teaching materials Wordsworth.docVIP

Part IV The Age of Romanticism I. Historical Background Political and social factors Three revolutions American revolution (1775-1783) The formation of the independent United States French revolution of 1789 “liberty, equality and fraternity” The Industrial Revolution (1760s to mid 19th-century) Rapid capitalist development II. Intellectual Background The shift from emphasis on reason to instinct and emotion was intellectually prepared for by a number of thinkers in the later half of the 18th century. Jean Rousseau让·卢梭 – the The father of romanticism To rely on feelings, to follow the instincts and emotions Return to nature III. The Age of Romanticism From the publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1789 to the death of Sir Walter Scott (沃尔特?司各特）in 1832, a new movement appeared on the literary arena. The essence of this new movement is the glorification of instinct and emotion, a deep veneration of nature, and a flaming zeal to remake the world. Lyrical Ballads 《抒情歌谣集》 Written by Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1798 Marked the break with the conventional poetic tradition of 18th century classicism, and the beginning of romanticism in English poetry The preface serves as the manifesto of the English romantic movement in poetry. The principle of poetry: “All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling.” The function of poetry: novelty and originality The language in poetry: near to the real language of men The contents of poetry: the “primary law of our nature”; “low and rustic life” General characteristic features A dissatisfaction with the bourgeois society Worship of nature Subjectivism主观性 – to express the poet’s mind Spontaneity 自发性– the instinct, intuition and the feelings of the “heart” instead of “the head” is stressed Singularity 独特性 – a strong love for the remote, the unusual, the strange, the supernatural, the mysterious, the splendid, the picturesque, and the illogical Simplicity – everyday language spoken by the rustic people A