History of English Literature ,Questions & Answers of Romantic Period

 

History of English Literature – Romantic Period

(a) Why was the Romantic age called "the age of revolution"? Why was William Wordsworth called the poet of nature?

The Romantic Age is often called “the age of revolution” because it was influenced by major historical revolutions, especially the French Revolution (1789) and the Industrial Revolution. These events brought strong political and social changes. The French Revolution inspired writers to fight for liberty, equality, and the rights of individuals. Romantic writers believed in freedom, imagination, and the power of emotions rather than strict rules and logic. That is why this period is also seen as a revolution in art and literature.

William Wordsworth is called the “poet of nature” because nature is the central theme in most of his poems. He believed that nature was not just beautiful, but also full of life, wisdom, and healing power. According to Wordsworth, people can find peace, truth, and happiness by living close to nature. In poems like Tintern Abbey and Lines Written in Early Spring, he shows how nature can teach us more than books or cities. His deep love for the countryside and his belief in the spiritual power of nature made him the leading voice of Romantic poetry.

(b) Write a note on Romantic poetry with special reference to any two of the poets.

Romantic poetry began at the end of the 18th century as a reaction against the rules and logic of the Augustan Age. It focused on imagination, emotions, individual experience, nature, and the supernatural. Romantic poets believed that poetry should come from the heart and express deep personal feelings. They also found beauty in nature and simple rural life.

Two important Romantic poets are William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Wordsworth is known as the poet of nature. In his Lyrical Ballads, he used simple language to express powerful emotions and showed how nature can bring peace and inspiration. Shelley, on the other hand, was more revolutionary. In poems like Ode to the West Wind and To a Skylark, Shelley expressed his desire for change, freedom, and hope. He used rich imagery and believed that poets are the “unacknowledged legislators of the world.” Both poets, though different in style, shared the Romantic spirit of imagination, emotion, and belief in the power of the human soul.

(c) Write a brief essay on any one of the novelists of the Romantic Period.

One of the most important novelists of the Romantic Period is Jane Austen. She wrote novels during a time when Romantic poetry was at its height, but her works focused more on social life and manners than imagination or fantasy. Her novels are known for their realistic characters, sharp observations, and gentle humour.

Jane Austen’s most famous novels include Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Mansfield Park. These novels focus on the lives of women in middle-class English society. She shows how they deal with love, marriage, and family pressures. Austen also criticized the limited role of women and the importance placed on wealth and social class. Though she did not write about nature or revolution like other Romantic writers, her deep understanding of human behaviour and emotions connects her with the spirit of the Romantic Age.

(d) Discuss the characteristics of the Romantic Period. Discuss the works of Wordsworth, Shelley and Coleridge.

The Romantic Period in English literature is known for its focus on emotion, imagination, nature, individualism, and the supernatural. Writers of this age reacted against the dry logic and rules of the previous age and celebrated personal feelings, beauty, freedom, and the mysteries of life. They loved the countryside, simple life, and believed that nature could teach more than books. They also explored dreams, legends, and the power of the human mind.

William Wordsworth wrote about nature and the beauty of rural life. In poems like Tintern Abbey and The Prelude, he shared his personal connection with nature and how it helped him grow spiritually. P. B. Shelley was more revolutionary and idealistic. In poems like Ode to the West Wind, he showed his desire for social change and expressed hope for a better world. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a close friend of Wordsworth, explored the supernatural and mysterious side of life. His poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner tells the story of guilt, punishment, and forgiveness through a ghostly sea voyage. These poets together show the rich variety and deep feelings of the Romantic period.

(e) Assess the importance of S. T. Coleridge as a Romantic poet.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge is one of the greatest Romantic poets, known for his love of the mysterious, the supernatural, and the imagination. He was a close friend of William Wordsworth, and together they published Lyrical Ballads in 1798, which began the Romantic movement in English poetry. While Wordsworth focused on nature, Coleridge explored dreams, legends, and the magical side of human experience.

His most famous poem is The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, where a sailor tells a strange story of a sea journey filled with ghosts, curses, and deep guilt. Another great poem is Kubla Khan, which describes a dream-like world full of beauty and wonder. Coleridge believed that the poet’s imagination could create powerful and magical images. His writing style is rich and musical, full of emotion and strange beauty. He also wrote essays and literary criticism that helped explain the ideas of Romanticism. In short, Coleridge is very important to Romantic poetry because he added depth, mystery, and imagination to it.

(f) Give an account of the nonfictional prose in the Romantic period.

The Romantic period was not only rich in poetry and novels but also in nonfictional prose like essays, letters, and literary criticism. Writers used prose to express personal thoughts, feelings, and opinions about society, literature, and human nature. Romantic prose was often emotional, imaginative, and focused on individual experience rather than strict logic.

One of the finest prose writers of the time was Charles Lamb, known for his Essays of Elia, where he shared his memories, feelings, and thoughts with gentle humour and emotion. William Hazlitt was another important essayist who wrote about literature, politics, and human life with deep passion and style. Thomas De Quincey wrote Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, which described his personal experiences and dreams under the influence of opium. These writers made nonfiction prose more personal and creative, showing the Romantic love for emotion, individuality, and beauty.

(g) Write an essay on the development of the non-fictional prose in the Romantic period.

During the Romantic period, non-fictional prose developed as a powerful form of literary expression. Unlike the earlier Augustan age where prose was formal and logical, Romantic prose became personal, emotional, and imaginative. Writers used essays, letters, and autobiographies to express their own thoughts and experiences, often blending fact with feeling and storytelling.

One major essayist was Charles Lamb, whose Essays of Elia are full of warmth, humour, and personal memories. His style was gentle, poetic, and full of emotion. Another major figure was William Hazlitt, who wrote boldly about politics, art, and literature. His essays were full of passion, energy, and critical insight. Thomas De Quincey brought a new kind of prose with his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, where he described his dreams, fears, and imagination. Romantic prose was not just about facts—it was about feelings, thoughts, and the beauty of language. This new style helped prose grow as an artistic form, just like poetry.

(h) Assess the importance of William Wordsworth as a Romantic poet.

William Wordsworth is one of the most important Romantic poets. He believed that poetry should come from the heart and express natural feelings. He rejected the artificial style of earlier poets and used simple language to describe nature, childhood, and human emotions. His belief that nature could teach and heal made him known as the “poet of nature.”

Wordsworth’s major works include Lines Written in Early Spring, Tintern Abbey, and The Prelude. In these poems, he shows how nature brings peace, helps us grow, and connects us to something greater. He also celebrated common people and rural life, believing that there was deep beauty in simple things. His work with Coleridge on Lyrical Ballads marked the beginning of the Romantic movement in English poetry. Wordsworth’s deep love of nature, simple style, and emotional honesty made him a true Romantic and one of the greatest poets in English literature.

(i) Assess the contribution of Jane Austen to English fiction in the Romantic Age.

Jane Austen was a major English novelist during the Romantic period. While Romantic poets wrote about nature, emotions, and imagination, Austen focused on real-life social issues, especially the lives of women in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Her novels are full of sharp observation, gentle humour, and strong female characters.

Austen’s most famous works include Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Mansfield Park. She described the problems women faced in a society where marriage was often the only way to gain respect and security. Her heroines, like Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, are intelligent, strong, and moral. Austen used her novels to show the importance of love, honesty, and good judgment. Even though she did not follow the Romantic themes of wild nature or intense emotion, her focus on individual experience and inner feelings connects her to the Romantic spirit. Her contribution to English fiction was very important, and she is still loved by readers around the world.

(j) Write a note on the works of one major English Lake poet.

William Wordsworth is the most famous of the Lake Poets, a group of poets who lived in the Lake District of England. Along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey, Wordsworth is known for writing poetry inspired by the beauty of nature and the peaceful countryside.

Wordsworth’s poems, such as Tintern Abbey, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, and Ode: Intimations of Immortality, show his deep love for nature and belief in its spiritual power. He used simple language and wrote about ordinary people, rural life, and personal feelings. In The Prelude, he describes the growth of his mind and his experiences with nature. Wordsworth believed that nature could teach moral values and help people find peace and truth. His work helped begin the Romantic movement and made him one of the greatest poets of all time.