Chetna Bhaliya: TheAct: Romantic Poetry

This blog task was assigned by Megha Ma'am (Department Of English, MKBU) In this blog I explore Characteristics of Romantic Poetry with reference to selected works of Wordsworth and Coleridge.

The Characteristics of Romantic Poetry

( Illustrate with examples from Wordsworth and Coleridge.)

Introduction:

The Romantic Movement, which began in the late 18th century and reached its peak in the early 19th century, marked a significant shift in English literature. It was a reaction against the rationalism and formality of the Neoclassical era and emphasized emotion, nature, individualism, and imagination. Among the key figures of this literary revolution were William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whose joint publication Lyrical Ballads in 1798 is often regarded as the manifesto of English Romanticism.

This blog explores the defining characteristics of Romantic poetry and illustrates them through selected works of Wordsworth and Coleridge. The primary features of Romantic poetry include an emphasis on emotion and imagination, the glorification of nature, the celebration of the individual, a fascination with the supernatural, and a focus on the ordinary and the rustic. These elements are deeply embedded in the works of both poets and significantly contributed to reshaping the course of English poetry.

William Wordsworth (1770–1850)

He was a key figure of the English Romantic Movement, known for his deep love of nature and focus on simple rural life. Born in the Lake District, he found inspiration in nature and human emotion. His collaboration with Coleridge on Lyrical Ballads (1798) marked the beginning of Romantic poetry. Wordsworth believed in using everyday language and celebrated the spiritual connection between humans and nature. His famous works include Tintern Abbey, The Prelude, and I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud. He became Poet Laureate in 1843 and remained an influential literary figure until his death.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)

He was a Romantic poet and thinker known for his interest in the supernatural and the power of imagination. Born in Devon, he studied at Cambridge and later became close friends with Wordsworth. His best-known poems, such as The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, explore mystery, dreams, and the unconscious. Though troubled by poor health and opium addiction, Coleridge was also a respected critic and philosopher. His critical work Biographia Literaria and lectures on Shakespeare highlight his lasting impact on English literature.

1. Emphasis on Emotion and Imagination

One of the most prominent features of Romantic poetry is its focus on deep, often intense emotion and the power of the imagination. Romantic poets believed that poetry should arise from the spontaneous overflow of feelings rather than from intellectual reasoning or strict form.

Wordsworth's Contribution:

Wordsworth famously wrote in the Preface to Lyrical Ballads that poetry “takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.” This philosophy is evident in his poem Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, where he reflects on the emotions stirred by his memories of nature:

“Though absent long,
These forms of beauty have not been to me,
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet…”

Here, Wordsworth’s emotional response to the landscape of Tintern Abbey is not limited to the moment of viewing it; rather, it becomes a deep source of inner solace and spiritual renewal long afterward.

Coleridge's Contribution:

Coleridge also prioritized the imaginative and emotional faculties. In Dejection: An Ode, he speaks of emotional desolation and the role of the imagination in experiencing joy:

“I see them all so excellently fair,
I see, not feel, how beautiful they are!”

This line encapsulates the Romantic belief that emotion is essential to perception and that imagination transforms mere sensory experience into something meaningful. Coleridge’s introspective mood underscores how feelings shape one’s reality.

2. Reverence for Nature

Romantic poets saw nature not merely as a backdrop for human activity but as a living, breathing presence—often a teacher, guide, or spiritual companion. Nature in Romantic poetry is imbued with beauty, mystery, and moral significance.

Wordsworth's Contribution:

Nature is central to much of Wordsworth's poetry. In The Prelude, he describes nature as a moral and spiritual force that shapes his character:

“Wisdom and Spirit of the universe!
Thou Soul that art the eternity of thought
That giv’st to forms and images a breath
And everlasting motion!”

Wordsworth believed that communion with nature led to personal growth and a deeper understanding of life. In I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, he celebrates the beauty and restorative power of nature through the imagery of a field of daffodils:

“A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.”

Nature here is a source of joy and inspiration, whose beauty lingers in the poet’s memory and uplifts his spirit.

Coleridge's Contribution:

Coleridge also revered nature but often with a more mystical and complex sensibility. In Frost at Midnight, he meditates on the tranquility of the natural world and wishes that his child may grow up surrounded by nature’s beauty:

“Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,
Whether the summer clothe the general earth
With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing…”

Unlike Wordsworth, Coleridge often incorporated a more supernatural or symbolic element into his portrayals of nature, blending reality with mystery and spirituality.

3. Focus on the Individual and the Common Man

Romantic poetry celebrated the dignity, imagination, and emotional depth of the individual. Unlike Neoclassical poets, who often wrote about aristocrats and classical heroes, the Romantics turned to ordinary people and everyday life for inspiration.

Wordsworth's Contribution:

Wordsworth’s democratic vision is evident in his poem Michael, which tells the story of a humble shepherd and the tragedy that befalls his family. Wordsworth presents Michael’s simple, rustic life with deep respect and emotional complexity:

“If from the public way you turn your steps
Up the tumultuous brook of Green-head Ghyll,
You will suppose that with an upright heart
He laboured in his vocation.”

Here, Wordsworth emphasizes the moral integrity of the common man and the value of rural life, asserting that profound truths can be found in seemingly mundane experiences.

Coleridge's Contribution:

Coleridge also explores the individual, often focusing on internal psychological and moral struggles. In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the mariner’s journey becomes a profound individual experience of guilt, punishment, and eventual redemption:

“He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.”

The mariner’s emotional and spiritual suffering borne alone is representative of Romantic introspection and personal moral evolution.

4. Interest in the Supernatural and the Mysterious

A key difference between Wordsworth and Coleridge lies in their approach to the supernatural. While Wordsworth sought the extraordinary in the ordinary, Coleridge embraced the mystical and fantastical, often using the supernatural to explore psychological and philosophical themes.

Wordsworth's Contribution:

Wordsworth’s poetry is largely grounded in reality. However, he did sometimes explore dreamlike or mysterious elements. In Lucy Gray, for example, he tells the story of a young girl who dies in a snowstorm and becomes a spectral figure:

“Yet some maintain that to this day
She is a living child;
That you may see sweet Lucy Gray
Upon the lonesome wild.”

Though not overtly supernatural, the poem leaves room for ambiguity and evokes a haunting sense of loss and mystery.

Coleridge's Contribution:

In contrast, Coleridge's poetry frequently embraces the supernatural. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is filled with ghost ships, curses, and spectral visions. Similarly, in Kubla Khan, Coleridge creates a dreamlike, otherworldly landscape:

“A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!”

This surreal vision reflects the Romantic ideal of the imagination as a portal to the sublime and mysterious aspects of human experience.

5. Use of Simple Language and Rustic Themes

Romantic poets rejected the artificial diction of 18th-century poetry. They favored everyday language and themes that were accessible to all readers, believing that poetic beauty resided in simplicity and sincerity.

Wordsworth's Contribution:

In Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth insisted on using the “language really used by men.” His poem We Are Seven is a poignant example, featuring a simple conversation between a narrator and a country child about death:

“‘O Master! we are seven.’”

The girl’s innocent insistence on counting her deceased siblings among the living reflects profound emotional truth conveyed in the most unadorned language.

Coleridge's Contribution:

Though more inclined than Wordsworth to elevated and lyrical language, Coleridge also incorporated simple diction and rustic themes, especially in The Nightingale, where he praises natural beauty and rural tranquility:

“And hark! the Nightingale begins its song,
‘Most musical, most melancholy’ bird!”

Coleridge balances elegance with accessibility, often blending philosophical reflection with the everyday.

Conclusion

Romantic poetry, as epitomized by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, marked a radical departure from the constraints of the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism. It championed emotional depth, reverence for nature, individual experience, and a fascination with the mystical and supernatural. While Wordsworth emphasized the moral and spiritual value of ordinary life and natural beauty, Coleridge explored the boundaries of imagination, the subconscious, and the metaphysical.

Together, they forged a new path for poetry one that continues to resonate in the human heart. The Romantic Movement invited readers to look inward, to feel deeply, and to see the world not only as it is but as it might be through the lens of emotion and imagination

for more information you can refer this blog:

https://prowritingaid.com/romanticism-characteristics

https://sharonlathanauthor.com/romanticism-romantic-poets/