to attack literary celebrities including Wordsworth and Southey, so it was compared to a young lions roar at 23, embarked on political career in 1812, “ Childe Harolds Pilgrimage” in 1815, marr
23、ied a religious woman who later determined to “reform” Byron in 1816, after the birth of their daughter, Mrs. Byron deserted Byron for “ he was insane”, so the English ruling class took this chance to attack him to a wholesale. Thus it was impossible for Byron to live in England any longer . April 2
24、5, 1816, left for Europe. In Switzerland he met Shelley then he went to Italy and lived there from 1816 to 1823. He participated “Carbonari”烧炭党 to fight to free Italy from foreign domination. Those are fruitful years for Byrons literary creation. In 1821, Carbonari uprising was defeated. It was a he
25、avy blow to Byron. In 1823 he went to Greece, plunged into the struggle for national independence. He commanded 500 warriors and selected the most dangerous post. Owing to the bad weather and the hard fighting, he fell ill and got fever seriously. April 19, 1824, Byron died with “ Forward! Forward!
26、Follow me!” Childe Harold (1812) There are four cantos in Spenserian stanza ababbcbcc. Childe Harold is a young noble birth, hating and fearing his country / society, so he escapes to seek the companionship of mountains and seas. Solitary and melancholy. Canto One is about Portugal “delicious land”
27、and Spain “struggle against foreign aggression” Canto Two is about Albania “dark blue sea” now fallen and Greece, to appeal people to strive for liberty Canto Three is about 6 or 7 years later the glorifying French Revolution. Canto Four is about sings of Italy and Italian people, exposing the react
28、ionary rulers, esp. Holy Alliance, ardent love of liberty and firmly believe in peoples triumph .Don Juan (1818-1823) 16,000 lines long in 16 cantos. Each stanza contains 8 lines ababbcbcc. Don Juan, a Spanish youth of noble birth with his rich experiences in various countries and his participating into historical events offers us a broad panorama of contemporary life. Don Juan falls in love with Donna Julia in early years but she is wife of Don Alfonso. Their affair is discovered and Julia is shut up and Juan is sent abroad.
