Enlightenment + The Romantic Period
The Romantic Period
Learning objective
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The Romantic Period
Learning objective
Literature
Elements of fiction + Literary History + Romeo and Juliet
5h1 term 1
Literature
Today's Lesson
Warm-up speaking exercise
The Enlightenment; context and history
Speaking exercise 2
Romantic Era; context and history
Reading a Romantic poem
Gothic era; short instruction
Note-taking
Lesson Goals
You know the most important aspects and literary works of the Enlightenment and the Romantic period.
You know the difference between Romantic and romantic.
Warm-up Exercise
How would you solve wold hunger? (wrong answers only)
Discuss with your neighbour and write down your answer.
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The Age of Enlightenment
1600-1800
The Age of Enlightenment
17th and 18th century (1600s and 1700s) .
An artistic and intellectual movmeent that prioritised reason above religion, and advocated for scientific reasoning.
Literature was used as a tool for education and social critique.
Contributed to modern democratic thought and the American and French Revolution.
The Age of Enlightenment - Literature
Enlightenment authors like Jonathan Swift and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were critical of the Catholic church, and of absolute monarchs.
They wrote critical and satirical texts to educate their audience and make them think about what could be different in society. How could it improve?
The Age of Enlightenment - A Modest Proposal
Jonathan Swift (Ireland, 1667 - 1745) was a famous Irish author who criticised the way rich English people treated the poor in Ireland.
There was a lot of poverty and hunger in 18th century Ireland (at the time a colony of Britain).
Jonathan Swift proposed an interesting solution for the economic issues in Ireland in his essay A Modest Proposal.
The Age of Enlightenment - A Modest Proposal
Swift argues that to prevent hunger, and to increase the wellfare of Ireland, poor Irish people should sell their one-year-old babies as food / produce to the rich.
The Age of Enlightenment - A Modest Proposal
Swift argues that to prevent hunger, and to increase the wellfare of Ireland, poor Irish people should sell their one-year-old babies as food / produce to the rich.
This exagerated and ridiculous solution is what makes it a satire. Swift doesn't actually want the Irish to sell their kids. He wants to make clear how awful the conditions are, and that its the fault of the rich British colonisers.
Romantic
romantic
Romantic
romantic
Romantic
The Romantic Period
1789 (French Revolution) - 1837
No longer focussed on thought, but on emotion.
Artistic movement concerned with ALL feelings, not just romance.
Big emotions such as fear, bliss, melancholy, ecstacy, horror and terror.
"Back to Nature"
The Romantic Period
Because of industrial developments, people longed for the good old days.
Factories and railways were built. More people moved to cities (= urbanisation) instead of living in the countryside.
When things change, people get nostalgic, they romanticise the past.
Romantics idealised the medieval period; they painted Arthurian figures and wrote about nature before industrialisation and urbanisation.
Romantic Poetry
William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) were besties and are two famous Romantic poets. They wrote about sublime landscapes and the beauty of nature.
Their collection of poetry called Lyrical Ballads (1798) is one of the most important Romantic literary works.
"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"
Listen to the poem and try to visualise what the poet wrote.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
What's Wordsworth saying??
The Gothic
The Gothic
The Gothic is a movement within the Romantic movement.
So all Gothic works are Romantic, but not all Romantic works are Gothic.
One of the most famous Gothic works is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818).
The heroes in these stories are gloomy and troubled. The stories are set in ruined castles, dark places, and eerie landscapes.
They often involve ghosts and monsters.
Recap of This Lesson
Write down the following things about The Enlightenment and the Romantic period
When was it?
What language was spoken?
What was the language like?
What literary work was important?
What major historical events happened during this period?
