This quest contains all the information you need for studying the Romantic Poetry of English literary history. It is a compulsory part of your English curriculum. It will also return in your Literary History SE which you will sit in 6V.
2. Literary History SE
Overview
In the Literary History SE, you will be tested on your knowledge of the main events and works of English literary history, starting with the Middle Ages and up to the modern day. You will study the following eras and disciplines:
Literary eras
Middle Ages (4V)
Renaissance (5V 4V)
Romantic Poetry (5V)
Victorian Age (5V)
Early 20th Century (6V)
Disciplines
poetry
theatre
novels
Organisation & SE
Organisation
We will study literary history at various points in your school career, so it is important that you organise your materials properly. I urge you to start a Literary History File, either in paper in a new notebook or digitally in a Pages document. I also advise you to create a separate Literary History File tile in Egodact where you can keep track of what you are doing over the years.
SE
In 6-vwo, you will sit an SE on Literary History. In it, you will answer questions about literary terms and eras, and you will analyse fragments of literature using the knowledge you have gained over the years.
This SE is a written test lasting 100 minutes and counts for 10% towards your final PTA mark.
3. Historical background
➜ Start this part of your Literary History File with a title page: Romantic Poetry. Find an appropriate illustration here.
➜ Study the links and videos below to get an idea of the historical background of the Renaissance in England.
➜ Write a summary in your Literary History File of what you've learned. Be sure to include the following key words / people in your summary: key words: Industrial Revolution, French Revolution, emphasis on feelings, nature & history, 'Lyrical Ballads'.
➜ Upload your summary to Seesaw/Egodact.
For the Romantic Period, we are only focusing on poetry. This was by far the most popular form of literature, and the Romantic Period has produced some of England's finest poets.
Theatre was not very popular in the Romantic Period, or at least, not a lot of theatre was written.
Prose was beginning to be of interest, with Jane Austen and Mary Shelley as notable novelists, but the novel as a major literary art form only took off later in the Victorian Age, which is where we'll discuss more of it.
Organisation
Each section is presented as follows:
Introduction: a basic introduction to the genre and why it is relevant to our studies. You will find key terms and phrases to remember in bold. These terms and phrases should find their way into your Literary History File.
Literary fragment(s): one or more fragments, translated to a more modern English to make it easier to understand. Often paired with comprehension questions.
Study questions: one or more assignments that analyse the work on a deeper level. The answers to these should be included in your Literary History File.
4a. Poetry: The first generation
4a. Introduction
The publication of 'Lyrical Ballads', a compilation of poetry by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge published in 1798, is widely seen as the start of the Romantic Period. It follows the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution is a counterreaction to its focus on science, rationality and technological progress (and its accompanying effects on the country). Below you will find the main characteristics of the age and a peek at the three most important poets.
Characteristics (or Ideals) of Romantic Poetry
To counter the filth and pollution the Industrial Revolution had brought to their lives, the Romantic Poets glorified Nature.
The Romantic Poets are called thus because they put emotion over reason. To feel was the only way to live; Science, they felt, had only brought misery.
The superiority of imagination over logic.
Popular subjects were mysteries and monsters.
There was also great interest in history, especially that of the Middle Ages. It was seen as a glorious period in which England hadn't yet become spoilt by industrialisation.
Due to the many 'discoveries' of exotic countries, there was also a great interest in the exotic (especially oriental) and unfamiliar.
Inspired by the French Revolution, much of Romantic literature was anti-establishment / anti-authoritarian.
Common people, such as farmers, labourers, but also natives of exotic lands, were seen as superior to the elite, deriving from their closeness to nature. This gave rise to the idea of noble workman / noble savage.
Children were glorified as being naive and innocent, unspoiled by schooling and industry, and close to Nature and to God.
Poets: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) was a poet and philosopher, best known for his poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Together with his friend William Wordsworth, he is seen as the founder of the Romantic Movement. Other notable works of his are Kubla Khan and Christobel, but he also made a name for himself as a literary critic, writing influential work on Shakespeare and German poets. Coleridge and his friends and colleagues were collectively known as the Lake Poets.
Poets: William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was probably the best known and most productive of the early Romantic poets. At the end of his life he served as Poet Laureate, a poet appointed by the government to write poems for official occasions. Although his best work is considered to be The Prelude, it is his shorter poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud which is often named as the nation's favourite poem. Wordsworth also belongs to the group of Lake Poets mentioned above.
Poets: William Blake
William Blake (1757-1827) is a bit of the odd one out in the circle of Romantic poets. He was not part of their circle and actually most of his contemporaries thought he was mad. His work is also hard to classify, some calling it pre-Romantic rather than Romantic; in some ways it is so original that it is almost a category of its own. He was not only a poet, but also a painter and printmaker. During his life, Blake's work was unsuccessful and not recognised at all. Now, he is seen as one of the best and most talented artists of Britain of all times. He often combined his poetry with his artwork into a unified product, sort of like an illuminated manuscript from the Middle Ages, but since he was trained as a printer, he wrote and drew his work in reverse so it could be multiplied. Among his best-known works are the poetry collections Songs of Innocence and its sequel Songs of Experience.
Analysing poetry
A poet has a wide range of literary techniques to enhance the message and heighten the emotional impact of the poem. When analysing poetry, it helps to be aware of these techniques. Below, you will find an overview of the techniques you'll need to be able to recognise and describe. We have discussed these terms in class last year and will briefly revisit them.
alliteration
The repetition of an initial consonant sound in words that are close together, such as within a single sentence or line of poetry.
assonance
Repetition of similar vowel sounds within words and phrases, commonly used for a lyrical effect in poetry and other literary forms.
enjambment
In poetry or verse, the technique of breaking a line of verse in the middle of a phrase so that the phrase continues on the next line without a natural pause between lines.
hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration used to make a point, often humorously.
metaphor
A figure of speech that features a comparison between two disparate things that are not literally the same. Unlike similes, metaphors do not use the words “like” or “as.”
personification
A type of metaphor in which human attributes are assigned to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.
simile
A figure of speech in which two objects are directly compared, usually including either “like” or “as” in the comparison.
➜ Below you will find three poems or fragments of poems by Coleridge, Wordsworth and Blake.
➜ Read each work a couple of times; don't forget to read it out loud. This will help you understand them better.
➜ Do the exercise you will find after each work.
➜ Upload screenshots of your results to Seesaw, and copy the link to your Literary History Filein Egodact.
fragment from Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is much too long to be included in full, here, so we'll only look at a fragment. This ballad tells the story of a nightmare voyage to the South Pole told by the sole survivor, the bright-eyed ancient mariner whose wanton killing of an albatross, a bird of good omen, brought misfortune on the ship and all its crew.
This fragment comes after the Mariner has shot the albatross that had been visiting them. The wind dies and the ship is stuck in the middle of the ocean, leaving the crew to die of thirst and starvation.
Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,
'Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!
All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.
Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
The very deep did rot: O Christ!
That ever this should be!
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.
About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green, and blue and white.
And some in dreams assurèd were
Of the Spirit that plagued us so;
Nine fathom deep he had followed us
From the land of mist and snow.
And every tongue, through utter drought,
Was withered at the root;
We could not speak, no more than if
We had been choked with soot.
Ah! well a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.
Rime of the Ancient Mariner in pop culture: Iron Maiden's 1984 rock version
The second generation of British Romantic poets, also known as the "Younger Romantics," emerged in the early 19th century and played a significant role in the Romantic literary movement. This group of poets included Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. While both first and second-generation Romantic poets shared a love for nature, a fascination with the human imagination, and a rejection of Enlightenment rationalism, the second generation was characterized by a more rebellious and politically engaged spirit, a greater emphasis on individualism, and a willingness to explore darker and more introspective themes in their poetry.Tragically, all three poets died at a young age, leaving behind a remarkable body of work that continues to influence literature and thought to this day.
The Poets: Byron, Shelley and Keats
1. Lord Byron (1788-1824): Byron was a flamboyant and controversial figure known for his passionate and rebellious poetry. His works often explored themes of individualism, freedom, and the dark side of human nature. Some of his most famous works include "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" and "Don Juan."
2. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822): Shelley was a radical thinker and poet whose writing reflected his progressive ideals. He addressed themes like social justice, political reform, and the power of the imagination. Notable works include "Ozymandias," "Prometheus Unbound," and "To a Skylark."
3. John Keats (1795-1821): Keats is renowned for his lyrical and sensuous poetry, which often celebrated the beauty of nature and the intensity of human emotions. His poems, such as "Ode to a Nightingale," "Ode on a Grecian Urn," and "To Autumn," are considered some of the finest in the English language.
4b. Literary Fragment(s)
➜ Below you will find three poems or fragments of poems by Byron, Shelley and Keats.
➜ Read each work a couple of times; don't forget to read it out loud. This will help you understand them better.
➜ Do the exercise you will find after each work.
➜ Upload screenshots of your results to Seesaw, and copy the link to your Literary History Filein Egodact.
Lord Byron - She Walks in Beauty Like The Night
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Percy Bysshe Shelley - Ozymandias
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
John Keats - La Belle Dame Sans Merci
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.
I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.
I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.
I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan
I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery’s song.
She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said—
‘I love thee true’.
She took me to her Elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.
And there she lullèd me asleep,
And there I dreamed—Ah! woe betide!—
The latest dream I ever dreamt
On the cold hill side.
I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci
Thee hath in thrall!’
I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gapèd wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill’s side.
And this is why I sojourn here,
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
5. Assessment
5a. Checklist
Want to check whether you've done all the assignments that go with this quest? Use this checklist!
Historical Background
summary
First Generation
Literary fragments: 3 screenshots for comprehension exercises
Second Generation
Literary fragments: 2 screenshots for comprehension exercises
Study question: one poetical poster
5b. Rubric
Your work for the Literary History File is part of your Language Portfolio.
Below, you will find how your work will be assessed.
Good
Pass
Insufficient
Assignments
Your work is complete;
You've paid attention to the lay-out and design of your work, adding images where necessary;
You've made an effort in your study questions, showing your literary insight.
Your work is complete.
Your work is incomplete.
Class participation & interaction
You've attended all classes (Deo volente);
You've taken notes during classes;
You've shown an interest in participating in class discussions and/or asked questions to further your understanding and insight.
You've attended all classes (Deo volente);
You've answered questions during class discussions if prompted.
You've skipped classes;
You've been mentally absent during classes and often didn't know what was being discussed.
5c. Study Help
Concepts & terms to remember
Check your Literary History file whether you've taken notes on all these concepts/terms.
Het arrangement 5V Romantic Poetry (Literary History) is gemaakt met
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maakt en deelt.
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het werk te delen - te kopiëren, te verspreiden en door te geven via elk medium of bestandsformaat
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voor alle doeleinden, inclusief commerciële doeleinden.
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koppeling? Meld je aan via info@wikiwijs.nl met het verzoek om een LTI
koppeling aan te gaan.
Maak je al gebruik van LTI? Gebruik dan de onderstaande Launch URL’s.
Arrangement
Oefeningen en toetsen
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
The Tyger
IMSCC package
Wil je de Launch URL’s niet los kopiëren, maar in één keer downloaden? Download dan de IMSCC package.
Oefeningen en toetsen van dit arrangement kun je ook downloaden als QTI. Dit bestaat uit een ZIP bestand dat
alle
informatie bevat over de specifieke oefening of toets; volgorde van de vragen, afbeeldingen, te behalen
punten,
etc. Omgevingen met een QTI player kunnen QTI afspelen.
Wikiwijs lesmateriaal kan worden gebruikt in een externe leeromgeving. Er kunnen koppelingen worden gemaakt en
het lesmateriaal kan op verschillende manieren worden geëxporteerd. Meer informatie hierover kun je vinden op
onze Developers Wiki.
Egodact where you can keep track of what you are doing over the years.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) was a poet and philosopher, best known for his poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Together with his friend William Wordsworth, he is seen as the founder of the Romantic Movement. Other notable works of his are Kubla Khan and Christobel, but he also made a name for himself as a literary critic, writing influential work on Shakespeare and German poets. Coleridge and his friends and colleagues were collectively known as the Lake Poets.
1. Lord Byron (1788-1824): Byron was a flamboyant and controversial figure known for his passionate and rebellious poetry. His works often explored themes of individualism, freedom, and the dark side of human nature. Some of his most famous works include "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" and "Don Juan."
2. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822): Shelley was a radical thinker and poet whose writing reflected his progressive ideals. He addressed themes like social justice, political reform, and the power of the imagination. Notable works include "Ozymandias," "Prometheus Unbound," and "To a Skylark."
3. John Keats (1795-1821): Keats is renowned for his lyrical and sensuous poetry, which often celebrated the beauty of nature and the intensity of human emotions. His poems, such as "Ode to a Nightingale," "Ode on a Grecian Urn," and "To Autumn," are considered some of the finest in the English language.
