The Age of Romanticism - Response

The revolutionary atmosphere during the Romantic era informed metaphorical uses of ideas, such as freedom. The revolutionary endeavors of particularly the French during the Romantic era unified liberals and the literary community in England and France in the common yearning for freedom. Although, ideas of nature characterize Romantic Literature, recent assessments claim that the period was far more influenced by the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.

 The works of women were scantly discussed during the Romantic era, with few mentions of the more popular women writers, like Jane Austen, being not very prolifically mentioned. The works of women that were mentioned during the Romantic era were typically passed off as drama, or more as genre than as having much literary merit. Recent scholarship recognizes the works of women such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, works by Mary Robinson, Charlotte Smith, and Mary Hays, among others. Works by authors such as Jane Austen explored social class changes during transitions that occurred during the Industrial Revolution in Britain, and captures some of the dynamics that existed between the traditional upper classes, and the emerging upper and middle classes.