Lecture The 19th century literature. Romanticism

2. Romanticism (1798–1837)

Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century. Most commonly the publishing of Lyrical Ballads in 1798 is taken as the beginning, and the crowning of Queen Victoria in 1837 as its end. The writers of this period, however, did not think of themselves as ‘Romantics’.

The landscape is often prominent in the poetry of this period, so that the Romantics are often described as 'nature poets'. William Blake is considered a central figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

The poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake (1757–1827) was largely disconnected from the major streams of the literature of the time, that’s why Blake was generally unrecognized during his lifetime. Considered mad by contemporaries for his views, Blake is held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. Among his most important works are Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794).