Introduction to Romanticism Question answers

I. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences.

1. Name two economic or political changes that helped lay the foundations for Romanticism.

The French Revolution (1789–1799) and the Industrial Revolution were the two major political and economic developments that inspired Romanticism. The French Revolution generated ideals of liberty and human emancipation, while industrial modernisation created social alienation that Romantic writers reacted against.

2. Identify any two poems that featured in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads (1798).

Two poems included in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads were Wordsworth’s “Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” and Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

3. Which philosopher is credited with the idea of the ‘noble savage’ that influenced Romantic thought?

The concept of the “noble savage” is associated with Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose ideas deeply influenced Romantic views of nature and primitive innocence.

4. What does the term ‘negative capability’ refer to in Keats’s philosophy?

“Negative capability” refers to the poet’s ability to remain in uncertainty, mystery, and doubt without seeking logical explanations or fixed doctrines.

5. Name one female author from the Romantic period and one of her works.

Mary Shelley was a major Romantic writer, and her most famous work is Frankenstein (1818).

6. Which artistic movement emerged in the late 19th century as a direct reaction against Romanticism’s ideals?

Realism emerged as a reaction against Romantic idealism, emphasising objective representation of everyday life instead of imagination and emotional intensity.

7. What was the title of Shelley’s essay that serves as a manifesto of Romantic principles?

Shelley’s essay is titled A Defence of Poetry serves as the manifesto of Romantic princ

8. What was the Romantics’ view of the language used by Neoclassical poets?

The Romantics rejected Neoclassical “poetic diction” as artificial and preferred the simple language of common people.

9. Which two major revolutions are cited as key sources of inspiration for Romanticism?

The French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution are cited as the two major sources of inspiration.

10. Name any two German philosophers whose ideas influenced S. T. Coleridge.

Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Schelling influenced Coleridge’s theory of imagination.

II. Answer the following questions in about 150 words.

11. Explain how the Romantic view of Nature differed from the Neoclassical age.

In the Neoclassical age, nature was understood through reason, order and scientific laws, particularly the Newtonian view of nature as a mechanical system. Romantic writers rejected this notion and instead viewed nature as living, organic and spiritually animated. According to the Romantics, nature was not external or passive but deeply connected to human emotion and imagination. As stated in the text, Coleridge regarded nature as a “language of God”, capable of communicating moral and emotional truths. Nature offered spiritual renewal to individuals alienated by industrialisation and urban life. Romantic poets also idealised rural simplicity as morally superior to city life. Thus, unlike Neoclassicism, which treated nature as an object of rational study, Romanticism transformed nature into a source of emotional, moral, and imaginative unity.

12. How did Wordsworth define poetry?

Wordsworth defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquillity.” This definition emphasises that poetry originates in strong emotion but is shaped through calm reflection. Wordsworth rejected artificial poetic diction and rigid formal rules, insisting that poetry should arise from ordinary human experience and be expressed in simple language. His definition reflects the Romantic belief that emotion and imagination are more important than reason or technical ornamentation. Poetry, for Wordsworth, is a deeply personal and emotional act rather than a product of intellectual expression.

13. Why did William Blake disagree with what he saw as the oppressive rationality of Voltaire and Rousseau?

Blake opposed Enlightenment rationality because he believed it restricted imagination and spiritual freedom. Blake saw the world as inherently composed of opposites and contradictions, which could not be reconciled through reason alone. Figures such as Voltaire and Rousseau, in Blake’s view, embodied a form of rational thought that suppressed imagination. Blake believed that imagination, not reason, was the true source of human liberation. His mystical and symbolic poetry sought to harmonise contraries and challenge what he considered the tyranny of rational systems.

14. Analyse how political events in France influenced the early and later Romantics.

The French Revolution initially inspired the Romantics with hope, optimism and belief in human liberation. Early poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge welcomed it as a revolutionary transformation of society. However, as the Revolution descended into violence and terror, this enthusiasm faded. Later Romantic writers became more critical and disillusioned. Poets like Shelley and Byron continued to oppose tyranny and oppression, but their work reflects protest, satire and ideological critique rather than celebration. Thus, French political events shaped Romanticism’s movement from optimism to critical resistance.

15. What is meant by the “corrosive dualisms” inherited by the Romantics?

The “corrosive dualisms” refer to the deep divisions produced by modernity, such as reason versus emotion, Nature versus Culture individual versus society, past versus present, and sensation versus intellect. As noted by critics like Lukács, Abrams and Raymond Williams, the Romantics inherited a fragmented world shaped by capitalist and political forces. These dualisms caused alienation and disunity. The Romantic project aimed to overcome such fragmentation by seeking a unifying vision, primarily through imagination and aesthetic experience.

16. What were the preoccupations of the second generation of Romantic poets?

The second generation of Romantic poets—Byron, Shelley, and Keats—were preoccupied with political oppression, rebellion, and social injustice. Their work reflects disillusionment with revolutionary failure and modern hypocrisy. Shelley focused on tyranny and ideal freedom, Byron employed satire to expose corruption, and Keats explored beauty, transience, and uncertainty through concepts such as negative capability. Unlike the first generation’s optimism, their poetry is marked by critique, introspection, and philosophical depth.

III. Answer the following questions in about 300 words. 

17. “Romanticism was both a product of and a reaction against the Enlightenment.” Discuss.

Romanticism developed within the intellectual climate shaped by the Enlightenment, yet it strongly reacted against its dominant assumptions. Enlightenment thought emphasised reason, scientific inquiry, and rational order, and it inspired political ideals of freedom and reform. Romantic writers initially shared these aspirations, particularly in their enthusiastic response to the French Revolution, which promised liberty and human emancipation.

However, Romanticism rejected the Enlightenment’s exclusive focus on reason. Enlightenment rationalism, according to the Romantics, reduced nature to a mechanical system and human beings to rational units, ignoring imagination, emotion, and spirituality. Romantic writers opposed this reductionist view by asserting the supremacy of imagination as a means of understanding reality.

As the text explains, the Romantics inherited a fragmented world marked by modern economic and political practices. Their response was not scientific analysis but aesthetic and imaginative synthesis. While Romanticism retained Enlightenment ideals of freedom and opposition to tyranny, it transformed them by grounding human knowledge in emotion, intuition, and creative vision. Thus, Romanticism emerged both from Enlightenment ideals and against its limitations.

18. Trace the evolution of Romanticism in England from initial optimism to later critique.

English Romanticism began with intense optimism inspired by the French Revolution. Early Romantic poets such as Blake, Wordsworth, and Coleridge regarded the Revolution as a symbol of human liberation and moral renewal. This hope encouraged a new literary vision centred on imagination, nature, and subjective experience. The publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798 marked the formal beginning of this phase.

As the Revolution descended into violence and industrial capitalism expanded, Romantic optimism weakened. The growth of industrial cities and bourgeois values produced social alienation and injustice. Later Romantic poets—Byron, Shelley, and Keats—responded with political criticism, philosophical reflection, and aesthetic complexity. Shelley attacked tyranny, Byron satirised hypocrisy, and Keats explored beauty and uncertainty. Romanticism thus evolved from revolutionary enthusiasm to a critical engagement with modern reality.

19. What are the chief characteristic features of the Romantic movement?

Romanticism is characterised by emphasis on imagination, emotion, individuality, and creative freedom. It rejects Neoclassical rules, imitation, and artificial poetic diction. Nature occupies a central place as a spiritual and moral force rather than a mechanical system. Romantic literature is subjective, often employing the first-person voice.

Other key features include fascination with the supernatural, the exotic, medievalism, folklore, and nationalism. Romantic writers criticised bourgeois materialism and industrial society and idealised rural simplicity and primitive innocence. Above all, Romanticism redefined the poet as a visionary genius capable of restoring unity to a fragmented world.

20. What is Romantic Imagination and how is it used by the poets?

Romantic imagination is the creative power that actively transforms experience, rather than merely imitating reality. It enables the poet to perceive hidden connections between nature, emotion, and the human mind. For the Romantics, imagination was superior to reason because it could reconcile opposites and overcome fragmentation.

Wordsworth used imagination to interpret nature as a moral and spiritual presence. Coleridge theorised imagination as a synthetic power that unifies opposites. Shelley regarded imagination as a revolutionary force capable of social transformation. Keats employed imagination through negative capability, allowing uncertainty and openness to experience. Thus, Romantic imagi

nation functioned as both an aesthetic and ideological tool.