Romantic poetry facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Romantic poetry is a special kind of poetry from the Romantic era. This was a big movement in art, writing, music, and ideas that started in Europe in the late 1700s. It was a way of reacting against the strict rules and focus on logic from the 18th century. Romantic poetry lasted from about 1800 to 1850. Poets during this time wanted to write differently from the older styles, which often focused on long stories or formal poems.

English Romantic Poetry

In England, in the early 1800s, the poet William Wordsworth talked about his new kind of poetry. He said that poetry is "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." This means it comes from strong emotions that you remember and think about calmly.

Wordsworth and other English poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and William Blake wanted poetry to feel real. They wanted it to come from deep thoughts about how people connect with nature. Even though they talked about feelings flowing out, they also knew it was hard work to turn those feelings into poems. Coleridge believed art helps connect nature and people. This idea – that human feelings shape how we see nature – was a key part of English Romantic poetry.

In the past, people often imagined Romantic poets as slim and delicate. This statue of Czech poet Karel Hynek Mácha shows him this way, even though he was actually strong and muscular.

What Makes English Romantic Poetry Special?

The Sublime

The Sublime is a very important idea in Romantic poetry. It means using language and descriptions that create strong feelings and thoughts beyond everyday life. It can be about something grand and amazing, or even something strange that makes us feel deeply.

This idea became popular in the 1700s, especially after Edmund Burke wrote about it. Poets like William Wordsworth then used the idea of the sublime in their own works. Romantic poetry also often shows great power and strong feelings. Writers truly feel the poem as they create it, using powerful words to show these emotions.

Moving Away from Neoclassicism

Romantic poetry was very different from Neoclassical poetry. Neoclassical poetry was based on logic and reason. But Romantic poetry came more from feelings and emotions. It was a protest against the strict rules and traditions of 18th-century poetry. As one writer, William J. Long, put it, the Romantic movement was a strong reaction against rules that "fetter the free human spirit."

Imagination

Imagination was super important to Romantic poets like John Keats, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and P. B. Shelley. Keats famously said, "I am certain of nothing but... the truth of Imagination." For poets like Wordsworth and William Blake, imagination was a powerful, spiritual force. They believed that poetry could make the world better. Blake even said that the secret to great art is the ability to imagine. In his poem "Auguries of Innocence", Blake wrote:

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

Nature Poetry

Love for nature is another big part of Romantic poetry. Nature was a huge source of ideas and feelings for these poets. They felt a deep connection to the outdoors and believed that nature was alive, even divine.

However, different Romantic poets saw nature in different ways. Wordsworth saw nature as a living teacher and a source of everything. He wrote about these feelings in his long poem The Prelude. In his poem "The Tables Turn" he says:

One impulse from the vernal wood
Can teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and good,
Then all sages can.

Shelley also believed nature was alive and that people and nature were connected. Wordsworth thought about nature in a deeper, philosophical way, while Shelley focused more on the mind. John Keats also loved nature. But Coleridge had a more realistic view. He thought that joy doesn't just come from nature itself, but from how people feel inside when they experience it.

Melancholy

Sadness or melancholy was also a big source of ideas for Romantic poets. In his poem '"Ode to a Nightingale", Keats wrote about being "half in love with easeful Death," showing a deep, thoughtful sadness.

Medievalism

Romantic poetry often looked back to the past, especially the Middle Ages. Poets like John Keats and Coleridge were drawn to old stories, faraway places, and mysterious times. They were more interested in the Middle Ages than in their own time.

Hellenism

The world of classical Greece was also important to the Romantics. John Keats's poetry, for example, is full of references to Greek art and culture, like in his poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn".

Supernaturalism

Many Romantic poets used supernatural elements in their poems. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a master of this. His poem "Kubla Khan" is filled with mysterious and magical elements.

Subjectivity

Romantic poetry is all about feelings, emotions, and imagination. Unlike earlier Neoclassical poets who tried to keep their personal feelings out of their work, Romantic poets loved to share their own emotions and experiences in their poems.

Romantic Poetry in Other Countries

France

French literature in the early 1800s was greatly shaped by Romanticism. Famous writers like Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, père were part of this movement. Their influence was felt in plays, poetry, and novels. The ideas of Romanticism continued to affect French writing even later in the 19th century.

Germany

German Romanticism was a major movement in German-speaking countries in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It developed a bit later than in England. German Romanticism often included wit, humor, and beauty, unlike the more serious English style.

A movement called Sturm und Drang (meaning "Storm and Stress") came before Romanticism in Germany. It focused on strong emotions and individual feelings, reacting against the strict logic of the Enlightenment.

Jena Romanticism

This was the first phase of Romanticism in German literature, centered in Jena from about 1798 to 1804. Poets like Novalis and Ludwig Tieck were part of this group. They explored deep philosophical questions about how we understand the world.

Heidelberg Romanticism

Heidelberg became another important center for Romanticism in Germany. Poets like Joseph von Eichendorff and Clemens Brentano were part of the "Heidelberg Romantics." This period emphasized medieval times, folk art, and the connection between nature and human culture.

Poland

Romanticism in Poland was a big period for Polish culture, starting around 1820. It began with the poems of Adam Mickiewicz and ended in 1864. Other important Polish Romantic poets included Juliusz Słowacki and Cyprian Kamil Norwid.

Russia

The 19th century is known as the "Golden Era" of Russian literature. Romanticism helped many poets shine, especially Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin is famous for shaping the Russian literary language and bringing new artistry to Russian writing. His well-known work is a novel in verse called Eugene Onegin. Many other poets followed in his footsteps.

Pushkin is often seen as the main Romantic writer in Russia. However, some say his work changed over time, moving from older styles to Romanticism and then to Realism.

How British Romantic Poetry Influenced Russia

The Scottish poet Robert Burns became very popular in Russia. His poems, translated into Russian, became a symbol for ordinary Russian people. Even Lord Byron had a huge influence on almost all Russian poets of the Golden Era, including Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov.

Spain

Germany and England greatly influenced Romantic Spanish poetry. This movement spread across Western countries from the late 1700s to the late 1800s. It focused on the power of imagination over reason. Spanish Romantics saw nature in many ways and used myths and symbols instead of simple stories. They also stressed the power of human emotion.

Leading Spanish Romantic poets include Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, José Zorrilla, and Rosalía de Castro. In Catalonia, the Romantic movement helped bring back the importance of the Catalan language and literature.

Sweden

In Swedish literature, the Romantic period was from 1809 to 1830. It was strongly influenced by German literature. This time was so rich with great poets that it's called the "Golden Age" in Sweden. This period also emphasized a romanticized view of Swedish history, especially focusing on the Vikings as heroic figures.

United States

Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement in the United States that started in the 1820s and 1830s. It was influenced by English and German Romanticism and focused on individual experience and nature.

Poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892) was influenced by Transcendentalism. His main work, Leaves of Grass, praises nature and the importance of each person. Whitman believed the human body and mind were worthy of poetic praise.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) is another key figure of Romanticism in the United States, known for his poetry and short stories. However, Poe strongly disliked Transcendentalism.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) was very popular in his time, both in America and Europe. However, his popularity faded after his death, as later scholars preferred poets like Walt Whitman.

Elements of Romanticism can be found in many later American poems. For example, Whitman's influence is seen in Langston Hughes's work. Ideas from Transcendentalism appear in nature poems by Robert Frost. And the idea of individual freedom from Romanticism can be found in the work of the Beat Generation.

Romantic Poetry's Legacy

Some writers believe that Romantic poetry can help us live better lives. As Heidi Thomson wrote, "The more literate and articulate we are, the better our chances for survival as citizens and inhabitants of the earth." This suggests that understanding poetry helps us understand the world and ourselves.