Romantic Criticism: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

Early in the 19th century, British Romanticism introduced new aesthetic concepts to the literature study. Literature can raise a common subject to a sublime level without necessarily being beautiful, noble, or perfect. The Romantic movement in literature developed in response to the neoclassical movement. Initially, it was a European movement. The movement grew out of the German Sturm und Drang movement, favouring intuition and emotion over Enlightenment rationalism. The French Revolution greatly influenced romantics.

There was more importance given to individual responsibility than adherence to customs and traditions. The founders of Romanticism, critics Friedrich Schlegel and August Wilhelm Schlegel.

In the 1790s, they began to refer to romantische Poesie ("romantic poetry"). Romanticism began in the late 18th century in English literature with the poets like Blake, Wordsworth, and Coleridge. It continued into the 19th century with the second generation of Romantic poets, like Shelley, Keats and Lord Byron. This began with the publication of Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge in England. In terms of romantic poetry and poets, there are a few examples:

• The composition Hymns to the Night by Novalis.

• The poetry by William Blake.

• The poetry by Robert Burns.

• Rousseau's philosophical writings.

• "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman.

• The poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Characteristics of Romanticism in Literature:

• It Glorifies Nature.

• It stresses awareness and acceptance of Emotions.

• Interest in the common person and childhood.

• Strong senses, emotions, and feelings.

• Importance of imagination.

• It celebrates artistic creativity and imagination.

• Romanticism emphasizes aesthetic beauty.

• Its central theme is Solitude.

• Awe of nature.

• Celebration of the individual.

• It focuses on exoticism and history.

• It has spiritual and supernatural Elements.

• It depicts vivid sensory descriptions.

• It focuses on the self and autobiography.

• It uses personification.

The Complete List of Romantic Critics:

1. August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767-1845)

2. Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805)

3. Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829) Friedrich Wilhelm Schelling (1775-1854)

4. William Blake (1757-1827)

5. William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

6. S. T. Coleridge (1772-1834)

7. John Keats (1795-1821)

8. Thomas Love Peacock (1785- 1866)

9. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

Literary Criticism and Theory Unlocked

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