Romanticism in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake

1406 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Romanticism influence

Romanticism in William Blake's Poem
William Blake was a poet, painter, and a printmaker all during the period in literature known as the Romantic time period. The Romantic time period, also known in Literature as 'Romanticism' began in Europe, mainly France and Britain around the 1800s (Barker) and it was first defined as a tool to in literature and literary criticisms (Galitz). The Romantic period did not just focus on literature, but also on the subjects of art and knowledge which was "fueled by the French Revolution" and was also "a reaction to the scientific rationalism and classicism of the Age of Enlightenment" (Foundations of Romanticism). "Romanticism emerged also as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values of reason and order after the French Revolution in 1789" (Galitz). Romanticism expressed ideas such as emotion, freedom and imagination (Foundations of Romanticism). To the author, William Blake, the writing style of Romanticism was highly used. Characteristics of Romanticism from the literary perspective include themes such as "interest in the average person and childhood, strong senses, emotions, and feelings, awe or Love of nature, celebration of the individual, and the importance of imagination" (Characteristics of Romanticism), and the theme of the supernatural (Bentley). Also, Romanticism has nothing to do with the actual idea of love, but it does exemplify important concepts such as “emphasis on the activity of the imagination, which was accompanied, by greater emphasis on the importance of intuition, instincts, and feelings” (Romanticism). There was even emphasis on things such as introspection, psychology, melancholy, and sadness in Romantic literature. Romanticism had a lot to do with ...

... middle of paper ...

...he Poetry of William Wordsworth. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
Olivia. "Thoughts&Observations." ThoughtsObservations. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
One Done. "Foundations of Romanticism." Foundations of Romanticism. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
"Reflections on Great Literature: William Blake ." William Blake. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
"Romanticism." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
"Romanticism." Romanticism. Brooklyn Cuny Edu, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
"Romantic Characteristics." Characteristics of Romanticism . Read, Write, Think, n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
Schock, Peter A.. "ELH, Vol. 60, No. 2." . JSTOR, n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
UNLV. "British Romanticism." British Romanticism. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
"William Blake." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Parrnaasian And Romanticism Essay

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    To start with, Romanticism was the first writing movement of the nineteenth century. It originated at the close of the eighteenth century in Europe, but was popular from the 1800s to 1850s. This movement was a revolt against the political and social standards of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction to the reasoning of nature through science. Romanticism’s characteristics came from philosophical sources and, because it is a reaction against reasoning, it focuses on intuition, nature, and human emotions. The philosophical background of this movement came from an author named Jean-Jacques Rousseau who emphasized the individual and the power of inspiration. Romanticism later then broke off into another two movements called Parnassian and Realism.

    Read More

  • Socialism and Ideas Associated with the Movement in Relation to those of Romanticism

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    Romanticism. New York: Phaidon, 2001. Furst, Lilian R. Romanticism in Perspective: A Comparative Study of Aspects of the Romantic Movements in England, France and Germany. London: Macmillan, 1969.

    Read More

  • The Everlasting Dark Shadow of Romanticism

    2663 Words  | 6 Pages

    "Romanticism -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 3 Dec. 2010. .

    Read More

  • Anaysis of William Blake's The Lamb, The Tyger, and Proverbs of Hell

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    Natoli, Joseph. "William Blake." Critical Survey Of Poetry, Second Revised Edition (2002): 1-12. Literary Reference Center. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Theme of the Suffering Innocent in Blake's London

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theme of the suffering innocent person, dying and being diseased, throws a dark light onto the London seen through the eyes of William Blake. He shows us his experiences, fears and hopes with passionate images and metaphors creating a sensibility against oppression hypocrisy. His words come alive and ask for changes in society, government and church. But they remind us also that the continued renewal of society begins with new ideas, imagination and new works in every area of human experience.

    Read More

  • Rebellion As Art By William Blake

    2117 Words  | 5 Pages

    Blake had an uncanny ability to use his work to illustrate the unpleasant and often painful realities around him. His poetry consistently embodies an attitude of revolt against the abuse of class and power that appears guided by a unique brand of spirituality. His spiritual beliefs reached outside the boundaries of religious elites loyal to the monarchy. “He was inspired by dissident religious ideas rooted in the thinking of the most radical opponents of the monarchy during the English Civil War “(E. P. Thompson). Concern with war and the blighting effects of the industrial revolution were displayed in much of his work.

    Read More

  • American Romanticism By Washington Irving And James Fenimore Cooper

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    When many hear “Romanticism” they think of love, but Romanticism isn’t mainly about love. Yes, it may have some love, but it’s also about reasoning, nature, imaginations, and individualism. Like American Romanticism, that occurred from 1830 – 1865. It was actually caused by Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper. For Americans, “it was a time of excitement over human possibilities, and of individual ego. American writers didn’t know what “America” could possibly mean in terms of literature, which was American and not British. It questioned their identity and place in society, creatively” (Woodlief). It was characterized by an interest in nature, and the significance of the individual’s expression on emotion and imagination; good literature should have heart, not rules. Some of the most famous authors who wrote during American Romanticism were Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. American Romanticism is important because it was the “historical period of literature in which modern readers most began to see their selves and their own conflicts and desires”. Romanticism was a literary revolution.

    Read More

  • Romanticism and Realism: Examples of Mark Twain and Herman Melville Novels

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    Romanticism first came about in the 18th century and it was mostly used for art and literature. The actual word “romanticism” was created in Britain in the 1840s. People like Victor Hugo, William Wordsworth, and Percy Bysshe Shelley had big impacts on this style of art. Romanticism is an art in which people express their emotion. Whatever they believed is put into a picture, painting, poem, or book. Romanticism goes deep into a mind. It is very deep thinking and it’s expressing yourself through that deep thinking. Romanticism is the reaction to the Enlightenment and the enlightenment aka the “Age of Reason” took place during the 1700s to 1800s. The enlightenment emphasized being rational and using your mind; on the other hand, romanticism focuses on emotion and imagination. It says don’t just focus on rationality and reason.

    Read More

  • American Romanticism

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    Despite its name, the Romantic literary period has little to nothing to do with love and romance that often comes with love; instead it focuses on the expression of feelings and imagination. Romanticism originally started in Europe, first seen in Germany in the eighteenth century, and began influencing American writers in the 1800s. The movement lasts for sixty years and is a rejection of a rationalist period of logic and reason. Gary Arpin, author of multiple selections in Elements of Literature: Fifth Course, Literature of The United States, presents the idea that, “To the Romantic sensibility, the imagination, spontaneity, individual feelings and wild nature were of greater value than reason, logic, planning and cultivation” (143). The Romantic author rejects logic and writes wild, spontaneous stories and poems inspired by myths, folk tales, and even the supernatural. Not only do the Romantics reject logic and reasoning, they praise innocence, youthfulness and creativity as well as the beauty and refuge that they so often find in nature.

    Read More

  • Effects of Realism in Literature and Art

    2050 Words  | 5 Pages

    Keenan, Richard "Romanticism." Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature. London: Continuum, 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 25 April 2014.

    Read More

  • Close critical analysis of Coleridges Frost at Midnight

    1692 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wolfson, S. & Manning, P. 2003. The Longman Anthology of English Literature Vol 2: The Romantics and their Contemporaries. London: Longman.

    Read More

  • The Romantic Period

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Romantic Period was a time in which music and poetry talked about love, nature, and the good of being human. Different poets like Blake, Wordsworth, and Coleridge made poetry that will live on in literature forever. The Romantic period didn’t only affect Britain. It affected the entire world

    Read More

  • Influences of the Romantic Period

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Romanticism spawned in the late 18th century and flourished in the early and mid-19th century. Romanticism emphasized the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, the transcendental, and the individual. Romanticism is often viewed as a rejection of the ideologies of Classicism and Neoclassicisms, namely calm, order, harmony, idealization, rationality and balance. Some characteristics of Romanticism include: emotion over reason, senses over intellect, love for nature, use of the hero and the exceptional figure in general, emphasis of imagination being the gateway to spiritual truth, and an interest in folk culture. Romanticism was preceded by related developments in the med-18th century referred to as “Pre-Romanticism”. One Pre-Romantic style was medieval romance, which is where Romanticism gets its name from. The medieval romance was a tale that emphasized the exotic, the mysterious, and individual heroism. This style contrasted the then prevalent classical forms of literature such as the French Neoclassical Tragedy. But this new emotional literary expression would be a key part of literature during the Romantic Era (Britannica). Literature during the Romantic Era was influenced by politics and major historical events and social reforms, religion, science, economics, and art and music.

    Read More

  • Sociological Criticism on William Blake’s Poetry

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    "William Blake - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Web. 07 July 2011. .

    Read More

  • Analysis of "A Poison Tree"

    1373 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gleckner, Robert F. The Piper and the Bard: A Study of William Blake. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1959.

    Read More

More about Romanticism in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake

Open Document