THE ENGLISH ROMANTIC PERIOD

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The second half of George IIIs reign was characterized by the long struggle against Na oleon to save its own independence and the freedom of various states in Europe. After this long period of war, Britain was exhausted by heavy taxation, inflation, unemployment and social unrest in town and country. George I!s reign was a period of reforms. T"e Tories, then in power, were against any interference of the State in economic matters at home or in the internal affairs of other countries. They recognized the independence of the Spanish colonies in South America, supported the ree!s in their struggle for independence and were in favour of the "isorgimento and the #talian struggle for freedom. In #$%& the BILL 'OR CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION was passed and $atholics, with some exceptions, obtained the same rights as %rotestants. #n the same year, the &ome Secretary Sir Ro(ert Peel) created the Ci*ilian +etro olitan oli,e, first in 'ondon (traditionally !nown as Bobbies), then all over England. So, he maintained order without military control. -illia+ I!, his brother, succeeded him. T"e -"igs (later called 'iberals) came to power after a long period of Tory (or conservative) hegemony. A 'IRST RE'ORM BILL was passed in #$.%, because a reform was necessary in %arliamentary representation. About *+, seats were ta!en away from the so-called rotten (oroug"s .these were country boroughs, traditionally under the influence of the $rown and the nobility, with the right to send a representative to %arliament. But these boroughs were corrupt or /rotten0 because they were easily bought and sold to the advantage of particular faction1. 2ther i+ ortant e*ents of this period were3 T"e a(olition o/ sla*er0 in t"e Britis" ,olonies (*455) The introduction of a s0ste+ o/ national e1u,ation (*456) The 'a,tor0 A,ts (*455) by which the employment of children under nine was forbidden by law and %arliament began to control the wor!ing conditions of women and children. SOCIAL BACKGROUND Although the immediate result of the revolution in industry was an enor+ous in,rease in ro1u,tion, and in the total wealth of the country, the situation later changed. 7apoleonic 8ars which followed the 9rench "evolution began to +a2e (usiness un,ertain and European mar!ets accepted or refused British goods accordingly. Perio1s o/ o*er3 ro1u,tion were followed by erio1s o/ 1e ression) alternating phases o/ e+ lo0+ent an1 une+ lo0+ent. Because of the wars, /oreign 4"eat su lies were periodically cut off: this ro*e1 /a*oura(le to the wealthier farmers, who increased the price of the corn, but it +eant ne4 "ar1s"i for farm wor!ers, especially in southern England: there were /e4 /a,tories built in the south and industry was not yet ready to ta!e them over. The situation was a little better in the north, where the ,on,entration o/ /a,tories offered more opportunities for wor! and ensured higher wages. THE 5LAISSE63'AIRE7 THEOR8 stated that the State was not to interfere in economic matters.

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To defend their interests, the 4or2ers initially appealed to the law but, after failing to get protection, they turned to combination: but in #9&& the Co+(ination A,ts were passed ma!ing meetings of wor!ers illegal. 8or!ers began to attac! factories and destroy machinery. The worst group of riots were the Lu11ites (the name derived from 7ed 'udd, the leader) in the years #$##3 #%: To protect the machines and control the mobs, the government decided to have recourse to the army: but in #$#& a group of soldiers !illed eleven people after charging a crowd that had gathered at St. %eter<s 9ields, in =anchester, to listen to a radical orator. The problems of the lower classes weren<t disregarded by economist li!e "icardo and =althus and social reformers li!e Ro(ert O4en, who had established a radically inno*ator0 te;tile /a,tor0 at 7ew 'anar!, in Scotland. &e reduced 4or2ing "ours, i+ ro*e1 "ousing, li+ite1 ,"il1 la(our and ,reate1 insuran,e /or ol1 or si,2 4or2ers and their families. 8hen the 7apoleonic 8ars ended, Britain initially found itself without money and unable to carry out any social and political reforms. Corn ri,es 4ere still 2e t 1o4n in order to encourage production at home, while the nu+(er o/ une+ lo0e1 in,rease1 and many of them e+igrate1 to A+eri,a or Australia. 'ittle by little, the situation improved, than!s mainly to a re1u,tion in ,usto+s 1uties, which favoured foreign trade. Ban!ers and capitalists cooperated in in*esting +ore +one0 in s,ienti/i, 1is,o*eries an1 in*entions . >nemployment slowly decreased and $ombinations, (or now called TRADE UNIONS) were finally legali<e1 in #$%=3%> when the $ombination Acts were repealed. 'ower $lasses -o+en were obliged to ta!e ?obs in factories where they competed with men and their wages were lower. #n the upper and middle classes they had no need to wor!. Surrounded by a host of servants, the wealthier women spent their time reading, gossiping and loo!ing for husbands. #n this period HUMANITARIANISM (e,a+e 4i1es rea1, due to the anti-slavery campaign of Sir -illia+ -il(er/or,e: the most conspicuous result of the latter was the ABOLITION O' SLA!ER8) in #$..:

T"e Ro+anti, Literar0 Mo*e+ent

The term 5ro+anti,7 first appared in England in the #9t" ,entur0. #t originally meant /extravagant, unreal, fictitious0 but at the end of the #$t" ,entur0 it became connected with feelings, imagination and emotional pleasures. #n literature it was applied to a movement. #t wasn<t limited to England alone, but appeared in -estern Countries (et4een t"e #$t" ,entur0 an1 t"e #&t" ,entur0: This movement was influenced my three great historical events3 - The American "evolution - The 9rench "evolution - The 7apoleonic 8ars @ and it was influenced by other factors of great importance3 - The philosophical thought of such 9rench writers li!e Aoltaire and "ousseau - The erman literary movement /Sturm und Brang0 which included among its members oethe and Schiller The romantic poets were in favour of INDI!IDUALISM) 'EELINGS: C;%agina

against REASON) COMMON SENSE and REALISM:

THE POET?

The artist, and the poet in particular, began to be considered a PROPHET 1i*inel0 ins ire1, uniDue in his faculties. &is mission was to ,on*e0 trut" to +an2in1, since he considered poetry as an expression of the most profound truths of experience. The poet spo!e of himself, of his ?oys and fears and re?ected traditional moral codes and religious values Some poets exalted the irrational or the supernatural, or a spirit of revolt (Titanism) 2ther poets found escape from reality in the exotic and distant. The romantic movement led also to a new interest in history, and especially in the =iddle Ages: in fact, romantic poets revisited the past through their own imagination.

IMAGINATION? is the most important feature

of romanticism and it is considered #t led to a melancholy,

the highest gift of the poet it is able to modify the world. because the ideal is not attainable in everyday existence.

NATURE? All the poets turned to nature, since there was a communication between
nature and man, and they were against with the conventions of the Augustan Age. "omantic conception of 7ature was influenced by great philosophers3 PLATONISM? our world is the image of an ideal metaphysical world PANTHEISM3 7ature, was moved by an immanent od. GERMAN IDEALISM3 with the three great philosophers 9ichte, Schelling, &egel. "omantic poets are usually divided in two groups3 'irst Generation 8ordsworth $oleridge Se,on1 Generation Byron Shelley Eeats

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