5. English Literature During the Nineteenth Century |
A Historical
Survey of English Language and Literature
Exercises
Group A
A. Multiple Choice Questions
Tick (√) the best answer.
1.
Romantic Movement started in English literature with the publication of
the..............in 1798.
a)
Songs of Innocence
b)
Songs of Experience
c)
Lyrical Ballads
d)
Lucidas
2.
......writers were against established rules, reason and logic.
a)
Restoration Period
b)
Romantic Period
c)
Victorian Period
d)
Elizabethan Period
3.
One of the features of the Romantic poets is.........
a)
strictness in language and style
b)
loyalty to the rulers
c)
high level of emotion and imagination
d)
all of the above
4.
........wrote poems about mythical characters and themes.
a)
William Wordsworth
b)
P. B. Shelley
c)
John Keats
d)
S. T. Coleridge
5.
The
Romantic Period begins in 1785 and extends to around............
a)
1830
b)
1831
c)
1832
d)
1833
6.
The
Victorian Period begins in 1832 and extends to around............
a)
1900
b)
1901
c)
1902
d)
1903
7.
Romantic Movement started with the publication of the Lyrical Ballads
in................, which was characterized by the free will, love of nature,
and simplicity in writing.
a)
1796
b)
1797
c)
1798
d)
1799
8.
............................is a literary movement that came as the reaction to
the 18th century, The Age of Reason.
a)
Restoration
b)
Romanticism
c)
Victorian
d)
Elizabethan
9.
...........................is not the feature of the Romantic Period.
a.
Use of Simple Language
b)
Love of Scientific development
d)
Sense of Nationalism
e)
Revolt against Realism
10.
...........................is not the feature of the Romantic Period.
a)
Spontaneity
b)
Influence of Subjective Trend
c)
Romantic Enthusiasm
d)
The Age of prose
11.
Poets like William Wordsworth, S. T. Coleridge, P. B. Shelley, John Keats; and
prose writers like Thomas De Quincey, Charles Lamb, and William Hazlitt contributed
a lot for the development of the literature of the ...........................
a)
Restoration Period
b)
Romantic Period
c)
Victorian Period
d)
Elizabethan Period
12.
.........................is the collection of Wordsworth's fourteen books of
verse which records his memory of the visit to different places and childhood
experiences.
a)
Westminster Bridge
b)
Tintern Abbey
c)
The Prelude
d)
The Excursion
13.
The Excursion is a nine-volume book which ......................... planned to
complete as the philosophical work, but couldn't complete until his death.
a)
William Wordsworth
b)
S. T. Coleridge
c)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
d)
P. B. Shelley
14.
Kubla Khan: This poem gives the imaginary description of the castle of Kubla
Khan, the emperor of ancient.....................
a)
Mongolia
b)
China
c)
Korea
d)
Vietnam
15.
S. T. Coleridge's BiographiaLiteria is one of the most significant works of
English literary.........................
a)
article
b)
monument
c)
works
d)
criticism
16.
.........................is remembered for his romantic verses like "Ode
to the West Wind" and "The Masque of Anarchy."
a)
William Wordsworth
b)
S. T. Coleridge
c)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
d)
P. B. Shelley
17.
..........................is one of his finest poems and an elegy on the death
of John Keats by P. B. Shelley.
a)
Westminster Bridge
b)
Adonais
c)
The Prelude
d)
The Excursion
18.
..........................is a poetic drama on the Greek Prometheus myth. It
shows the victory of love over hatred and revenge.
a)
Westminster Bridge
b)
Adonais
c)
The Prelude
d)
Prometheus Unbound
19.
......................is a cry of impatience at the cruelty of the world.
a)
The Revolt of Islam
b)
Adonais
c)
The Prelude
d)
The Excursion
20.
Shelly planned to write...................as an epic exploring the nature of
life but his untimely death by drowning left the poem incomplete.
a)
Westminster Bridge
b)
Adonais
c)
The Triumph of Life
d)
The Excursion
21.
........................died at the age of 25 because of tuberculosis, who
thought that the aim of poetry is the appreciation of beauty.
a)
William Wordsworth
b)
John Keats
c)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
d)
P. B. Shelley
22.
The four odes "Ode to Nightingale", "Ode to the Grecian
Urn", "Ode to Autumn" and "Ode to Melancholy" are the
finest specimens in English poetry by...............................
a)
William Wordsworth
b)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
c)
John Keats
d)
P. B. Shelley
23.
Ode to Nightingale, the poet wants to run away with the nightingale but he
thinks that imagination is the best medium to escape from
this...........................world.
a)
human
b)
animal
c)
criminal
d)
religious
24.
.....................is a long narrative poem written in the theme of love,
which set in a medieval castle, a young lover visits his beloved's chamber,
hides in her closet and persuades her to run away with him.
a)
The Eve of St. Agnes
b)
Adonais
c)
The Triumph of Life
d)
The Excursion
25.
.........................is based on old ideas: the old gods, the love of
moon-goddess for a shepherd, Venus and Adonis. He strangely treats old myths.
a)
Westminster Bridge
b)
Endymion
c)
The Triumph of Life
d)
The Excursion
26.
Lord Byron was a romantic poet and a satirist, who in real life, was
a..........................poet.
a)
affectionate
b)
revolutionary
c)
violent
d)
excursion
27.
........................is an adventurous poem which describes the life of
rebellious and moody Don Juan.
a)
Westminster Bridge
b)
Endymion
c)
Don Juan
d)
The Excursion
28.
......................is written in Spenserian stanza, a nine-line stanza in
iambic meter, which is about the story of a man who goes off to travel far and
wide because he is disgusted with life's foolish pleasures.
a)
Childe Harold
b)
Endymion
c)
Don Juan
d)
The Excursion
29.
..........................was the literary critic who wrote 'Tales from
Shakespeare' with his sister Mary Lamb.
a)
William Hazlitt
b)
Thomas De Quincey
c)
Charles Lamb
d)
P. B. Shelley
30.
Charles Lamb's 'Specimens of English Dramatic Poets Contemporary with
Shakespeare' was published in...............and 'Essays of Elia' was published
in...............
a)
1808 and 1823
b)
1809 and 1824
c)
1810 and 1825
d)
1811 and 1826
31.
......................autobiographical work, The New Pygmation is about his
unsuccessful love affair with the daughter of a landlord.
a)
William Hazlitt's
b)
Thomas De Quincey's
c)
Charles Lamb's
d)
P. B. Shelley's
32.
...........................main works are: Confession of an English Opium Eater
(1821) and 'Suspiria de Profundis' (1845).
a)
William Hazlitt's
b)
Thomas De Quincey's
c)
Charles Lamb's
d)
P. B. Shelley's
33.
...............................is a novel about two sisters- Elinor and
Marianne. Elinor is balanced, reasonable, and has too much sense while her
sister Marianne possesses too much sensibility.
a)
Sense and Sensibility
b)
Northanger Abbey
c)
Pride and Prejudice
d)
The Last Man
34.
...............................focuses on Bennet family and the search of the
Bennet daughters for suitable husbands.
a)
Sense and Sensibility
b)
The Lotus Eaters
c)
Pride and Prejudice
d)
Emma
35.
Emma published in 1815 by....................., is about mismatching romances
and misadventures of the main character Emma Woodhouse.
a)
Mary Shelley
b)
Robert Browning
c)
Alfred Lord Tennyson
d)
Jane Austen
36.
..........................is especially the parody of gothic fiction in which
Austin creates a simple and unidentified girl as the main character of the
novel.
a)
Sense and Sensibility
b)
Northanger Abbey
c)
Pride and Prejudice
d)
The Last Man
37.
.............................can be considered as the first attempt at science
fiction in history of novel by Mary Shelly.
a)
Sense and Sensibility
b)
The Lotus Eaters
c)
Frankenstein
d)
Emma
38.
..........................is a story of the slow destruction by disease of
every member, except one, of the human race, which presents tragic love and set
in the future.
a)
Sense and Sensibility
b)
The Last Man
c)
Frankenstein
d)
The Lotus Eaters
39.
...........................influenced materials, scientific advancement, high
democratic practices, social unrest, doubt and skepticism, pessimism, religious
upheavals, political expansion, and rapid development in all the sectors.
a) Victorian Period
b)
Restoration
c)
Romanticism
d)
Early Nineteenth Century
40.
......................is about the soldiers of Ulysses, who on their way to
home from the Trojan War, happen to eat the flower of a Lotus' plant. After
eating the plant, the soldiers feel that all the troubles of life, work, war,
and ambition are meaningless.
a)
Sense and Sensibility
b)
The Last Man
c)
Frankenstein
d)
The Lotus Eaters
41.
.................is based on Arthurian legend where the love story of Guinevere
(Arthur's wife) and Lancelot is shown.
a)
The Idylls of the King
b)
The Last Man
c)
Frankenstein
d)
The Lotus Eaters
42.
......................is an elegy on the death of his friend who died at the
age of 22. Later, the sorrows for the death of his friend change into an
expression of a wider love of God and man.
a)
Sense and Sensibility
b)
The Last Man
c)
In Memorium
d)
The Lotus Eaters
43.
.......................experimented with new meters and the rhyming plan for
his stanza with often- abba pattern.
a)
Alfred Lord Tennyson
b)
Robert Browning
c)
Alfred Lord Tennyson
d)
Jane Austen
44.
.......................is about a Piper who gets rid of all the rats of a town
called Hamelin by playing his musical pipe.
a)
The Pied Pipers of Hamelin
b)
Andrea del Sarto
c)
My Last Duchess
d)
The Ring and the Book
45.
.......................presents the psychology of the rich Duke of Ferrara. He
kills his wife when he thinks that she is immoral.
a)
The Pied Pipers of Hamelin
b)
Andrea del Sarto
c)
My Last Duchess
d)
The Ring and the Book
46.
............................is his masterpiece. It is about the events of a
17th century Italian murder trial. The characters in the poem are studied with
psychological depth.
a)
The Pied Pipers of Hamelin
b)
Andrea del Sarto
c)
My Last Duchess
d)
The Ring and the Book
47.
........................studies Renaissance artists.
a)
The Pied Pipers of Hamelin
b)
Andrea del Sarto
c)
My Last Duchess
d)
The Ring and the Book
48.
......................started writing poems from the age of eleven and she was
more popular than her husband-poet Robert Browning.
a)
Mary Shelley
b)
Robert Browning
c)
Alfred Lord Tennyson
d)
Elizabeth Barret Browning
49.
'Dover Beach' a popular poem is written by..................
a)
Mary Shelley
b)
Mathew Arnold
c)
Alfred Lord Tennyson
d)
Elizabeth Barret Browning
50.
..............................was a poet and painter who also played the
leading role in founding the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood of poets and painters.
a)
Mary Shelley
b)
Mathew Arnold
c)
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
d)
Elizabeth Barret Browning
51.
.......................mainly wrote religious poems and children's poetry. Her
poems are collected mainly in: Goblin Market and Other Poems, The Prince's
Progress and Other Poems, Sing-Song: a Nursery Rhyme.
a)
Mary Shelley
b)
Christiana Rossetti
c)
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
d)
Elizabeth Barret Browning
52.
........................was a poet and Jesuit priest. "The Windhover"
is his famous poem in which he sees the image of the God in a falcon.
a)
Gerald Manly Hopkins
b)
Christiana Rossetti
c)
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
d)
Elizabeth Barret Browning
53.
The
Victorian period is mainly the period of......................, like drama in
the Elizabeth period.
a)
Poems
b)
Stories
c)
Novels
d)
Dramas
54.
..........................is a tale of a boy who is left poor on his father's
death. He is sent to work in a school, Dotheboys Hall. There, the master,
Squeers, treats forty miserable students cruelly and teaches them nothing.
a)
Oliver Twist
b)
Andrea del Sarto
c)
Nicholas Nickleby
d)
Pickwick Papers
55.
.................is an orphan. He runs away from his workhouse and joins a band
of pickpockets. He leads a criminal life because of hunger and poverty.
a)
Oliver Twist
b)
Andrea del Sarto
c)
Nicholas Nickleby
d)
Pickwick Papers
56.
The main protagonist, Scrooge, does not celebrate Christmas and he gains
pleasure by behaving other people badly in..............................
a)
Oliver Twist
b)
A Christmas Carol
c)
Nicholas Nickleby
d)
Pickwick Papers
57.
William Makepeace Thackeray's famous novels are.................
a)
Vanity Fair, The Newcomers, The Luck of Barry Lyndon
b)
Pandenni, Vanity Fair, Pickwick Papers
c)
The Luck of Barry Lyndon, Vanity Fair, Pickwick Papers
d)
The Luck of Barry Lyndon, Vanity Fair, Pickwick Papers
58.
In....................., passionate Heathcliff falls in love with Catherine.
a)
Vanity Fair
b)
Pandenni
c)
The Luck of Barry Lyndon
d)
Wuthering Heights
59.
..................tells the story of an orphaned girl who falls in love with a
married man.
a)
Oliver Twist
b)
Andrea del Sarto
c)
Nicholas Nickleby
d)
Jane Eyre
60.
....................reflects the personal experiences of the writer when she
was in Brussels; without beauty or money. She then becomes a teacher and wins
respect by her good character.
a)
Oliver Twist
b)
Villette
c)
Nicholas Nickleby
d)
Pickwick Papers
61.
.......................describes the events in the life of a schoolmaster.
a)
Oliver Twist
b)
Andrea del Sarto
c)
The Professor
d)
Pickwick Papers
62.
..........................is about Michel Henchard. When he is drunk, he sells
his wife and daughter for a few pounds.
a)
Oliver Twist
b)
The Mayor of Casterbridge
c)
The Professor
d)
Pickwick Papers
63.
..........................wrote her novels with her pseudonym George Eliot.
a)
Mary Shelley
b)
Christiana Rossetti
c)
Mary Ann Evans
d)
Elizabeth Barret Browning
64.
.....................revolves around moral choices in an imperfect world.
a)
Vanity Fair
b)
Middlemarch
c)
The Luck of Barry Lyndon
d)
Wuthering Heights
65.
He is now remembered mostly for one of the most popular children's
novels................., a novel about a treasure hunt in an island.
a)
Pandenni
b)
Treasure Island
c)
The Professor
d)
Wuthering Heights
66.
....................short stories "The Happy Prince" and "The
Selfish Giant" are popular among children.
a)
Mary Shelley's
b)
Oscar Wilde's
c)
Mary Ann Evans's
d)
Elizabeth Barret Browning's
67.
Bram Stoker's masterpiece, ................is the story of a15th-century prince
Vlad III. It's a legendry work of vampire literature and films.
a)
Dracula
b)
The Mayor of Casterbridge
c)
The Professor
d)
Pickwick Papers
Group
B
Answer
the following questions.
1.
How did Romantic poets contribute to English literature? Explain briefly.
The early nineteenth-century poets are called the
Romantics poets. These poets revolted against the poetic tradition of the
eighteenth century. They turned to the nature. They disliked the set rules and
orders of the neo-classical poets. Instead, they gave too much focus on
emotion, imagination, originality and freedom in their poetry. Simple and
commonly used natural language was chosen for their poetry. The publication of
the first edition of the Lyrical Ballad marks the beginning of romantic period
in English literature. It was combined worked produced together by Wordsworth and Coleridge.
William Wordsworth is regarded as a forerunner of
romantic period. He brought a completely new approach to the writing of poetry.
He had a great love for nature. Nature was God for him because it was a source
of his poetic inspiration. Because of his poetic ability and imagination
Wordsworth could paint ordinary things with beauty and charm. His main purpose
was to make ordinary things seem wonderful in his poetry. His best poems and
sonnets are 'Tintern Abbey', 'Westminster Bridge' and 'London', 'The Prelude', 'The
Excursion' etc.
S. T. Coleridge is also an important leading figure of the Romantic age. He is both a great critic and poet. He
is also a literary partner of Wordsworth. Both of them Worked together to
publish the Lyrical Ballad. Coleridge could make mysterious events acceptable
to a reader's mind. Coleridge's famous poems are 'The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner', 'Christable', 'Kubla Khan' etc.
Though Lord
Byron was a romantic figure, the classics had a great influence upon his
poetry. His poetry is powerful but it lacks the poetical qualities of
Wordsworth and Coleridge. His carelessly written poetry is often strong and
beautiful. Byron‘s poem 'Childe Haarold' is written in the Spenserian stanza.
'Don Juan' a long poem of astonishing adventure is also a satire which attacks
some of Byron's enemies.
P. B. Shelley was
a great romantic poet who belonged to the second generation of romantics'
poets. He was a very revolutionary and uncompromising figure but his popularity
as a lyric poet is undoubtedly very great. He struggled against the causes of
human misery and again accepted religions. His first important poem 'Alastor'
is written in blank verse and shows Wordsworth's influence. His fine poem
Adonis is an elegy on the death of Keats. He wrote many beautiful lyrics in
fine language. Some of his best lyrics include 'The Cloud', 'To a Skylark' and
'Ode to the West Wind'. These poems express his free spirit, forceful
imagination and desire to change the world.
John Keats blossomed
early and died young. He was inspired by reading Spenser. He developed
self-discipline both in feeling and skill which Shelley never attained. For Kun
sensation was a path to the knowledge and it was poet's duty to express it in
words. His cad poem 'Endymion' is based on old ideas of religion so it was
criticized. Keats wrote many beautiful poems in rich detail and accused Shelly
of using thin language. He is also fame for his great odes and sonnets. The
'Ode to a Nightingale' is his greatly admired poem. His 'To Autumn' is a poem
of scenes, season and a mood. 'On First Looking into Chapman's Homer' is one of
the best sonnets of Keats.
2.
What are the features of the Romantic Period? Explain briefly.
Romanticism
is a literary movement that came as the reaction to the 18th century, The Age
of Reason. Romantic writers were against established rules, reason, and logic.
They thought that the poems should be written in simple language or the
language of common people. For them, imagination was more important than
scientific reality. Spontaneity and quick wit were the basic origins of
Romanticism. The poets experimented on diverse subject matters and inventions.
The Romantic poets wrote about nature, village, common people and mythical
characters. For them, literature aimed to please the readers breaking the
traditions and conventions of the earlier period.
a.
Use of Simple Language:
Simplicity
in writing is the main feature of the Romantic period. The poets used the
language of general people, rustic setting and simple images in their writing.
As the period of poetry, simplicity in language and easy images are basically
found in the poetry of the period.
b) Love of Nature:
Romantic
writers returned to nature and enjoyed natural beauty in their writings. Some
valorized nature and some others enjoyed being on the lap of nature.
Wordsworth's 'Westminster Bridge' and Shelly's 'Ode to the West Wind' are
representative poems with the love of nature.
c) High Level of Emotion and Imagination:
The
period is marked with a high level of emotion and imagination. Writers used
emotional feelings in their writings. The poem Kubla Khan' by S. T. Coleridge
is an example of it.
d) Sense of Nationalism:
Romanticism
emerged the feeling of nationalism and high regard for national culture. Their
own country, culture, people from the rural area and value of their unity
helped for enhancing nationalism among the poets and the readers.
e) Revolt against Realism:
Eighteenth-century
Realism was thought of having aristocratic literature. Romanticism is a revolt
against the established norms of Realism and beginning of literature of the
public'. The writers of the period experimented high level of imagination as in
the poem 'Kubla Khan', 'Ode to the West Wind' and 'Lucy'.
f)
Spontaneity:
Spontaneity
in writing is marked in most of the works of the period. The writers focused on
the message more than on structure. The poets broke the strict structural trend
in literature and used free will in their writing.
g) Influence of Subjective Trend:
Romantic
writing is characterized by subjective writing. The writers focused on
subjective style and lessened objective one. They broke the trend of 'writing
with purpose and made as 'writing for pleasure'.
h) Romantic Enthusiasm:
The
writings of the period have romantic enthusiasm, feeling and goal. The writers
used a high level of imagination, romantic feeling, sense of love and enjoyment
in their writings.
i) The Age of Poetry:
Romantic
period is led by poetry in the leadership of the leading poets and their poems
like William Wordsworth, John Keats, S. T. Coleridge and P. B. Shelley.
3.
What kind of poetry did Wordsworth and Coleridge introduce in the early 19th
century? Explain in brief.
The
romantic period is one of the most fertile periods in English literature.
Mostly, poetry flourished better than other genres due to the poets like
William Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge contributed a lot for the development of
the literature of the Romantic period. Romanticism is against established rules
of Romantic poets thought that the poems should be written in simple language
or the language of common people. For them, poetry aims to please readers.
Wordsworth says, 'Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it
takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility."
William
Wordsworth, along with S. T. Coleridge, is regarded as the founder of the
Romantic Movement in English poetry. William Wordsworth was born in 1770 and
educated in St. John's College. He was the true lover of nature who could add
charm to ordinary things to beautify them. He wrote poems about ordinary and
common things. He said that the language of poetry should be the same as the
language of common people. He praised rural life.
'The
Lyrical Ballads' (1798), which gave the signal of the beginning of the Romantic
age. It was a joint work of Wordsworth and Coleridge. The publication of the
first edition of the Lyrical Ballads came as a shock because it violated many
established rules of that time. Its major subjects were common people, farmers,
and shepherds. Even the language used was simple, everyday language of the
common village people. The poems praised and glorified nature. They saw God in
nature, which is known as pantheism. In The Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth said
that the subjects of poetry should be incidents and situations from common life
and should be written in an ordinary language understood by common people. His
"Tintern Abbey' was a poem included in this book. In this poem, the poet
visits River Wye and remembers his boyhood days. He thinks that nature is far
more superior to the corrupt human society.
'The Prelude' (1805) is the collection of Wordsworth's fourteen books of verse
which records his memory of the visit to different places and childhood
experiences. 'The Excursion' (1814) is a nine-volume book which he planned to
complete as the philosophical work, but couldn't complete until his death.
Popular poems by Wordsworth are: London, Ode on Intimations of Immortality,
Lines Written above Tintern Abbey, Westminster Bridge, Lucy, and The Solitary
Riper.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) was the founder of romanticism along with
Wordsworth through the book The Lyrical Ballads. He wrote about mysterious
things. He made ordinary things seem wonderful. His treatments to supernatural
themes and meditative dimensions made him a true Romantic poet. His major poems
are:
The poem, 'Kubla Khan' gives the imaginary description of the castle of Kubla
Khan, the emperor of ancient China. The description of the castle produces
strange and magical pictures. But this work of art remained incomplete because
he was disturbed while he was thinking about the castle.
'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' appeared in the first edition of The Lyrical
Ballads. An old sailor described some strange misfortunes that happened to the
ship. He shot a bird when he was in a ship in the ice of the South Pole. A
curse fell for this crime, water-supply ended and all the sailors died of
thirst. At last, the mariner blessed the creatures of God and the curse was
broken. He was saved. The moral of this poem is that crime against nature is a
crime against God. Coleridge's BiographiaLiteria is one of the most significant
works of English literary criticism.
4.
What is the contribution of John Keats as Romantic-English poet? Elaborate.
The
romantic period is one of the most fertile periods in English literature.
Mostly, poetry flourished better than other genres due to the poets like John
Keats contributed a lot for the development of the literature of the Romantic
period. Romanticism is against established rules of Romantic poets thought that
the poems should be written in simple language or the language of common
people.
Keats
wrote poems about mythical characters and themes. He died at the age of 25
because of tuberculosis. He thought that the aim of poetry is the appreciation
of beauty. Even in his short life, he worked for the perfection of English
poetry. His poems are marked by vivid imagery and sensuous appeal and so; they
give pleasure to the senses. Keats perfected the odes and wrote many lyrics and
sonnets too. The four odes; "Ode to Nightingale", "Ode to the
Grecian Urn", "Ode to Autumn" and "Ode to Melancholy"
are the finest specimens in English poetry.
The
main theme of 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' is that art escapes from death, time and
change. In this poem, the poet claims 'beauty is truth, truth beauty. 'Ode to
Nightingale', the poet wants to run away with the nightingale but he thinks
that imagination is the best medium to escape from this human world.
This
early poem 'Endymion' is based on old ideas: the old gods, the love of
moon-goddess for a shepherd, Venus and Adonis. He strangely treats old myths.
'The Eve of St. Agnes' is a long narrative poem written in the theme of love.
Set in a medieval castle, a young lover visits his beloved's chamber, hides in
her closet and persuades her to run away with him.
Keats blossomed early and died young. He was inspired
by reading Spenser. He developed self-discipline both in feeling and skill.
Keats wrote many beautiful poems in rich detail and accused Shelly of using
thin language. He is also fame for his great odes and sonnets. The 'Ode to a
Nightingale' is his greatly admired poem. His 'To Autumn' is a poem of scenes,
season and a mood. 'On First Looking into Chapman's Homer' is one of the best
sonnets of Keats. He also wrote a good ballad entitled 'La Belle Dame Sans
Merci' in which a Knight dreams of his lady but later on he finds himself
alone.
5.
How did Romanticism shift literary trend in English literature? Discuss.
Eighteenth-century
English literature emphasized on intellect and reasoning in writing with
logical segments and argumentative thoughts, rather than emotions and
imagination. This age is known as the age of reason' because the writers
emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith. Since the
writers of this period gave much emphasis on rules and regulations of writing,
this age is known as the Neo-classic age and even Augustan Age. Poetry was
written with full of compliments and polite manners. The ideas used in poetry
were often in a conversational style.
We
can even find some moral poetry in the works of Johnson, Waller, and others.
Likewise, the use of allegory was common in the fiction of this period.
Gossips, scandals, sexes, and marital intrigues with offensive sexual contents
became popular in writings. Essays ranged from philosophical to personal,
covering the themes of gardening, environment, family, love affairs, and
politics. The use of plain and direct style was preferred in many of the
writings of the period.
On the other hand, the early nineteenth-century poets
are called the Romantics poets. These poets revolted against the poetic
tradition of the eighteenth century. They turned to the nature. They disliked
the set rules and orders of the neo-classical poets. Instead, they gave too
much focus on emotion, imagination, originality and freedom in their poetry.
Simple and commonly used natural language was chosen for their poetry.
The publication of the first edition of the 'Lyrical
Ballad' marks the beginning of romantic period in English literature. It was
combined worked produced together by Wordsworth
and Coleridge. Poetry was defined in a new light in this work. Much
emphasis was given on simple language, imagination, originality and poetic
freedom. Nature was thought to be a proper subject matter for poetry. It was a
work of great change and experiment in terms of poetry. Its publication gave a
shock to the traditional poets and critics of the eighteenth century. They
considered the language too simple and the change too violent.
In
the 18th Century or Age of Reason, the writers wrote polished heroic poems
caring poetic rules. For them, reasoning was necessary to find truth. They
wrote poems about kings, soldiers or courtiers and praised them. These writers
preferred comfortable towns to the wild mountains. They thought that poetry
comes from the mind. For them, the aim of poetry is to teach.
On
the other hand, Romanticism in early 19th Century, the poets wrote simple poems
without caring poetic rules. For them, imagination was more important that
reason. They wrote poems about shepherds, farmers and common people. These
writers preferred wild mountains and nature to the comfortable towns. They
thought that poetry comes from the heart. For them, the aim of poetry is to
give pleasure.
6.
Discuss the contribution of the Victorian poets in English literature.
Later nineteenth-century poets are known as Victorian
Poets. Much of the writing of this period reflects current social, economic,
and intellectual problems. The poetry of this period shows the crisis on
religion and philosophy because of the development of science.
ALFRED LORD TENNYSON
is one of the most skilled
and self-conscious poets of the Victorian age. He is typical Victorian who
adopted the conventional religious and social views and values of his age. His
later poems are serious and thoughtful as well as musical. His poem 'The Idylls
of the King' is preferred by many people even today. In 'Morte D Arthur' he
turned Malory's story into poetry. He made experiment with different meters. In
his long poem 'In Memoriam' he laments for the death of his friend Arthur
Hallam. Tennyson’s shorter poems are generally better than longer ones.
'Ulysses' is his most controlled and perfectly written poem which presents the
heroic voice of the aged hero. 'The Princess' is the collection of his fine
lyric", which shows his best mystery over word-painting and musical
quality.
ROBERT BROWNING
is major Victorian poet who
voiced the mood of optimism in his works. For Browning the intellect was more
important than the music. His great knowledge was the result of his self-study
and travels. His reputation is higher as writer of dramatic monologue. One of
his successful dramatic poems is 'Pippa Passes'. 'Sordello' is a good example
of his difficult poem. 'The Ring and the Book' is a poem based on a book that
he found in Florence. 'Asolando' is a collection of many fine poems which was
published on the day of Browning death.
MATTHEW ARNOLD
was a great poet and critic
of his time. He had been a professor of poetry in Oxford for ten years. His
works truly represent his age. A sad undertone runs through nearly all his
poetry. His views of modern life, of its complexity, its sick hurry and divided
aims are present in his poetry. 'Thyrsis' is a poem of lament for his friend,
Clough. In his poem, 'The Scholar Gipsy' the poet talks about an Oxford man who
joins a band of gipsies and wanders with them. 'Memorial Verses' is his sad
poem in which the poet laments for the deaths of many poets at home and abroad.
Elizabeth
Barret Browning started writing poems from the age of eleven and she was more
popular than her husband-poet Robert Browning. The Battle of Marthon was
written when she was twelve. Her poems are published in The Seraphim and Other
Poems (1838) and Poems (1850).
DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI
was a poet as well as a
noted painter. His sonnets are among the most musical in English. Many critics
have accused him of writing a moral poems belonging to the 'Fleshy School' of
poetry. But he argued that poetry ought to be based on the senses. Many of his
poetic lines are written in a way a painter's eye captures the beauty of the
thing. Rossetti wrote about nature with his eye on it, but did not feel it in
his bones as Wordsworth does Rossetti was too fond of alliteration.
Christiana
Rossetti Sister to Dante Gabriel Rossetti, is one of the important poets both
in range and quality. She mainly wrote religious poems and children's poetry.
Her poems are collected mainly in: Goblin Market and Other Poems, The Prince's
Progress and Other Poems, Sing-Song: a Nursery Rhyme.
Gerald Manly Hopkins was a poet and Jesuit priest. As his profession, he wrote
religious poems. His poems are written in Sprung Rhythm, a poetic meter in
which a foot consists of one stressed syllable and several unstressed ones.
"The Windhover" is his famous) poem in which he sees the image of the
God (Christ) in a falcon.
7.
"The nineteenth century is known as the age of prose development."
Explain.
With the arrival of romanticism, the
nineteenth—century prose reached a new stage and became for the first time a
literary norm of its own. The nineteenth century is known as
the age of prose development because various writers contribute their best. The essays of this time became highly personal and
often whimsical. They also contained the wanderings of the writer's tastes and
likes and dislikes. In this way, we notice the growth of familiar essays which
represented another aspect of the romantic exploration of personality.
William Hazlitt
is more vigorous and less
mannered essayist than Lamb. He was a plain speaker who brought to the English
Essay a new kind of life and Commitment. The range of subjects of his essays is
greater than Lamb. He develops a fast-moving, hard—hitting prose which is
called literary-colloquial English. His major work was literary criticism. He
wrote 'Characters of Shakespeare's plays', 'Lectures on the English poets',
'English Comic writers' and so on.
Charles
Lamb is known for his social romanticism in his writing. He was the literary
critic who wrote 'Tales from Shakespeare' with his sister Mary Lamb. His 'Specimens
of English Dramatic Poets Contemporary with Shakespeare' was published in 1808
and 'Essays of Elia' was published in 1823. He wrote many famous essays for
journal too. His style was gentle and very attractive marked with a relaxed and
colloquial voice and genteel sensibility. His writings blended personal and
universal interests along with his sense of humour.
Thomas De Quincey
was a manner less and angry
person but he was a good prose writer. His autobiographical essay 'Confessions
of An English Opium Eater' made him famous. The essay tells the story and dream
of his early life. He also describes how he began to take opium to reduce his
pain and anxiety. He could write essays both in plain and ornamented language according
to the subject of the essays. He has written many essays on various subjects.
Jane
Austin was one of the early women novelists and a leading novelist in the early
19th century. Her novels are calm pictures of society. She understood the
importance of family and human affairs. Her novels deal with family matters and
manners, the problem of marriage, pursuit of the perfect suitor, economic
security, etc. She brought the novel of family life to its highest point of
perfection. 'Sense and Sensibility' is a novel about two sisters- Elinor and
Marianne. 'Pride and Prejudice' focuses on Bennet family and the search of the
Bennet daughters for suitable husbands. 'Emma' published in 1815, is about
mismatching romances and misadventures of the main character Emma Woodhouse.
Mary
Shelley was the wife of P. B. Shelley. She wrote novels of terror. 'Frankenstein'
can be considered as the first attempt at science fiction. Frankenstein, a
college student, collects bones, builds a human body, and then gives life to
it. The creature is ugly but good. 'The Last Man' is a story of the slow
destruction by disease of every member, except one, of the human race. It
presents tragic love and set in the future.
8.
How did 19th-century prose writers contribute to English literature? Explain.
Development
of prose, along with novels, was shadowed by poetry in this period. Still,
there were great prose writers like Thomas De Quincey, Charles. Lamb, and
William Hazlitt; and the novelists like Jane Austin, Mary Shelley. George
Eliot, Emily Bronte and others. Romanticism gave equal space to the female
writers too. Many female writers could expose their inner realities and
feelings openly in their writings because of this freedom to them. Early 19th
century prose bore the characteristics of romantic poetry to some extent
because essays written in this period were highly personal and even whimsical.
Charles Lamb is known for his social romanticism in his writing. He was the
literary critic who wrote 'Tales from Shakespeare' with his sister Mary Lamb.
His 'Specimens of English Dramatic Poets Contemporary with Shakespeare' was
published in 1808 and 'Essays of Elia' was published in 1823. He wrote many
famous essays for journal too. His style was gentle and very attractive marked
with a relaxed and colloquial voice and genteel sensibility. His writings
blended personal and universal interests along with his sense of humour.
William Hazlitt was regarded as one of the quarrelsome persons in public
affairs by nature but in literature, he is famous for his extended style of
literary Plain criticism. His essays are full of humanistic vigour and
brilliant intellect. Hazlitt's essays are collected in Table Talk (1821). The
Speaker (1826), Sketches and Essays (1829), Literary Remains (1836) and
Winterslow (1850). His autobiographical work, The New Pygmation is about his
unsuccessful love affair with the daughter of a landlord. Hazlitt wrote books
on criticism too. His 'A View of the English Stage' (1818), 'On the English
Poets' (1818), 'On the English Comic Writers (1819) and Characters of
Shakespeare's Plays' are the works written on criticism.
Thomas
De Quincey had a great sense of romanticism in writing and was a profoundly
educated man. His prose works are about rural life and the realities of the
sorrowful living of the people there. His works are full of sympathy and
humour. His main works are: Confession of an English Opium Eater (1821) and
'Suspiria de Profundis' (1845).
Jane Austen was one of the early women
novelists and a leading novelist in the early 19th century. Her novels are calm
pictures of society. She understood the importance of family and human affairs.
Though her two brothers were in the navy (army), she paid little attention to
the violence of nations. Her novels deal with family matters and manners, the
problem of marriage, pursuit of the perfect suitor, economic security, etc. She
brought the novel of family life to its highest point of perfection. Most of
her characters correct their faults from the lesson learnt from life's
hardship. In her every work, she highlighted the need for friendship and
respect for a happy family.
Mary Shelley was the wife of P. B. Shelley. She wrote novels of terror.
'Frankenstein' can be considered as the first attempt at science fiction.
Frankenstein, a college student, collects bones, builds a human body, and then
gives life to it. The creature is ugly but good. 'The Last Man' is a story of
the slow destruction by disease of every member, except one, of the human race.
It presents tragic love and set in the future.
9.
What are the contributions of women novelists in the Victorian Age?
The
Victorian period is mainly the period of Novels, like drama in the Elizabeth
period. About five thousand novels are supposed to have been written in this
period and hundreds of novels are still read and enjoyed. Victorian novels
mostly deal with social issues like poverty, injustice, inequality, racism,
religious intolerance, material distribution and many more. The setting of the
novels is the contextual society and the characters are from all classes of the
society.
Many
writers tried to expose the inner realities of the people in their writings.
Diverse voices of the people, desire for freedom and expression became the
issues to write during this period. The major women novelists of this period
are: Emile Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, Doris Lessing etc.
One of the interesting developments in the
twentieth-century literature is the remarkable increase in the number of women
writers, especially novelist. Some women novelist generally deals with the same
kind of subjects as men do, for example, Virginia Woolf and Iris Murdoch.
Ivy Compton Burnett's novels deal with the family life in a very original way. She presents the reality of
Victorian family life in her novels. Mostly her cruel and evil characters
succeed where as good characters remain unsuccessful in their lives. No force
from outside or inside can change her characters. The bad are never punished
and good are never rewarded. In her novels she deals with the traditions of the
Victorian family to show that the reality of their life is basically cruel and
destructive. Her famous novels include 'Brothers and Sisters' 'Parents and
Children' and 'A Heritage and its History'.
Doris Lessing is mainly concerned with the women's problems in her
novels. Her first novel, 'The Grass is Singing' is about the sad life of a poor
white farmer's wife. It has the setting of southern Africa. In 'Children of
Violence' the central a character, Martha Quest, tries to break away from Old
social ideas and traditions in order to live a free life. In her famous novel,
'The Golden Notebook' Lessing deals with women's lives, beliefs and problems
with her great courage, power and honesty. She explores how the pressures of
the social and political events have been put on woman. The people in the novel
are seen hostile and unfriendly towards women. They hurt and treat female
characters cruelly because they themselves are weak.
Margaret Drabble's novels also present women as main characters. But they do not express ideas and
feelings much about themselves; rather they are concerned mainly to receive
higher education. In her novels, 'The Millstone' and 'The Waterfall' the
central characters who find themselves in loneliness and frustration are
brought into happy world by love and human feelings. Drabble creates a picture
of unhappy in 'The Ice Age'. The people in the novel are seen unhappy because
they only live in one part of their personalities. It is shown as a danger to
the whole of society.
Over a few decades there has been a tremendous
interest in the books written by and about woman. Virago Press has helped in
this field by publishing the books about women and their experience. Several
important woman writers from the first half of the country include Rebecca
West, Elizabeth Bowen, Storm Jameson and Rosamond Lehman. They have found a new
audience in this way.
10. Show your acquaintance with nineteenth
century novelists.
The
Victorian period is mainly the period of Novels, like drama in the Elizabeth
period. About five thousand novels are supposed to have been written in this
period and hundreds of novels are still read and enjoyed. Victorian novels
mostly deal with social issues like poverty, injustice, inequality, racism,
religious intolerance, material distribution and many more. The setting of the
novels is the contextual society and the characters are from all classes of the
society. Many writers tried to expose the inner realities of the people in
their writings. Diverse voices of the people, desire for freedom and expression
became the issues to write during this period. The major novelists of this
period are: Charles Dickens, W. M. Thackeray, Emile Bronte, Charlotte Bronte,
George Eliot, Luis Stevenson, and Thomas Hardy etc.
Charles
Dickens, one of the greatest English novelists of all time. He wrote novels
based on social issues. He is a realistic novelist. He bitterly attacked the
social evils, the money-minded rich people, and the industrial society. In his
novels, he presented the lives of the poor, their miserable condition, and the
cruel treatment of society to the unprivileged ones. He attacked the bad
effects of the Industrial Revolution that caused poverty, diseases, injustice,
and many other social evils. He showed how true man was surrounded by villains,
social climbers, criminals, and cheaters. In his novels, he described and
attacked many kinds of unpleasant people and places- bad schools, school teachers,
government departments, bad prisons, and workhouses. His characters include
thieves, murderers, men in debt, stupids, hungry children, and even
prostitutes.
William
Makepeace Thackeray was born and raised in a wealthy family. He is famous for
his humorous and ironic description of the middle and upper classes of his
time. He attacked the behaviours, duplicity and falsity of the upper-class
society. He gave an honest view of life. He knew that men and women were
complex and humans had both good and bad qualities. His novels are realistic,
colourful, and vivid. He understood that weak and innocent people were not
rewarded but pushed to the wall. His major novels are:
Emily
Bronte wrote the only novel entitled The
Wuthering Heights and became popular for it. She also published a collection of
poetry in collaboration with her sister Charlotte Bronte. The characters of her
novel are passionate but cruel. She was too much imaginative and passionate
than her sister Charlotte Bronte.
Charlotte
Bronte spent most of her creative life with her sister, Emily Bronte and the
readers of English literature know them as 'Bronte sisters." They lived in
poor surroundings. Poverty and unhappy life frequently appeared in Charlotte's
novels. In the initial days, like many women writers of her time, she wrote
with a pseudonym like Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Her novels and stories
attracted the readers' attention for their passion and originality and then,
she started to write with her real name. Her novels could develop strong
feelings and emotions in the readers. Her novels are realistic and show the
vicissitudes of poor families.
In
Thomas Hardy's novels, nature plays an important part. Almost all of his novels
are set in Wessex, among farms, trees, fields, and low hills. His novels are
darker and pessimistic in tone. The characters are controlled by fate, chance,
and natural forces. The characters work hard but cannot fight with the fate or
natural force and die a miserable death. Most of Hardy's characters cannot
control their passion, greed and lust. So, they are destined to fall. All of
Hardy's major works deal with an unhappy relationship and divorce. He thought
that in this meaningless world, people only suffer and surrender to fate.
Mary Ann Evans wrote her novels with her pseudonym George Eliot. Eliot wrote
with sympathy, wisdom, and realism about English country people and towns. She
seriously dealt with social and moral problems blended with human psychology.
She wrote calmer books which are full of moral lessons. She wanted to preach
moral lessons through her novels. Her novels are set in the domestic and rural
environment.
Poet,
travel writer and novelist, Louis Stevenson, is an unforgettable novelist,
especially related to children's novels. He is now remembered mostly for one of
the most popular children's novels Treasure Island, a novel about a treasure
hunt in an island. Kidnapped, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde are his
other popular novels. He is one of the most translated authors in world
literature.
11.
What are the contributions of novelist Charles Dickens in the Victorian Age?
The
Victorian period is mainly the period of Novels, like drama in the Elizabeth
period. About five thousand novels are supposed to have been written in this
period and hundreds of novels are still read and enjoyed. Victorian novels
mostly deal with social issues like poverty, injustice, inequality, racism,
religious intolerance, material distribution and many more. The setting of the
novels is the contextual society and the characters are from all classes of the
society. Many writers tried to expose the inner realities of the people in
their writings. Diverse voices of the people, desire for freedom and expression
became the issues to write during this period.
Charles
Dickens (1812-1870) is one of the greatest English novelists of all time. He
wrote novels based on social issues. He is a realistic novelist. He bitterly
attacked the social evils, the money-minded rich people, and the industrial
society. In his novels, he presented the lives of the poor, their miserable
condition, and the cruel treatment of society to the unprivileged ones. He
attacked the bad effects of the Industrial Revolution that caused poverty,
diseases, injustice, and many other social evils. He showed how true man was
surrounded by villains, social climbers, criminals, and cheaters. In his
novels, he described and attacked many kinds of unpleasant people and places-
bad schools, school teachers, government departments, bad prisons, and
workhouses. His characters include thieves, murderers, men in debt, stupids,
hungry children, and even prostitutes.
His major novels are:
Hard
Times: Thomas Gradgrind is a scientific man who teaches his children about
facts and scientific reasoning. Emotion and imagination are never allowed in
the lives of children. Consequently, his son robs the bank of his own relative
while his daughter becomes a fragmented woman. Later Gradgrind understands his
foolishness. This novel is an attack on science and scientific reasoning.
A
Christmas Carol: The main protagonist, Scrooge, does not celebrate Christmas
and he gains pleasure by behaving other people badly. He is greedy and selfish.
Three ghosts remind him of his past, present, and future and his coming death.
Scrooge, then, becomes helpful, warm, loving, and finally, leads a religious
life.
Nicholas Nickleby: This is a tale of a boy who is left poor on his father's
death. He is sent to work in a school, Dotheboys Hall. There, the master,
Squeers, treats forty miserable students cruelly and teaches them nothing.
Nicholas beats the criminal Squeers and then escapes.
Oliver
Twist: Oliver Twist is an orphan. He runs away from his workhouse and joins a
band of pickpockets. He leads a criminal life because of hunger and poverty.
Twist gets caught stealing from a wealthy man. The man finds that Twist is his
nephew. This novel presents the cruel treatment of the society to the poor.
The
other works of Dickens are: David Copperfield', 'Bleak House', 'Pickwick
Papers', 'A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Our Mutual Friends, Dombey
and Son, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Chimes etc.
12.
What are the contributions of novelist William Makepeace Thackeray in the
Victorian Age?
The
Victorian period is mainly the period of Novels, like drama in the Elizabeth
period. About five thousand novels are supposed to have been written in this
period and hundreds of novels are still read and enjoyed. Victorian novels
mostly deal with social issues like poverty, injustice, inequality, racism,
religious intolerance, material distribution and many more. The setting of the
novels is the contextual society and the characters are from all classes of the
society. Many writers tried to expose the inner realities of the people in
their writings. Diverse voices of the people, desire for freedom and expression
became the issues to write during this period.
He
was born and raised in a wealthy family. He is famous for his humorous and
ironic description of the middle and upper classes of his time. He attacked the
behaviours, duplicity and falsity of the upper-class society. He gave an honest
view of life. He knew that men and women were complex and humans had both good
and bad qualities. His novels are realistic, colourful, and vivid. He
understood that weak and innocent people were not rewarded but pushed to the
wall.
His
major novels are:
Vanity
Fair: This novel is about an ambitious woman named Becky Sharp, poor but of
noble birth. She uses her wit, cunningness, and duplicity to become successful.
She has to change according to the society's worldly standards. This novel
satirizes the values of upper-class English Society. Duplicity and
double-standard are essential to succeed in life.
The
Newcomers: The novel is about the family of Colonel Thomas Newcome and it deals
with many generations of the Newcome family. The Colonel travels back and forth
to India and England and his son also travels a lot to learn painting. Many
decades pass and the Newcome family becomes successful to become wealthy and
establish a marital relationship with aristocratic families.
Thackeray
wrote many novels and some of his widely read novels are: The Luck of Barry
Lyndon, Pandenni, Men's Wives, The Rose and the Ring, The Adventures of Philip.
The Virginians and The History of Henry Esmond.
13.
What are the contributions of novelist Thomas Hardy in the Victorian Age?
The
Victorian period is mainly the period of Novels, like drama in the Elizabeth
period. About five thousand novels are supposed to have been written in this
period and hundreds of novels are still read and enjoyed. Victorian novels
mostly deal with social issues like poverty, injustice, inequality, racism,
religious intolerance, material distribution and many more. The setting of the
novels is the contextual society and the characters are from all classes of the
society. Many writers tried to expose the inner realities of the people in
their writings. Diverse voices of the people, desire for freedom and expression
became the issues to write during this period.
In
his novels, nature plays an important part. Almost all of his novels are set in
Wessex, among farms, trees, fields, and low hills. His novels are darker and
pessimistic in tone. The characters are controlled by fate, chance, and natural
forces. The characters work hard but cannot fight with the fate or natural
force and die a miserable death. Most of Hardy's characters cannot control
their passion, greed and lust. So, they are destined to fall. All of Hardy's
major works deal with an unhappy relationship and divorce. He thought that in
this meaningless world, people only suffer and surrender to fate.
Far
from the Madding Crowd: In this novel, Gabriel Oak, a shepherd, loves Bathsheba
from the core of his heart. He serves her faithfully for many years. But
Sergeant Troy, an attractive but cruel soldier, marries her and treats her
badly. He is murdered by an angry farmer, and after many troubles, Bathsheba
marries Gabriel. This is the story of patient love on one side and selfish
passion on the other.
The
Mayor of Casterbridge: This novel is about Michel Henchard. When he is drunk,
he sells his wife and daughter for a few pounds. He promises that he will not
drink alcohol for twenty years. He then goes to Casterbridge, becomes mayor and
wealthy person. He falls in love with Lucetta. But when his wife and daughter
arrive, he changes his mind. Lucetta marries Henchard's enemy. Henchard loses
all his wealth and starts drinking again. In the end, he dies a miserable
death.
Jude
the Obscure: It is a story of Jude Fawley - a poor stone-worker. Since
childhood, he longs to become a religious teacher, but could not escape the
problems caused by his own sexual desires and habit of drinking. Fate is
against him. His marriage turns to failure, and he falls in love with a clever
teacher. Sorrows follow their lives together; their children die, then Jude
begins to drink heavily that causes his death.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: It is a tale of a poor girl, Tess, who is seduced by
D'Urberville. She marries another man, Angel Clare, who abandons her on
learning of her misfortune. Tess later murders her seducer D'Urberville to free
herself from him. She is arrested and hanged.
14.
What are the differences between 18th century Age of Reason and Romanticism?
Eighteenth-century
English literature emphasized on intellect and reasoning in writing with
logical segments and argumentative thoughts, rather than emotions and
imagination. This age is known as the age of reason' because the writers
emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith. Since the
writers of this period gave much emphasis on rules and regulations of writing,
this age is known as the Neo-classic age and even Augustan Age. Poetry was
written with full of compliments and polite manners.
The
ideas used in poetry were often in a conversational style. We can even find
some moral poetry in the works of Johnson, Waller, and others. Likewise, the
use of allegory was common in the fiction of this period. Gossips, scandals,
sexes, and marital intrigues with offensive sexual contents became popular in
writings. Essays ranged from philosophical to personal, covering the themes of
gardening, environment, family, love affairs, and politics. The use of plain
and direct style was preferred in many of the writings of the period.
On the other hand, the early nineteenth-century poets
are called the Romantics poets. These poets revolted against the poetic
tradition of the eighteenth century. They turned to the nature. They disliked
the set rules and orders of the neo-classical poets. Instead, they gave too
much focus on emotion, imagination, originality and freedom in their poetry.
Simple and commonly used natural language was chosen for their poetry.
Difference
between 18th Century Age of Reason & Romanticism
|
18th Century /
Age of Reason |
Romanticism
(19th Century) |
|
The writers
wrote polished heroic poems caring poetic rules. |
The poets
wrote simple poems without caring poetic rules. |
|
For them,
reasoning was necessary to find truth. |
For them,
imagination was more important that reason. |
|
They wrote
poems about kings, soldiers or courtiers and praised them. |
They wrote
poems about shepherds, farmers and common people. |
|
These writers
preferred comfortable towns to the wild mountains. |
These writers
preferred wild mountains and nature to the comfortable towns. |
|
They thought
that poetry comes from the mind. |
They thought
that poetry comes from the heart. |
|
For them, the
aim of poetry is to teach. |
For them, the
aim of poetry is to give pleasure. |
15.
Write the status of English language in nineteenth century English society.
Britain
was an Empire for 200 years between the 18th and 20th centuries and the English
language continued to change as the British Empire moved across the world to
the USA, Australia, New Zealand, India, Asia and Africa. They sent people to
settle and live in their conquered places and expanded their business there. As
settlers interacted with natives, new words were added to the English
vocabulary. For example, "Kangaroo' and 'boomerang' are native Australian
aborigine words whereas 'juggernaut' and 'turban' came from India.
The
use of standard forms of language was more focused in the beginning. In
romanticism, the writings were supposed to imitate the simple language
reflecting the rustic life. Thomas Hardy was among the first novelists to
understand the social and personal significance of dialects to Standard
English. He remained for the most part constrained by the Victorian convention
that the characters in a novel should consistently speak Standard English.
The
trend of use of local dialects was discouraged in writing but later, it shifted
to the local use of language. Regarding the poems in this century, Tennyson
used local Lincolnshrine dialect in many of his poems-although they were rarely
used. Thomas Hardy acknowledged the considerable influence of William Barnes,
the Dorset poet, regarding the use of language in the Wessex novels and his own
novels. Dickens's use of cockney dialect in creating lower-class London
character is the best-known example of dialect in this age. Likewise, Sir
Walter Scott used Scouts for similar reasons in several of his Waverley novels.
Therefore, the use of local dialect was dominant in several writings in the
latter part of this century.
After
the rule- governing literature of the eighteenth century, there was the feel
that literature needs to cross the realistic and classical boundaries and
should be explored with social changes. The majority of literature in the
eighteenth century was written in urban areas; on city people and their
behaviours. Towards the end of the 18th century, poets like William Blake,
Thomas Gray and others indicated the sense of freedom in their writings.
Nineteenth-century English literature is divided into two periods: The Romantic
Period and The Victorian Period.
The
Romantic Period is famous for the literature written in the first four decades
of the century while The Victorian Period is the period during the reign of
Queen Victoria (1837-1901). The literary bird caged in the urban areas came
into open nature in the Romantic Period and again went towards the factories
and workhouses in the Victorian Period. Romantic Movement started with the
publication of the Lyrical Ballads in 1798. It was characterized by the free
will, love of nature, and simplicity in writing whereas mystic realities and
social matters became the themes and subjects for Victorian literature.
16.
Write short notes on:
a)
Victorian Period
Later nineteenth-century poets are known as Victorian
Poets. Much of the writing of this period reflects current social, economic,
and intellectual problems. The poetry of this period shows the crisis on
religion and philosophy because of the development of science.
The
Victorian period is mainly the period of Novels, like drama in the Elizabeth
period. About five thousand novels are supposed to have been written in this
period and hundreds of novels are still read and enjoyed. Victorian novels
mostly deal with social issues like poverty, injustice, inequality, racism,
religious intolerance, material distribution and many more. The setting of the
novels is the contextual society and the characters are from all classes of the
society. Many writers tried to expose the inner realities of the people in
their writings. Diverse voices of the people, desire for freedom and expression
became the issues to write during this period. The major novelists of this
period are: Charles Dickens, W. M. Thackeray, Emile Bronte, Charlotte Bronte,
George Eliot, Luis Stevenson and Thomas Hardy.
Marked
by melancholy, mourning, didacticism, the abundance of imagination, and
domination of poetic qualities upon prose, the Victorian period has notable
development of literature. It gave rise to English novels. It influenced
materials, scientific advancement, high democratic practices, social unrest,
doubt and skepticism, pessimism, religious upheavals, political expansion, and
rapid development in all the sectors. The notable poets of this period were:
Alfred Lord Tennyson, Mathew Arnold, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barret
Browning, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, and G. M. Hopkins.
The
Victorian Period is the period during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).
The literary bird caged in the urban areas came into open nature in the
Romantic Period and again went towards the factories and workhouses in the
Victorian Period. Mystic realities and social matters became the themes and
subjects for Victorian literature.
b)
Romantic Period
Romanticism
is against established rules of Romantic poets thought that the poems should be
written in simple language or the language of common people. For them, poetry
aims to please readers. Wordsworth says, 'Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in
tranquility."
Romanticism
is a literary movement that came as the reaction to the 18th century, The Age
of Reason. Romantic writers were against established rules, reason, and logic.
They thought that the poems should be written in simple language or the
language of common people. For them, imagination was more important than
scientific reality. Spontaneity and quick wit were the basic origins of
Romanticism. The poets experimented on diverse subject matters and inventions.
The Romantic poets wrote about nature, village, common people and mythical
characters. For them, literature aimed to please the readers breaking the
traditions and conventions of the earlier period.
Publication
of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'Lyrical Ballads' in 1798
brought a radical change in the Renaissance spirit of writing. As the
foundation for the Romantic Movement in English literature, the book flourished
the free will, love of nature, simple expressions, and use of popular verse in
writing. This period is basically dominated by the development of Romantic
poetry.
The
Romantic Period is famous for the literature written in the first four decades
of the century. The literary bird caged in the urban areas came into open
nature in the Romantic Period. Romantic Movement started with the publication
of the Lyrical Ballads in 1798. It was characterized by the free will, love of
nature, and simplicity in writing.
c)
The Lyrical Ballads
William
Wordsworth, along with S. T. Coleridge, is regarded as the founder of the
Romantic Movement in English poetry. He was born in 1770 and educated in St.
John's College. He was the true lover of nature who could add charm to ordinary
things to beautify them. He wrote poems about ordinary and common things. He
said that the language of poetry should be the same as the language of common
people. He praised rural life.
S.
T. Coleridge was the founder of romanticism along with Wordsworth through the
book The Lyrical Ballads. He wrote about mysterious things. He made ordinary
things seem wonderful. His treatments to supernatural themes and meditative
dimensions made him a true Romantic poet.
The
Lyrical Ballads (1798) gave the signal of the beginning of the Romantic age. It
was a joint work of Wordsworth and Coleridge. The publication of the first
edition of the Lyrical Ballads came as a shock because it violated many
established rules of that time. Its major subjects were common people, farmers,
and shepherds. Even the language used was simple, everyday language of the
common village people. The poems praised and glorified nature. They saw God in
nature, which is known as pantheism.
In
The Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth said that the subjects of poetry should be
incidents and situations from common life and should be written in an ordinary
language understood by common people. His "Tintern Abbey' was a poem
included in this book. In this poem, the poet visits River Wye and remembers
his boyhood days. He thinks that nature is far more superior to the corrupt
human society.
.jpg)
