Thesis: Romanticism was a shifting notion over time and it not only celebrated imagination, nature, spontaneity and

idealism but also individualism. It was not within a set period of time but spanned many decades. 1794 The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe Nature extensive descriptions of the natural environment Passion and spontaneity exclamations in speech; poetry in the midst of narrative Imagination largely the gothic part of the text Idealising the real particularly of Emily by St Aubert (first few pages); also idealism of the pastoral Realising the ideal transportation from imagination to reality Individualism narration focussed primarily on Emily; however, does give occasional and short descriptions of other characters experiences Techniques: Poetry Go pencil! Faithful to thy masters sighs! gives opportunity to build the individual and also to show spontaneous emotion Religious language the sublime emotions of pure devotion gradually elevated his views above this world, and finally brought comfort to his heart breathes a sacred charm Description On every side appeared the majestic summitsexhibiting tremendous crags of marble, whose appearance was changing every instant, as the varying lights fell upon their surface Verb use torrent rolled scrambling dangerous shrunk stalking dashing torrents sullen murmur swept towering beetling Simile these scenessoften the heart like the notes of sweet music Like two lovers who had never strayed from these their native mountains Characterisation she had discovered in her early years uncommon delicacy of mind, warm affections and ready benevolence Exclamation Till I sink into my cell again for terror of the sound! opportunity for characters emotions to be explored; spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings Third person gives opportunity for an omniscient narrator but Radcliffe chooses to focus mainly on Emily

1797 - Coleridges This Lime Tree Bower my Prison

Nature and pantheism seeing God in nature. By the end of the poem, the poet is gladder that he has stayed behind and seen the Pantheistic in nature around him than going for the walk. Fusion between God and

Nature the Almighty Spirit when yet he makes Spirits perceive his presence. Imagination Imagines what is happening away from him where everyone else is walking. He arrives at a new understanding of nature because of his experience. Passion and spontaneity spontaneous overflow of emotion Idealising the real: idolisation of the pastoral And hungerd after nature, many a year,/ In that great City pent nature contrasted with the city and nature idealised Individualism: focus of poetry through one persons thought; brings the poets thoughts to the foreground Techniques: Conversational tone Well, they are gone but in the end the poet concludes that staying behind has enabled him to experience something far greater. soemtimes/ Tis well to be bereft of promisd good, /That we may lift the soul, and contemplate/ With lively joy the joys we cannot share Exclamation This lime tree bower my prison!Fannd by the waterfall!...Of purple shadow! Yes! contributes to the spontaneous overflow of emotions; makes the poem more emotive and allows it to connect more fully with the audience. Adds to the melodrama Religious allusion wide wide Heavenmany-steepled tractNature neer deserts the wise and pureI blest it increases the Pantheistic element in the poem Syntactical inversion In gladness all adds to archaic feel of the poem Vivid imagery roaring dell, oerwooded, narrow, deep/ And only speckled by the mid-day sun gives immediacy and transports the responder to the place of description. Long vowel sounds Behold the dark green file of long lank weeds slows the pace of the poem; contributes to the contemplative tone Apostrophe thou glorious Sun! personifying nature and giving it power, majesty/ God-like characteristics. Direct address to nature gives the impression that nature is directly present. Imagination looking back to childhood Nature Sea, hill and wood...hush of naturemountain crags tufts of snow on the mossy branch Individualism The inmates of my cottagehave left me to that solitude Through one persons eyes; foregrounds one persons perspective Idealising the real: Idolisation of childhood and rejection of the urban I was reared/ In the great city, pent mid cloisters dim,/ And saw nought lovely but the sky and stars barsI dreamt of my sweet birth-place preoccupation with childhood presageful Techniques: Hyperbole extreme silentness over emphasises the poets meaning Mid-line caesura makes a Toy of Thought./But O! how oft contributes

1798 - Coleridges Frost at Midnight

to contemplative tone; forces a pause on the audience to make them contemplate also Exclamation hark again!...calm indeed! utilises Romantic devices of exclamation, making the poetry an overflow of emotion Religious allusion secret ministry nature can inform man Reflective tone solitudeabstruser musingsmeditationhaunted, gazes, dreamt, broodeddeep clam Romantic preoccupation with solitude Archaic language ancient mountain gives the poem majesty 1819 Ode to Autumn, John Keats Nature Idealising the real beauty of autumn; autumn as a feminine image and as a life-giver. Idealising of the pastoral. Seeing reality and idealising it Individualism individual perception and insight; finds sublimity in nature Imagination imaginative description which idealises reality; sensing things the poet cant actually see Techniques Imagery Images of death (showing Keats preoccupation with death and life; also showing his acceptance of the inevitability of death and its closeness but he continues to imagine and create): soft-dying day, rosyhue, wailful, mourn, sinking, lives or dies, gathering swallows femininity of autumn: hair soft-lifted; notions of maternal fertility personify nature, giving it power and character Sentence length long sentence of the first stanza gives continuity; make poem more weighty and gives the poetry fulness Alliteration mists and mellow fruitfulness gives slow, contemplative pace to the poem Notion of fertility bosom-friend, maturing, load and bless, fruit, ripeness, budding, oer-brimmd

1819 - Ode on a Grecian Urn, John Keats

Nature descriptions of the nature on the urn Spontaneity series of rhetorical questions; exclamations Imagination the urn coming to life; imagining what is happening behind the pictures Idealism the urn coming to life Individualism told from one perspective; provides one insight and opinion Techniques: Apostrophe thou still unravished bride didactic weight given to the urn in the last 2 lines also (maybe? It depends on the interpretation) Rhetorical questions What men or gods are these?...What wild ecstasy? Allusion TempteArcady places of rural beauty and innocence; related to the gods Repetition happy

Exclamation happy boughs!...happy love! Alliteration marble men and maidens 1843 Fear and Trembling, Sren Kierkegaard A Romantic exploration of an old quandary of faith? faith is a passion he whose soul lacks this romanticism (that is, of faith and looking to God) has sold his soul Passion and spontaneity - belief in the leap of faith; faith as passion; No! No one who was great in the world will be forgotten He was Gods chosen one in whom the Lord was well pleased! Individualism focus on the individual and their relationship to God and Christianity. the single individualis higher than the universal Realising the ideal Kierkegaard wished to be an existential thinker that is, someone whose thoughts, words and actions are one and create a unified whole Idealising the real idolising of childhood pious simplicity of the child Techniques: Repetition it was early in the morning when Abraham arose and Isaac could not understand him Strong verbs threw himself on his face and wild, fermenting power writhing in dark passions prodigious passionterrifying battleraging elementsforces of creationsupreme passion Series of paradoxes great by that power whose strength is powerlessness, great by that wisdom whose secret is foolishness, great by that hope whose form in madness, great by that love that is hatred to oneself Exclamation So everything was lost, even more appallingly than if it had never happened! So the Lord was only mocking Abraham!...All was lost! Rhetorical questions Is there no sympathy for the venerable old man, none for the innocent child? Religious language fruitsanctifiedprayerbattle Illustration a young lad falls in love with a princess