Among the different poetic movements, I found the Romantic Movement (around 1785-1832) the most enamouring. The Romantic Movement in literature with emphasis on Poetry, is generally believed to have started around the late 18th century.
Many scholars mark the movement’s beginning to around 1780. It had flourished until about 1850 and in the present-days, it is often picked up by some poets occasionally. The Romantic Movement characterises an emphasis on human emotion towards nature, the growing individualism and independent thinking, and to venture daringly into the sublime.
The notable poets who supported and directed this movement were poets like William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
The literary circles of other countries who also wrote Romantic poems by the movement’s direct or indirect influence were from America, Germany, and a few other countries. The fact that the poetry around this time was filled with positivity and equally lamenting of growing disregard for nature and its gifts.
Themes Covered by Romantic Movement
The central theme of the Romantic Movement has been the celebration of individual emotion, exploration of nature, its beauty, and the sublime experience of it. Romantic poets stress on the vitality of having a personal experience while letting the imagination to be the bridge that connects human understanding of the deeper truths.
Lesser themes covered are:
The Supernatural: Many Romantic poets were fascinated by the mysterious and the supernatural, exploring themes like ghosts, the uncanny, making death romantic, and the exponential heightening of fantastical elements.
The Role of the Artist: The Movement also raised the artist’s role almost treating them like a visionary or prophet. The belief that art has the power to transcend ordinary reality became a statement of purpose for the movement.
Nature as a Living Entity: Movement not only believed in just depicting nature; but also, some of the Romantics views of Nature as a dynamic entity whose spiritual force could weld greater influence on the human emotions and thoughts.
Social Critique: Some Romantic poets addressed social issues, critiquing industrialisation and its impact on society, emphasising a return to simpler, more authentic ways of living.
The Sublime: The themes involve a deep-seated need for exploration of inspirational beauty which builds and expands the feelings of terror or vastness. These then, often are reflected on humanity’s helplessness at nature’s dealt hands to the human being.
Childhood and Innocence: This movement captured with clarity the ideal childhood and its innocence being transformed into cynical adulthood. Childhood as a time of purity and unrestrained link to nature are setup against the contrast of presence of corruption due to the transformation into adulthood. It seem to stay in childhood and not seek progress or change could be hard in the present 21st Century writing.
Melancholy and Nostalgia: The works from this movement reflect a deep sense of reminiscing of the poets’ or the collective past. This emotion is often expressed as sorrow for losing it true beauty, innocence, purity, or perchance the connections with Nature.
Contribution of the wider-known and the lesser-known themes forms the rich literature collection of the Romantic Movement poetry. Thus, it makes a scintillating experience to read such profound works from this movement.
My Alma Mater and Lessons from Literature
I am thankful for the education that parents provided for me. I’m also thankful towards my school “Holy Angels.” It was here, that I was schooled from my Nursery to Higher Secondary classes.
Though, I might have 80% of the time cribbed about hardship and lack of friends. While monotonously complained about the impediment of learning and performing well there. But there is a 20% of gratitude and love for my Alma Mater. This 20% overrides the 80% of my cribbing log in my posts about my schooling.
I feel my life at School carried much of my love for literature and I had enjoyed the process of learning now that I can see it with clarity and distance. I wasn’t even an average student, so to speak. My just pass marks that took me to the next class was common joke at my family circles. But then, my family sense of humour is a little weird to strangers who don’t understand my family. Sometimes joking off help with lightening the situation to revisit in solitude to find appropriate fixes.
Romantic Movement’s Influence
The Romantic Movement, which flourished from the late 18th to mid-19th century, emphasiased emotion, nature, and individualism. While it is often associated with British poets like William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and John Keats, it also had a global influence. Here are some notable Romantic poets from various countries which I would say is wrong to call global. Since it does not include other works from Asiatic side, Middle-East or even the southern side Australia and New Zealand.
Here are the countries who were connected due to trade and commerce or by literary circles when poets travelled back and forth between these countries:
United Kingdom Poets focused more topics such as nature, the countryside scenes, and nature walks which leads to self-discovery.
- William Wordsworth: His works were focused on nature and the emotional responses it evoked in the reader. As they gained venues to explore nature and its beauty through his well-crafted poems such as “The Daffodil,” “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,”
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge: His imaginative works are unparalleled and in his poems such as “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Kubla Khan, Or A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment,” it could be seen clearly.
- John Keats: He was recognised for his vivid imagery and his explorative discovery of beauty and mortality of humans. He also captured the essence of human warmth in his poems.
United States Poets focused for most part to structuring Individualism and ‘noblesse oblige’ of the individual’s life and the presence of Divine in them.
- Walt Whitman: His work celebrated the individual and the collective experience of America. Poems such as “Song of Myself,” “Leaves of Grass,” “I Hear America Singing”
- Emily Dickinson: Known for her unique style and deep exploration of themes like death and immortality. Her poems “Hope is the thing with feathers,” “Because I could not stop for Death,”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson: Known for individualism and self-expression of a progressive mind unfettered by traditional viewpoint. His poem “The Rhodora,” and “Brahma” clearly explains his progressive thought on Nature and the beauty hidden with it.
Germany: The German Poets and Artists works also reflect the movement splendour scale through various Literary works. The drama coming from this part of the world had quality found worthy to emulate others.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: He was a key figure in German literature and his work spanned poetry, drama, and philosophy. The sparkle of central theme of the movement was explored with a curiosity that of a child. His works such as “The Sorrows of Young Werther” (1774), “May Night” (Maigarten), “The Erlking” were good examples for showcasing the central themes of Romantic Movement.
- Friedrich Schiller: Celebrated for his lyrical and dramatic poetry that often addressed freedom and beauty. His poems “Ode to Joy,” “The Gods of Greece,” “The Walk” were centred around nature and the beauty within one.
An Aside of about Goethe and Shakespeare
Interesting note here, is that while Shakespeare dates from pre-Romantic Movement era his work also showcases the central themes which moved the Romantic Movement. Predated Shakespeare of the Renaissance era does not fit into the Romantic Movement era but his attitude of exploring emotional depths, nature, individuality, and alongside the supernatural contains elements that would later resonate with Romantic poets and writers. Even though he cannot be an early Romantic, but he had certainly laid the groundworks that had influenced the movement.
France
- Alphonse de Lamartine’s poems “Le Lac” (The Lake), “Milly ou la Terre natale” (Milly or the Homeland), “L’Isolement” (Isolation) are ones that showcase the movement’s spirit of move to nature and its hidden beauties that is forgotten in the din of Industrialised monotone living.
- Charles Baudelaire, his poems were more a transition from the Romantism to the Modernism. Yet there were some of his poems which had the parting fragrances of the Romantic Movement. Poems such as “L’Invitation au voyage” (Invitation to the Voyage), “Hymne à la Beauté” (Hymn to Beauty), “Le Cygne” (The Swan)
Italy
- Giacomo Leopardi’s poems such as “L’infinito” (The Infinite), “Alla luna” (To the Moon), “A Silvia” as these poems an intense need to go back and return to innocent existence which would then right all the wrong. Such faulting thought has forever been a thought of this specific Romantic Movement.
- Ugo Foscolo’s famous poem “Dei Sepolcri” (Of the Tombs), “A Zacinto” (To Zante), “Alla Sera” (To Evening) explores tombs and holding special memories well within.
Spain
- José de Espronceda explored in his poem the idealism of freedom and individualism. So, his poems such as “Canción del pirata” (The Pirate’s Song), “El estudiante de Salamanca” (The Student of Salamanca), “Himno al sol” (Hymn to the Sun) celebrated the freedom and natural beauty of nature.
- Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer’s works such as “Rima LIII” (Volverán las oscuras golondrinas), “Rima XXI” (¿Qué es poesía? Dices mientras clavas), “Rima IV” (No digáis que agotado su tesoro) showcase and celebrates nature and its connected elements.
Russia
- Alexander Pushkin poems were stories of adventure giving free reign to nature and other elements. His poem more of ballads are “The Prisoner of the Caucasus” (Кавказский пленник), “The Gypsies” (Цыганы), “To the Sea” (К морю) showcase living and life surrounded with adventures.
- Mikhail Lermontov’s poem such as “The Demon” (Демон), “The Sail” (Парус), “Borodino” (Бородино) gallant moment is captured with sensitivity.
Latin America
- Joaquim Manuel de Macedo (Brazil): His poems such “A Moreninha,” “A Falsa Donzela,” “Morte de um Pobre” are about idealism, freedom, and related to social issues seeking reforms.
- Manuel Acuña (Mexico) poems such as “Nocturno a Rosario,” “El Espectro,” “Las dos mujeres” explore topics like love, loss, and deeply experienced emotions.
These poets have contributed and enhanced the Romantic Movement, as they brought their uniqueness and cultural perspectives. The varied interpretation of the themes of love, nature, and the human experience flowered and flourished in the annals of literature.
College Day Insights of Nursery Rhymes
Studying poems all the above listed poets may not be my strong point because the education system only explored the few approved poetic works without rocking the boat of the educational balance. These protectively read adolescents are left at the mercy of the World to teach them the hard lessons of life.
During my schooling, around 4th or 5th standard / grade some of the poetic verses of British Writers were introduced. Given that we were learning nursery rhymes at Kindergarten level. It was in College that I understood them as political satires. So, this was a later day understanding.
Professor Radha Bhat and Poetic Satire Class
Professor Radha Bhat took a few turns to explain that some nursery rhymes were in essentials a political satire of the British administration as viewed by the Satirist. It was in my sophomore year when she spoke about it. I felt the class was extempore one.
I remember rushing to British Council Library that evening to check out books. Of course, I was very poor at the console of book search so I returned home with another treasure of literary work that I could pick off the shelf.
Memorita of Poetry Passages | Not My Strong Point
I was keen about learning poems but don’t ask me to memorise and recite poetry. Because that is a sure way to cause friction in my understanding. We never had open book exams, and I believe it is not whether you can parrot the lessons but how much did the student really understand and the depth of worlds described in the work that was scrutinised.
Because I found later in my life that I could remember most of the stories that were part of the ballad poems. Stories are clearly the great way to pave the way of interest and then leave the child to explore. I remember when I was punished once in my 11th grade for not having my copy with me. I was given a choice to go sit in the library, I was the first one out of the class much to everyone’s surprise. Set the children loose in a library and watch the magic happen!
PS: Got the support of ChatGPT ai for the various poets and their poems beyond US and UK. This only opened up so many other country poets whose translation of their poems in English. I am eager and hopeful to read!
Source: Internet and Personal Reading Experience
Itinerant Storyteller 