英国文学ＩＩ教案.docVIP

英国文学史及其选读II PAGE  PAGE 62 PART FOUR THE AGE OF ROMANTICISM (1798—1832) INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Chapter I. Romanticism in England As a historical period in English literature, the age of Romanticism extends from 1798, when Wordsworth and Coleridge published their Lyrical Ballads, to the 1832, when all the major Romantic writers were either dead or no longer productive. Romanticism, the predominant literary mode of the first third of the 19th century, was expressed almost entirely in poetry. I . The Impetus of the Romantic Movement (Political and Social Background) I. The French Revolution The most important impetus of the Romantic Movement was the French Revolution, which began with the storming of Bastille on July 14, 1789. As a result, King Louis XVI was beheaded in 1793, and the monarchy was abolished in France. Soon revolutionary fervor swept all over Europe. Although many of the political changes brought about in France by the Revolution had already taken place in the 17th century, it had a most far-reaching effect upon men’s thought and was reflected in literature. The French Revolution evoked enthusiastic support from English liberals and intellectuals and stimulated two influential book; one is Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man(1791—92) ,which justifies the revolution; the other is William Godwin’s Inquiry Concerning Political Justice, which was more important for its influence on Wordsworth, Shelley and other poets. During the Romantic period, almost all the leading writers were in sympathy with and were inspired by the French Revolution, though some of them were disappointed by its white terror later. William Hazlitt described the French Revolution as “the dawn of a new era,” maintaining that the new poetry of the Romantic poets “ had its origin in the French Revolution. Its ideals liberty, equality, and fraternity — had a very strong influence upon the writers during the period. 2. The Industrial Revolution Another impetus that pushed the R