"The Age of Romanticism"

The text presents the Romantic Movement as political through the influence that the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution had on the beliefs and works of Romantic writers. The French Revolution inspired the romantics’ ideas and beliefs about freedom, liberty, and equality. While the ideal of the French Revolution disintegrated, the Romantics still clung to the “…spirit of the French Revolution” and it remained a central metaphor for the period (Black XXXVII). The Industrial revolution allowed the Romantics to focus on social status and the change in the social structure, specifically the increased possibility of social mobility. Many Romantic writers also critiqued the Industrial Revolution and the negative outcome it had on the lower class. Both Revolutions influenced the work and inspired the political critiques and debates on women’s education, emancipation, and various other social issues. The philosophical aspect of Romanticism is shown through the ideals of the movement. The importance of the natural world, human passions, individual freedom, the individual mind, and imagination were all aspects of the philosophical side of Romanticism. The literary movement was discussed through the various types of literature that was produced and the advancements in the distribution of those works. The periodicals, reviews, bookshops, book subscriptions, and make-shift book clubs all lead to the increased accessibility to literature.

Women’s role in the Romantic Movement is characterized by the focus on women’s education and the social, legal, and economic position that they held. The text also mentions that while women’s writing has previously been forgotten or ignored, their work was as good as anything written by the men of the period.

The text discuses many different literary works by women in the Romantic Period. Some of these include the novels of Jane Austen, Anne Radcliff, Mary Robinson, Mary Shelley, Maria Edgeworth, and Charlotte Smith. The nonfiction works of Mary Wollestonecraft, the poetry of both Felicia Hermans and Mary Robinson, and the plays of Joanna Baillie are also discussed.

I’m glad that the works of women are getting the recognition that they deserve. I was not surprised by how many Romantic women writers and works there are but I was a little surprised at the active role that they played. The text also made me realize the vital role these women played in the future progress for the political and social status of women.  

Black, Joseph, et al. The Broadview Anthology of British Literature. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Pr, 2010. Print.

 

"The Age of Romanticism"

"The Age of Romanticism" represents Romanticism through a political movement as it stems from the violent path of the French Revolution leading to greater thought towards nature, literature and education. Philosophical movements are expressed through the new ideas of improved education, human rights and feminism. The literary movement is expressed as book publishing, selling and marketing are developed during the period and readers were demanding more wok.

The tole of women in the Romantic period brought on the issues of education and rights for women. Women were also mentioned for tackling such issues along with social injustice and class structures. These works in mention were Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Thoughts on the Inequality of Conditions by Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Welsh Melodies by Felicia Hemans and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

The perception I took from this is a satisfaction that women were able to tackle such obstacles that were in front of them. I am pleased by how they brought up issues of their time into their work while being brought up to the same regard as their male counterparts. Looking at what they gave to their own time, I say they deserve the recognition that is seen in this text.  

The Broadview overview, "The Age of Romanticism" represents Romanticism as a political, philosophical and literary movement by highlighting the changes that the movement incurred in the political, philosophical, and literary spheres. For example, the French Revolution in part paved the way the Romanticism to develop, and gave the movement concepts to wrestle with- war, pastoral vs city life, vanity vs sublimity, and so on. The turmoil that resulted from the French Revolution made it possible for Romantic writers to focus on discussing and exploring political issues, such as feminism, child labor, and education reform- the discussion of which ties into philosophy as well. With the advancement of the printing press, works of literature were made more easily accessible to commonman (or woman!), advancing the field of literature itself.

Women's role in the movement of Romanticism was that to address issues of feminism and education. It discusses "Frankenstein" and "The Last Man," both by Mary Shelley, and "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" by Mary Wollstonecraft. Felicia Herman's "Welsh Melodies," Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," and Anna Laetitia Barbauld's "Thoughts on the Inequality of Conditions" among others were also mentioned.

My perception of the female Romantic writers from reading this overview is that, contrary to my previous understanding, women played a greater role in this movement than first glance would suggest. From precursory feminism and education reform to reform of the poetic and novel form, women had their hands further in the pot than I realized before.  

"The Age of Romanticism" Response

Romanticism is shown in this text as a political movement through the influence that historical periods had, such as the fear and passion that the French Revolution caused, the class division that industrialization caused, and the materialism that imperialism caused. The philosophical aspect of romanticism can be seen through the ideas that began to develop in the creative minds of romantic authors and how they expressed those ideas through literature. Values of liberty, justice, and equality motivated the writing of some notable Romantic poets. The philosophical mindset of discovering the individual is also a major theme in romantic works, as well as the natural world.

Women’s role in the romantic movement emphasized the importance of education for women. The writing of female authors of the time included themes of class division and social justice.

This section of the anthology briefly examines the significance of the novels Emmeline, The Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Smith, The Romance of the Forest by Anne Radcliffe, and Zofloya by Charlotte Dacre. These texts all have gothic settings and explore themes of gender equality and the influence of social status.

After reading this broad overview, I feel impressed with the strides that women writers made despite the obstacles they already faced during the Romantic Period. This movement allowed a marginalized group of people to express their interests, desires, and issues with a society that seemed rather unconcerned with those things. I find it amazing that women got little to no monetary or social gratification for their writing, but still wrote and worked hard for an outcome they might never see in their lifetime.

Welcome to 4434: Romantic Woman Authors!

This course focuses on women writers and politics in the Romantic period, 1770-1830, in Britain. This topic goes against what you might expect about a course about women writers in this period, considering that women could not vote, had no property rights, could not open a bank account, could not attend university, could not be elected to public office, and had very few socially acceptable employment opportunities. Despite these facts, there was an enormous amount of literature in the Romantic period that directly engages political and social issues, and much of it was written and published by woman barred from official avenues to political power. Indeed, as you will quickly learn in this course, literature was the place where disenfranchised people—women, working class men, and people of colour—could voice their political opinions and influence the course of legal, political, and social reform. From the abolition of the slave trade to Britain’s growing empire and from education to international policy, women made their voices heard and their opinions known through novels, plays, poems, and nonfiction prose. This course brings women writers (including Mary Wollstonecraft, Anna Barbauld, Helen Maria Williams, Maria Edgeworth, Mary Robinson, Felicia Hemans, Jane Austen, and Mary Shelley) into dialogue with their more famous male contemporaries (including William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Shelley, and William Blake), revealing how people without access to formal education or political influence changed the world with literature.