The Art in Romanticism
The works of William Woodsworth and William Blake are some of many great examples of Romantic literature. Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that began in Europe in the early 1800’s. It was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution as illustrated in William Woodsworth’s “Michael.” This poem mourns the changes made by the Industrial Revolution. In Romantic texts, everything written is out of the ordinary and very fictional. The characters in a romantic piece of literature are created from nothing and the plot is often in imaginary places. All pieces of art and intellect were nothing but fantasy put to paper in one form or another. There is nothing realistic about Romantic literature. This is the Romantic Period. Every piece of art, whether it is music or paintings or drawings or literature, was created to make their readers think about their own emotions within the art.
William Blake displays the Romanticism in his poem “Garden of Love” by showing discussing an aspect of spirituality. He shows how with religion there is a disconnect of freedom. The poem speaks of a chapel that was built where the speaker, whether Blake or an unknown character, used to play. The speaker notices a sign saying “Thou Shall Not” on the door of the chapel and so he turned to the garden of love. The speaker soon notices that there are tombstones where flowers should be, and priests were walking around in black binding the character’s joys and desires. This shows the captivity that Blake believed came to a person when that person claimed religion. This shows a free thought that well expresses the idea of Romanticism. This shows the intellectual freedom that the Romantic Period brought forth.
William Woodsworth showed Romanticism in his many works, such as his poem, “Michael.” Woodsworth romanticizes or dreams up the characters of Michael and Luke. Michael is a shepherd that lives in the forest side of Grasmere Vale, and Luke