british literature romantic period

1 1 T H E R O M A N T I C P E R I O D

T h i s r e i n v e n t i o n o f t h e l y r i c c o m p l i c a t e d e s t a b l i s h e d u n d e r s t a n d i n g s o f t h e g e n d e r o f a u t h o r s h i p . I t m a y n o t b e a n a c c i d e n t , s o m e c r i t i c s s u g g e s t , that \\rbrdsvr,orth in his Preface defines poetr\ as "the real language of men" and the Poet as a "man speaking to men": \\iordsu'orth, who began to pub- l i s h w h e n \ l r o m e n s u c h a s R o b i n s o n a n d C h a r l o t t e S m i t h o c c u o i e d t h e v a n - g u a r d o f t h e n e v l , p e r s o n a l p o e t r . v , m i g h t h a v e d e c i d e d t h a t t o e s t a b l i s h t h e d i s t i n c t i v e n e s s o f h i s p r o j e c t h e n e e d e d t o c o u n t e r b a l a n c e h i s e m p h a s i s o n h i s f e e l i n g s r , r ' i t h a n e m p h a s i s o n t h o s e f e e l i n g s " ' m a n l y " d i g n i t y . f ' l - r i s i s n o t t o s a v t h a t v v o m e n u ' r i t e r s ' r e l a t i o n s h i p t o t h e n e r v i d c a s a b o u t p o e t r y w a s straightforrvard either. In one of her prel'aces Smith says that she anticipates b e i n g c r i t i c i z e d f o r " b r i n g i n g f o r u ' a r c l ' w i t h q u e r u l o u s e g o t i s m , ' t h e m e n t i o n o f m y s e l f . " F - o r r n a n y f e m a l e p o e t s t h e o t h e r c h a l l e n g e t h o s e i d c a s a b o u t p o e t r v p o s e d m i g h t h a v e c o n s i s t e d i n t h e i r p o t e n t i a l t o r e i n f o r c c t h e o l c l , p r c . j u c l i c i a l i d e a t h a t t h e i r s e x - t r a d i t i o n a l l y s e e n 2 r s c r e a t u r e s o f I ' c c l i n g r a t h e r t h a n i n t e l l e c t - w r o t e a b o u t t h e i r o r v n e x p e r i e n c e s b e c a u s e t h e v r , v e r e c a p a b l e o f n o t h i n g c l s e . F o r m a l e p o e t s t h c r i s k s o f p o e t i c s e l f - r c v e l a t i o n vycre clifferent-zrnd in somc measllre they were actively seized by those n ' h o , l i k e C o l e r i d g e : r n d P e r c y S h e l l e v , i n t i r n a t e d d a r k l y t h a t t h e i n t r o s p e c - t i v c t e n c l e n c y : r n d e m o t i o r - r a l s e n s i t i v i t y t h a t m a d e s o m e o n e : r p o e t i c g c n i u s c o u l c l a l s o l e a c l h i r n t o m e l a n c h o l y a n c l m a d n c s s .

I t r v a s n o t o n l y t h c l v r i c t h a t r c g i s t e r e d t h e s e n e w a c c o u n t s o f t h e p o e t . B v r o n c o n f i r u n c l e d h i s c o n t e r n p o r a r i c s ' e x p e c t : r t i o n s a b o u t r v h i c h p o e t i c

l l e n r c \ ' f i l s b e s t s u i t e c l t o s e l f - r e v e l e r t i o n b y i n v i t i n g l r i s a u d i e n c e t o e q l l a t c thc Irer<res of Ch.ilcJe lTarolcl, Manfretl, artd Dom Juan r,r,ith their author, ancl t o s e c t h e s e f i c t i o n a l p r o t a g o n i s t s ' e x p e r i e n c e s a s d i s c l o s i n g t h e c l c e p t r r r t h s o f l r i s s c c r c t s c l f ' . W o r c l s r , v < t r t h ' s P r e l u d e r c p r e s e n t s i l n c r x t r c m e i n s t a n c e o f t h i s t c r r c l c n c v t o s e l f ' - r e f e r e n c e . T h o u g h t h e p o c m , h a l f a c e n t l r r y i n t h c m a l i i n g , i s o f e p i c l e n g t l ' r a n d s e r i o u s r - r c s s , i t s s u b j c c t i s n o t , a s i s c u s t o m : r r v i n i l r - r c p i c , h i s t o r y o n a l v o r l c l - c l r a n g i n g s c a l e l t u t t h e g r o u ' t l - r o f t h e p o e t ' s m i n c l : " a t l ' r i r r g u n p r e c e c l e n t e d i n L i t c r a r y h i s t o r y t h a t a n r i l n s h o r - r l c l t a l l i s o m u c l r a b o u t h i n r s e l f - " W o r c l s w o r t l ' r a c l m i t t e c l .

Spontaneity ancl the Imyulses o.f Feeling

I n t r a d i t i o r . r a l p o c t i c s , p o c t r y h a d b e e n r e g a r d e d a s s u p r e m e l y a n a r t - a n a r t t h n t i n n r o c l e r n t i m e s r , r ' i t s p r a c t i c c d b v p o e t s w h o h a c l a r s s i r n i l a t e c l c l a s s i c a l prcccclents, w,ere :lw:lre of the "rr-r[es" governing tlre kincl of poem thcy are w r i t i n g , a r . r d ( e x c e p t f o r t h c h a p p 1 , t o u c h e s t h e r t , i t s A l e x a n d e r P o p c s a i c l , a r e "lqyoncl tl.re reach of art") deliberately enpkryccl testecl nreans to achicvc pre -

nrcclitatecl eff'ects on an auclicnce. Br-rt in her 1797 Monthb,Magazine esst*'. \ A b l l s t o n e c r t r f t f b r e t o l d a s h i | t i n a e s t h e t i c d o c t r i n e w h e n s h e w r o t e r t h a t " [ t ] h e s i l k e n u ' i n g s o f f a n c v a r c s h r i v e l l e d b y r r - r l e s , " : r n d t h a t " a d e s i r e o | a t t a i n i n g c l e g a n c e o f c l i c t i o r r o c c a s i o r - r s a n a t t e n t i o n t o w o r d s , i n c o m p a t i b l e v v i t h s u b - lime, impitssioned thor-rgl-rts." In Worclsrvorth's account in the Pref'acc. a l t h o u g h t h c c o m p o s i t i o r - r o f a p o e m o r i g i n a t e s f r o m " e m o t i o n r e c o l l e c t e d i n tranquillity" and r.nav be prccecled ancl followecl by re{1ection, the immediate act of composition must be spontaneous-in-rpulsive, artless, ancl free fron-r r u l e s . K c a t s l i s t e c l a s a n

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n o t a s n a t u r a l l v a s t h e l e a r e - . t o a t r e e i t h a d b e t t e r n o t c o r x e a t a l l . " O n o c c a s i o n i r - r t h i s p c l i o d ' s c l i s c r - r s s i o n s o f p o e t i c s , t h i s i n t e r e s t i n a

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