Introduction


Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

William Blake
Romanticism as a literary movement lasted from about 1789 to 1832 and marked a time when rigid ideas about the structure and purpose of society and the universe were breaking down. During this period, emphasis shifted to the importance of the individual’s experience in the world and his or her interpretation of that experience, rather than interpretations handed down by the church or tradition.

Romantic literature is characterized by several features. It emphasized the dream, or inner, world of the individual. The use of visionary, fantastic, or drug-induced imagery was prevalent. There was a growing suspicion of the established church, and a turn toward pantheism (the belief that God is a part of the universe rather than separate from it). Romantic literature emphasized the individual self and the value of the individual’s experience. The concept of “the sublime” (a thrilling emotional experience that combines awe, magnificence, and horror) was introduced. Feeling and emotion were viewed as superior to logic and analysis. -- Romanticism Study Guide
 

Recommended Resources

  1. Frankenstein Study Guide (eNotes) - Mary Shelley
  2. John Keats (Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century)
  3. Romanticism Study Guide
  4. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on Romanticism

All Resources

Display as: Categories, List
  1. A Poison Tree Study Guide (eNotes) - William Blake
  2. Frankenstein Lesson Plans
  3. Frankenstein Study Guide (eNotes) - Mary Shelley
  4. German Romanticism and Its Institutions
  5. Goethe
  6. Italian Romanticism
  7. Jane Austen
  8. Jane Austen (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
  9. Jane Austen (Magill’s Choice: Notable British Novelists)
  10. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
  11. John Keats
  12. John Keats (Critical Survey of Poetry)
  13. John Keats (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
  14. John Keats (Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century)
  15. Lord Byron (Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century)
  16. Mary Shelley
  17. Mary Shelley (Feminism in Literature)
  18. Nathaniel Hawthorne
  19. Neo-Romanticism
  20. Ode on a Grecian Urn Study Guide (eNotes) - John Keats
  21. Percy Bysshe Shelley (Critical Survey of Poetry)
  22. Percy Bysshe Shelley (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
  23. Polish Romanticism
  24. Pride and Prejudice Lesson Plans
  25. Pride and Prejudice Study Guide (eNotes) - jane Austen
  26. Romanticism - American History Through Literature
  27. Romanticism Study Guide
  28. She Walks in Beauty Study Guide (eNotes) - Lord Byron
  29. The Oxford Companion to American Literature Article on Romanticism
  30. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on Romanticism
  31. The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare Article on Romanticism
  32. The Oxford Dictionary of Art Article on Romanticism
  33. William Blake
  34. William Blake (Critical Survey of Poetry)
  35. William Blake (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
  36. William Blake (Dictionary of World Biography: The 17th and 18th Centuries)