Romanticism: Revolutionary Writing from Blake to Shelley

Module code: EN3147

In this module you will further your knowledge and understanding of Romanticism, an artistic movement justly celebrated for its stylistic virtuosity; its intelligent treatment of complex sociopolitical, philosophical, and religious themes; and its ability to challenge readers into a wider understanding of the nature and scope of human experience.

In considering a range of works from the period including long poems, novels, paintings and journalism, we will compare and contrast works by two or more authors (with special emphasis on Wordsworth and Byron) and examine alternate passages from manuscript sources. We will also compare and contrast poetic forms (the ode, the epic, the pastoral, the romance) amd reflect on the relations between text and context and on recent critical approaches.

In addition to the primary texts, you will read a broad selection of literary criticism. There will also be opportunities to study at least one painter and/or visual movement and to consider Romanticism in its wider European context. 

Topics covered

• Blake
• Wordsworth
• Coleridge
• Keats
• Shelley
• Byron
• Hazlitt
• Godwin
• Austen
• De Quincey