Q: What are the elements of Romantic Poetry?
Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-18th century as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day. Romantics favored more natural, emotional and personal artistic themes. The romantics of the era were painters, philosophers and poets. But the fame of this era lies with the poets. Such as Wordsworth and Coleridge, the renowned poets of this era. Other popular poets were Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley Lord Byron. Romanticism, according to these poets mainly was all about unabashed emotions. Wordsworth in his preface to the lyrical ballads defined romantic poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” These poets wrote mostly about Nature, William Wordsworth wrote about supernaturalism, believing in freedom and spontaneous creativity not order and imitation. He also emphasizes the imbportance of the use of meter in poetry (which he views as one of the key features that differentiates poetry from prose)
Cazamian, a famous writer, defines Romanticism in A History of English Literature as, “The Romantic spirit can be defined as an accentuated predominance of emotional life, provoked or directed by the exercise of imaginative vision, and in its turn stimulating or directing such exercise.”
Romantic poetry has many characteristics, with nature being the foremost element. Nature for them is a wellspring of inspiration, satisfaction and happiness. It is vital to note that all the romantic poets differed in their views about nature. Wordsworth is considered the great lover of nature. Wordsworth recognized nature as a living thing,