unit 3 wordsworth and coleridge.

This task is given by megha ma'am.

Q 1) What are the characteristics of romantic poetry ? illustrate with examples from wordsworth and coleridge.

Ans) Romantic poetry, which emerged in the last 18th and 19th centuries , is known for its emphasis on emotion, imagination, and nature. here are the key characteristics :

        1) Emphasis on Emotion and Imagination 

            Romantic poets explored a wide range of human emotions, including love, joy, despair. they believed that emotions were the key to understanding the human experience and could provide access to deeper truths.

           Romanting poets used their imagination to see the world differently, and to imagine what it could be and how it could be improved. 

        2)  Love of Nature

           Nature is central theme in romantic poetry. it is often portrayed as a source of beauty, inspiration and spiritual truth. Poets saw nature as a reflection of the human spirit and a means to connect with the divine or the sublime.

        3) Focus on the Individual 

            Romantic artists, writers, and thinkers often focused on the individual's emotions, imagination, and experience. romanticism valued the individual's connection with nature and creativity, rejecting established rules and oppossing the characteristics typical of neoclassical drama.romantic writings addressed individual readers and contained personal voices.

        4) Use of common, Everyday language 

             Romantic poets emphasized the importance of using " the real language of men " in their poetry. they believed poetry should speak directly to ordinary people, using language that was " for the people, by the people , and of the people". as a result, simple , direct language was common, along with figurative language like imagery and metaphors. 

        5) Spontaneity, Music and Harmony

               Romantic poetry is known for its lyrical, song -like quality, which focuses on expressing deep personal feeling and emotions in the most melodious verses. poets like wordsworth, coleridge, shelley, keats, and byron often used repetition, rhythm and rhyme to create a musical quality in their poems. they preferred to write as per the spontaneous flow of ideas.

 Illustrate with wordsworth and coleridge 

  imagination in wordsworth and coleridge's work 

 Wordsworth: In his poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” Wordsworth captures the emotion of awe and joy experienced when he encounters a field of daffodils. The poem reflects an intense personal feeling:

"A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze."

Here, Wordsworth’s emotional response to nature is central to the poem. His imagination turns a simple scene into a vivid and joyful memory, which he revisits for emotional comfort.

Coleridge: In “Kubla Khan,” Coleridge’s use of imaginative language and vivid imagery illustrates a fantastical vision:

"A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!"

Coleridge uses his imagination to create a dreamlike and supernatural world, blending emotion with exotic imagery to evoke a sense of wonder and mystery.

Love for nature in wordsworth and coleridge's work

Wordsworth: In “Tintern Abbey,” Wordsworth expresses a deep connection with nature and its healing, spiritual qualities:

"These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet…"

Here, Wordsworth finds solace in his memories of nature, emphasizing its importance as a source of peace and spiritual renewal, even when he is far from it.

Coleridge: In “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Coleridge presents nature as a powerful and almost mystical force:

"The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!"

Nature in this poem is vast, mysterious, and capable of both beauty and terror, reflecting Romanticism's fascination with the natural world and its uncontrollable power.

Focus on the individual in wordsworth and coleridge's work 

Wordsworth: Wordsworth often explored the experiences of the individual, such as in his autobiographical poem “The Prelude,” where he describes his personal development and his relationship with nature.

"Was it for this
That one, the fairest of all rivers, loved
To blend his murmurs with my nurse's song,
And, from his alder shades and rocky falls,
And from his fords and shallows, sent a voice
That flowed along my dreams?"

The poem centers on the poet’s own experiences and inner life, highlighting his personal growth and emotional responses to his surroundings.

Coleridge: In “Frost at Midnight,” Coleridge reflects on his own childhood and dreams for his son’s future:

"But thou, my babe! shalt wander like a breeze
By lakes and sandy shores, beneath the crags
Of ancient mountain, and beneath the clouds,
Which image in their bulk both lakes and shores
And mountain crags…"

The poem is deeply personal, revealing Coleridge’s hopes and fears for his child, and highlighting the Romantic focus on personal experience and the individual’s emotional world.

References :

click here

w. j. long book