british literature romantic period

I O T H E R O M A N T I C P E R I O D

economic distress, the first Reform Bill u'as passecl in 1832. It did away with the rotten boroughs (depopulated areas r,hose seats in the House of Com- mons were at the disposal of a fen' noblemen), redistributed parliamentary representation to include the industrial cities, and ertended the franchise. Although about half the middle class, almost all the vrorking class, and all' \vomen remained without a vote, the principle of the peacefr-rJ adjustment of conflicting interests by parliamentarv majoritv had been firmly established. Reform \4/as to go on, by stages, until Britain acquired universal adult suf- fraee in 1928.

T H E N E W P O E T R I E S . T H E O R Y A N D P R A C T I C E

W r i t e r s u , o r k i n g i n t h i s p c r i o d 1 7 8 5 - l u - 1 2 d i d n o t t h i n k o f t h e m s e l v e s a s c o n s t i t u t i n g a g r o u p o l t " R o m a n t i c " a u t h o r s . I t w : r s V i c t o r i a t n c r i t i c s l r , h o f i r s t wrotc of- the prcvious generartion as the Romantics and promote cl the term as a r d e s c r i p t i o n f o r a p e r i o d o f r e c e n t , m o c l e r n r a t h e r t h a n p r e m o c l c r n , h i s t o r y . C o n t c m p o r a r i e s , b y c o n t r a s t , t r e a t c c l t h e s e u ' r i t e r s a s i n d e p e n c l e n t i n d i - v i d u a l s o r e l s e g r o u p e d t h e m ( u s u a l l v m a l i c i o u s l y , b u t u ' i t h s o r n e b a s i s i n f a c t ) i n t o a n u m b c r o f s e p : r r a t e " s c l - r o o l s " o r " s e c t s " : t h e " L a k e S c h o o l " o f W o r d s w o r t h , C l o l e r i c l g e , a n d R o b c r t S o r - r t h e v ( a " s c c t o f P o e t s , " t l r e c r i t i c F r a n - cis Jeffrev sr-ripecl, cleterrrrinccl to bc "li.s.scrzrcr.s |rom the cstablished systerns i n p o e t r y : r r - r c l c r i t i c i s m " a n c l ' a l u i n g t l r c m s c l v c s h i g h l y " f o r h a v i n g b r o k e n l o o s e f r o m t h e b o n d a g c o f a n c i e n t a r r t h o r i t v " ) ; t l r e " C } r c k r r c v S c h o o l , " a d e r o g - a t o r y [ e r m f o r v u l g a r L o n c [ o n e r s L e i g h H u n t , W i l l i a m F l a z l i t t , a r n c l a s s o c i a t e c l u ' r i t e r s u 4 r o h z r c l p r e t e n s i o n s b e y o r . r c l t h c i r s t : r t i o n , i r r c l - r d i n q l ( e a t s ; : r n c l t h e i r n p i o u s " S a t a n i c S c h o o l " o f L c i g l r H r - r n t ( a g a i r . r ) , P e r c y S h c l l e y , a n c l B v r o n . A t t h c s t a r t o f t h e p e r i o c l , t h c s a t i r i s t R i c h a r c l P o l r , r ' h c l c a l s o p r a c t i c e c l t h i s n a m e - c a l l i n g a s h c c a t a l o g u e c l t h c s p h c r c o l t " f c r l a l e l i t c r a t r - r r e " : t l r c a i m o f h i s 1 7 9 7 'rhe

unsex'cJ Fcmules u'as. bv nzrming ancl sharning, to firrnly clistinguish the v i r t u o u s l a d y r ' r ' r i t e r s o f h i s n r o m c n t f r o m t h e

' A n r a z o n i a n b a n c l " f < r r m c c l b v

Wollstonccraft and her firllovvcrs, a group u,ho, so Polu,hclc cornplainccl, hacl s a c r i f i c c d t h e i r f c m i n i n e c h i t r m s f o r l e a c l r o l c s i n r e v o l u t i o n a r y ; r o l c n r i c i z i n g .

1 ' h c p r o l i f ' e r a t i o n o f ' " s c h o o l s " a n d " s c c t s " s L t f l f { e s t s t h e f n L r l t I i n c s r u n n i n g t h r o u g h t h i s f r a c t i o u s l i t c r a r v r n , o r l c l . W h c r e : r g r e c m c n t c o u l c l b e f o u n c l w a s a r o u n d t h c p r o p o s i t i o n t h a t 1 l - r i s r ' r , a s a u , a t e r s h c c l m o r n e n t i n l i t e r a r y l r i s t o r v . " L i t e r i r l u r t ' . r r e l l o r i l l c r r n t l u c t t ' t l . " r h t ' s i r t i r i s l I h o m r r s - l r r r n e s \ l i r t i r i , r s p r , , - c l a i m c c l i n t h e b o o l i t h a t i n s p i r : e c l P o h v h c l e ' s , " i s t h e g r e a t c n g i n e b v l v h i c l r . . . a l l c i v i l i z c d s t a t c s m u s t r , r l t i m a t e l y b c s r . r 1 ; p o r t e c l o r o v c r t l r r o u , r - r . " R : r c l i c a l s c o t - r c u r r e c l w i t h c o n s c r v a t i v e s I i k e N ' l a t h i a s i r r t h i s c o n v i c t i o n t h a t l i t c r z r t u r e was u'here the actior-r rv:rs-thatt literature in cl]f'ect 1ys.5 11g1i61-cvcn ets they c l i s a g r c e c l o n t h c m e a n i n g t o b e a s c r i b e c l [ o t h u t v € ] r v t e r m ( : r t c r m l b r m e r l y s v n o n v f n o u s w i t h l e a r r - r i n g i n g c n c r a l , o n l v i n t h i s p c r i o c l d i c l l i t e r a l u r e l : t c g i n t o s e t t l e d o r ' v n i n t o t h a t m o c l c r n m c n n i n g t h : r t c o n f i n e s i t e x c l u s i v e l v t o a r t i s - t i c e x p r e s s i o n , l , r , o r k s o l t l - r e i m a g i n a t i o n p a r t i c u l a r l v ) . l n t r o c l u c i n g t h e N e l r , Cambridge Histort of the Ettglish Rontamtic Period, James Chancller has r e c e n t l y h i g h l i g h t e d . a s a c l c { i n i r r g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f t h e r R o m a n t i c a g e , h o u , o f t e n t h i s e r a ' s m o s t t a l c n t c c l m e r n g r a r v i t a t e c { t o p o e t r y i n p a r t i c u l n r . T h e , v c o n f i r m e d p o c t r v s e l e l i r t e c l c u l t u r e r l s t a t u s b v a b a n d o n i n g o t h e r c a r e e r s , t h e m i n i s t r v i n C o l e ' r i d g e ' s c a s c , t h e l a l r ' i n S i r W n l t e r S c o t t ' s , m e d i c i n e i n K e a t s ' s . E v e n G e o r g e C a r - r r . r i r . r g . T o r v l e a c l e r o f B r i t t r i n ' s F l o u s e o f C o m m o n s , p u b - l i s h e d i n 1 8 2 - i a C r , l l e c t e t l P o e t n s . I n h i s ' 1 8 0 2 P r e f ' a c e t c t [ : v r i c a l B a l l a t l s