Romanticism Assignment

You have to choose ONE of the following questions to answer in an essay 7-8 pages in length. Your argument has to addresses the course material in a significant way. Although this is not a research paper, your arguments need to be properly supported. In any case, remember to properly credit your sources.

Topics:

1. The Second Generation Romantics were often at pains to distinguish themselves from their First Generation predecessors. Nevertheless, they are still considered “Romantic.” Discuss the ways in which the Second Generation is both similar and different from the First on such issues as nature, the imagination, politics, or the poetic past.

2. Much has been written about “the Byronic hero,” who is the prototype for such later iconic figures as Rochester and Heathcliff. What are the characteristics of the Byronic hero? How does he diverge from previous heroic ideals? How does the figure of the hero evolve in Byron’s own work?

3. Don Juan is an apparent anomaly among Romantic poems. In what sense can it be said to be a Romantic poem at all?

4. Shelley, it is often said (by me, anyway), is the most uncompromising advocate of the imaginative ideal among the Romantic poets. Describe Shelley’s handling of the imagination in comparison to Wordsworth’s, for example.

5. With regard to age and class, Keats stands apart from the other Romantics. There is a sense in which he is at once one of them and ‘after’ them. This ‘belatedness’ or lateness is an important theme in his poetry. Discuss ‘lateness’ in Keats’ work both in relation to the poetic tradition as a whole and to his Romantic predecessors.

6. Along with Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein remains the most widely read novel of the period. How do you account both for its popularity and its importance? From a modern perspective, Austen and Shelley are the most important female authors of the period. Why is this; what could they possibly have in common?

7. Scott’s Waverly is generally considered to be the first Historical Novel in English. What is an Historical Novel and how is it different from other novels? What is it about Waverly that suggests it needs its own subgenre? Is Gone with the Wind an Historical Novel? How about The Last of the Mohicans? Moby Dick? If not, why not; if so, how so?

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