...To the romantic poets poetry was an instrument of emotion and feeling intended to reconnect man with the natural world, and in general the poet was viewed as a person uniquely equipped to guide the layman to this reconnection. Romanticism as a movement appeared following a period in history when great importance was put on scientific discovery and formal education. In the eyes of the romantic poets mankind had become so swept up in the pursuit of knowledge and innovation that they had disconnected from both the natural world, and their deeper, natural selves. Though the philosophies of the individual poets differed, in general romantic poetry focused on and lauded primitivism, and emotion, while minimizing (but not discounting) the importance of reason and logic. The ultimate goal of romantic poetry was the attainment of the sublime, the ultimate, transcendental connection with the natural self. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, one of the pioneers of the Romantic Movement, believed that the creative imagination was the key to man achieving his connection to the sublime. This caused much difficulty though, as the source of creative imagination was impossible to trace and because creative inspiration was quite fickle. Coleridge struggled with this conundrum throughout his life, but felt that as a poet and as one who understood the importance of the creative imagination it was his right and responsibility to better mankind through his poetry. William Wordsworth was, along with Coleridge...
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...Alita Fonseca Balbi “The Less Deceived”: Subjectivity, Gender, Sex and Love in Sylvia Plath's and Philip Larkin's Poetry Belo Horizonte Faculdade de Letras Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 2012 i “The Less Deceived”: Subjectivity, Gender, Sex and Love in Sylvia Plath's and Philip Larkin's Poetry by Alita Fonseca Balbi Submitted to the Programa de Pós-graduação em Letras: Estudos Literários in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Mestre em Literaturas de Expressão Inglesa. Thesis Advisor: Sandra Regina Goulart Almeida, PhD Belo Horizonte Faculdade de Letras Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 2012 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my father, Tadeu, for always reminding me of the importance of having dreams and being true to them; for motivating me to be creative and to believe in my potential; and for teaching me to seek beauty and happiness in everything I see and do. To my mother, Socorro, for always making sure I enjoy all the possibilities that cross my path, and for reminding me that hard work is the only means to achieve my goals. To my brothers, Bruno and Diego, for being my best friends. To my sister-in-law, Sabrina, for embracing me as family and making me feel at home even when I’m not. To Paulo, for his company, for his love and care, and for all his witty remarks. To the professors of Letras, Julio Jeha, José dos Santos, Eliana Lourenço and Gláucia Renates, for being extraordinary professors, and for all the knowledge each...
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...Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response. Poetry originates in emotion that is recollected in tranquility. The recollections of emotions enable the poet to ‘see’ the object which evoke the emotions. Imagination enables the poet to look deep into the heart and soul of things. It is through the imaginative faculty that poet arrives at the general truths basic to human nature. Through the imaginative power, the poet is able to present emotions which he has not directly experienced. But he presents them in such a way that they seem personally experienced. Imagination is always associated with the created power and is a poetic principle. It is a transforming power as it has the ability to change the usual and ordinary in an unusual and uncommon way. Poetry is a modified "image of man and nature”. The poet is able to impart "the glory and freshness of a dream" to ordinary things of nature. He can present in his poetry the light that never was on land and sea. He is able to do so to the creative faculty of imagination. It is thus an active power. Poet is not a passive reflector of images formed from nature. He is a man who not only feels strongly but also thinks long and deeply. He is able to treat absent things as if they are present. Here Canterbury tales present an example of this imaginative power to visualize objects which are not present before...
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...would come to play a huge role in his legal trials.( Ellmann) .He went on to write a play, “Lady Windermere’s Fan” which was a literary and financial success for Wilde which prompted him to continue writing plays. These included “ A Woman of No Importance”, “An Ideal Husband” and “The Importance Of Being Ernest”. In the summer of 1891, Oscar Wilde first met Lord Alfred Douglas. They soon became lovers, both infatuated with each other until Wilde was arrest some years later. Wilde sued Alfred Douglas’s father for accusing him of homosexuality. The case was later thrown out, but Wilde was sentenced to two...
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...The Concept of Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Robert Frost : A Comparative Study Chapter One Introduction 1. Background Poets have long been inspired to tune their lyrics to the variations in landscape, the changes in season, and the natural phenomena around them. The Greek poet Theocritus began writing idylls in the third century B.C.E. to glorify and honor the simplicity of rural life--creating such well known characters as Lycidas, who has inspired dozens of poems as the archetypal shepherd, including the famous poem "Lycidas" by John Milton. An idyll was originally a short, peaceful pastoral lyric, but has come to include poems of epic adventure set in an idealized past, including Lord Alfred Tennyson's take on Arthurian legend, The Idylls of the King. The Biblical Song of Songs is also considered an idyll, as it tells its story of love and passion by continuously evoking imagery from the natural world. The more familiar form of surviving pastoral poetry that has retained its integrity is the eclogue, a poem attuned to the natural world and seasons, placed in a pleasant, serene, and rural place, and in which shepherds often converse. The first eclogue was written by Virgil in 37 B.C.E. The eclogue also flourished in the Italian Renaissance, its most notable authors being Dante and Petrarch. It became something of a requirement for young poets, a form they had to master before embarking upon great original work. Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia and Edmund Spenser’s...
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...at a time in history when people were beginning to question society and their place within the world. The French and American revolutions represented a universal atmosphere of social tumult in which previously accepted social and political structures were becoming increasingly challenged. The French Revolution was influenced by Romantic ways of thinking such as what it means to achieve liberty for the individual. The romantic exploration of liberty for the individual through a connection to nature, imagination and spirituality through the sublime are represented in both Coleridge's poem Kubla Kahn and Keat’s “Ode to a Nightingale”. These romantic views were a direct reaction from the art of the enlightenment era as explored in the 1768 painting of Agrippina Landing at Brundisium, emotional stoicism is represented as being a model for morality in society. Revolutionary questioning of the fundamental nature of humanity and change for women was explored in Mary Wollstonecraft's text "A vindication in the rights of women". The 1768 painting by Benjamin West of Agrippina landing at Brundisium depicts the qualities of the Enlightenment that the romantics rebelled against. The neoclassical painting was popular during the enlightenment as it stressed logic, harmony, proportion and reason over emotion. This is represented in the paintings frieze-like composition and the buildings in the city background represent a structured, ordered society. The emotional restraint evident within the...
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...Compare and Contrasting Literary Works ENG125 June, 9, 2014 Instructor Sandra Heilman Compare and Contrasting Literary Works Foundations of literature are important because it consists of the structural makeup of a poem or short story. This foundation includes the content, style, and form of each piece that offers insight to a deeper and personal understanding for the reader. Poetry by Pablo Neruda and You, Reader by Billy Collins are not the exceptions to the rule. These two poems share a common bond; a thread that takes the reader on a journey of discovery, through their creativity and creative process. An author has the ability to use their imagination in a way like no other; to share thoughts and feelings about real or imagined experiences. It is through the use of wording these thoughts and feelings come to life, allowing the reader a glimpse inside the mind and heart of the author. This is where the bridge between the author and audience connect. In most cases, reading material is selected because of a first page or introduction that speaks to the reader. This content is what hooks the reader into a world that is interesting or oddly familiar, causing them to want to know more. When literature, whether it is a story, poem, quote, or even a movie script can speak to us on a deep level, it is a well written piece. It carries the ability to...
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...period in Keats’s brief poetic career, “Ode to a Nightingale” has long been regarded as one of the most refined works of his poetry. Previous criticism has comprehensively explored its themes of nature, beauty and mortality, as well as its demonstration of Keats’s notion of Negative Capability. But based on my research, few critical reviews have touched upon the point which I find clearly suggest itself in this poem: that the poet’s experience here depicted is not merely an escape into the realm of ideal beauty, but also an intoxication with the Romantic sublime. Between the sublime and his anticipated death, Keats builds an analogical connection from which he gains insights into both. Hence it is my endeavour in this paper to illustrate that in “Ode to a Nightingale”, Keats describes the entire process of his journey into and back from the sublime, after which he has to face again the transience of the sublime and the mortality of human life. Traditionally, most critics agree on the poem’s theme being the conflict between reality and the Romantic ideal of uniting with nature, among many other contrasts that are present throughout the poem. The most representative interpretation comes from Richard Fogle, who defines the principal stress of the poem as a struggle between ideal and actual, containing more particular antitheses of pleasure and pain, of imagination and reason, of permanence and change, of nature and man (32). However, the majority fails to detect the innate relevance...
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...Nature in Romanticism The Romantic Period came as a reaction against the Industrial Revolution and the rising emphasis on science and technology that the movement brought along. People traditionally living in the country now gathered into urbanized areas in hopes of employment as farmland gradually developed into factories (“Introduction”, Pages 5-7). As a result, cities became crowded and unsanitary as this sudden influx of population was not accounted for in city works. The lack of a citywide waste disposal system created an environment where litter dusted the streets and smog suffocated the populace (Wood). In the heavily industrialized cities of the time, flora and other greenery became a rare sight. The people of the late eighteenth century became rapidly disillusioned by their surroundings and yearned for the better days of the past where there was more space to breathe and distance themselves to find spiritual meaning in their life (Wood). The people sought for a refuge from the turmoil of society and found that coveted solitude in nature, which became idealized as a meditative sanctuary where people could go to reflect upon life or draw inspiration. Each writer of the Romantic period came upon different interpretations from their experiences with nature and these varying perspectives are reflected in their works. Pantheism was a very pervasive theme found in the works of the Romantic Period. This shared sentiment did not come as a surprise as nature became personal...
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...PREFACE This major project examines the indispensable desiderata of Transcendentalism in comparison to the Dark Romantics background and how these technicalities prepare this work of art as an influential synthesis of human imagination incorporated with mystic facts. Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism were two literary movements that occurred in America during roughly the same time period (1840—1860). Although the two had surface similarities, such as their reverence for Nature, their founding beliefs were quite different, enough to make one seem almost the antithesis of each other. Moreover one’s genesis is ventured out from other; i.e. Dark Romanticism from the roots of Transcendentalism or precisely the lacunae are best determined for raising up the term called Dark Romanticism. Contents S. No. Page no. Chapter 1.........................................................................................................4-14 Chapter 2.........................................................................................................15-23. Chapter 3..........................................................................................................24-27 Resolution.........................................................................................................28-29 Work Cited................................................................
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...The Romantics: Romantic poets view of nature range from spiritual to love. In many poems the description of God is expressed through animals that, such as the lamb, which would represent man as His flock. In some cases the role of nature is a meaningful way to express the human condition. It was also a way to relay a belief or express their thoughts, to carry them to the reader. Nature can be used to express all things to all men. William Blake used the lamb as well as the Tyger to express his views of God, good and evil. He also used it as a way to show his displeasure of the things that were happening in his time. “Little Lamb I’ll tell thee! He is called by thy name, For he calls himself a Lamb; He is meek & he is mild; He became a little child; I a child & thou a lamb, we are called by his name.” (Greenblatt, S., 2012, page 120). This expressed that Jesus was the lamb and that we are also so in his name. He was also expressing the treatment of children during this time. He was using nature as symbols and to show that we are all lambs of God and should be treated well. Wordsworth also spoke of nature he as well as Blake used images and patterns to express their emotions, imagination, and identity. In Lines Written in Early Spring, he speaks of the beauty yet still feels saddened and melancholy. He uses the beauty to express his sadness and the dark thoughts of what is happening in the world. This provides an amazing contrast. “The budding twigs spread out their fan, To catch...
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...The Strongest Support of the Soul ——Appreciation of the eternal artistry in Ode on a Grecian Urn and Sailing to Byzantine Abstract: From the romantic poet John Keats to symbolical poet W. B. Yeats, both of them were persistently searching the eternity in the long journey of life. This paper tries to through the analysis of the two poems, Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn and Yeats' Sailing to Byzantium to reveal the truth that the strongest support of the soul not lies in the empty and rapidly decayed body but relies on the eternal artistry which transcends the time and space. Although the former comes from the romantic imagination of an exquisite works of art---an ancient Grecian urn, the latter originates from the Byzantium which is the symbol of art, of eternity, both of them contain the similar life philosophy, that is the immortal life lies in the art of eternal. Key words: Ode on a Grecian Urn ; Sailing to Byzantium; eternal artistry; timeless Introduction Life is limited, yet it is possible to find the eternal life. Is it contradictory? How can life be limited as well as eternal at the same time? Could it be true that life has no ending? Actually, as we all know, no matter who you are, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, smart or mediocre, eventually you will die. However, there is one thing will never die, which is not belong to this dusty world.—that is the eternal artistry. It is true that the art will never die. Only...
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...A. Expressive Theory Formerly “Expressionism” is a German movement in painting but later on, it extended its access to other literary arts too. Expressive criticism treats a literary work primarily in relation to the author. It defines poetry as an expression, or overflow, or utterance of feeling, or as the products of poet’s feelings. The theory tends to judge the work by its sincerity to the poets’ vision or the state of mind. Such views were developed mainly by the Romantic critics and remain current in our time too. Wordsworth’s definition of poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility” is taken as the ground idea of the expressive theory of art. The most powerful impetus in expressive critical thought was the Romantic Movement that began in late eighteenth century. This movement has deeply affected our modern consciousness and the common sense discourse of literary commentary. The three key concepts associated with this movement are: imagination, genius and emotion. Expressive theorists firmly stick to these three key terms. They believe that authorial individuality is something to be conveyed by a literary work, and to go beyond objectivist theorists’ prescription that a poet’s effort should be to flee personality and that criticism should focus on the poem not on the poet. Wordsworthian notion that “a poem is inner made outer” puts an emphasis on the poet in a poem, and this emphasis has never eased. B. Objective Theory ...
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...Maria Rasimas December 14, 2012 Subaltern’s Love Song Paper I have chosen to write my paper on John Betjeman’s poem “A Subaltern’s Love Song.” This poem is a humorous look at a romantic relationship from the poet’s point of view, who is ultimately the speaker as well. It is a satire and an imaginative work, which I will elaborate on further in the paper. I will cover the analytical approach on this poem, evaluate the meaning of it and discuss how it captured my interest. The poem is actually a satire because he wrote it about a woman who he really was in love with in real life and ended up being friends with for over fifty years. Satire is the literary art that calls attention to the difference between what a particular thing should be and what it actually is. It can also be the way a particular person should behave and how that person is actually behaving. The writer of satire exaggerates or criticizes such conditions, but blends ridicule with gentle humor. This often intends to encourage change or improvement (Clungston, R. W. 2010.) He also uses imagination in this poem by the way he shapes the setting of the poem. Imagination is the human power that shapes artistic expression; it enables a writer’s work to become an expression of meaning in our world and allows readers to engage in identifying with what the writer’s work has to say about things that matter (Clungston, R. W. 2010.) The...
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...Jazzmin Te American Military University LITR 220 Constance Bracewell February 9, 2013 American Literature before the civil war Introduction In reference to Burt (p.11), the romantic idealism about American writing gave way to a realistic perspective on what America had become under the pressure of war and expansion as well as the acceleration of technological, economic and social change. In reference to Selcer (p.26), American Literature Library has thousands of short stories and classic novels for everyone to enjoy. In reference to Selcer (p.65), organizations devoted to the study of American authors include a directory of member- societies, and membership and event information. The library of America offers American Literature, including poems, novels, essays drama and other American works from America’s best writers. According to Hewitt (p.4), during its initial history, the US was a British colony especially on the east-coast of the present US. In reference to Hewitt (p.6), therefore, its literary traditions borrow heavily from the British. Nevertheless, its distinct features and the depth of its production make it to be viewed as its own entity. In reference to Hewitt (p.60), who American was and what America had become was the dominant theme of literature as the first outlines of modern American life took shape. Earliest forms of American Literature In reference to Selcer (p.52), many American authors turned to letter writing as an idealized genre...
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