Growth of Romantic Literature & Important Facts

A Brief Introduction

The Romantic movement is also known as second Renaissance. It was both a révolt and revival. According to Walter Pater, “Romantic quality in art arises from an addition of strangeness to beauty. The essential elements of the romantic spirit are curiously and the love of beauty.” The Romantic movement in English literature was a great phenomenon in the literary history of England. It was very rich in variety. It was all pervasive. All the forms of literature like-Poetry, Prose, Drama, Novel, Criticism and Fiction flourished. It was a great period in the history of English literature.

Important Facts to Remember

1. The Romantic age was the age of poetry, which was the proper medium for the expression of emotions and imaginative sensibility of the artist.

2. Romantic poetry are mysticism, exuberant, intellectual curiosity, simplicities of life, medievalism and hellenism.

3. Prose of Romantic literature is also very rich like its poetry. A lot of criticism, essay and other prose literature have appeared during romantic movement. Charles Lamb, Dr. Samuel Jonson, Robert Lynd, William Hazlitt are some of the well known essayists of Romantic movement.

4. Romantic movement is not much known for its drama. Some of works of G.B. Shaw, Scott and Goldsmith can be considered drama work of this period. Infact Romantic movement is well known for its poetry not for drama.

5. The most prominent piece of work effected in literature during eighteenth century (Romantic movement) is the creation of the modern novel. Jane Austen and Walter Scott only the latter expressed the romantic feeling.