Romantic imagination and revolutionary idealism: Two aspects of William Wordsworth
Kavita, Dr. Sujata Rana
The Romantic Movement of the Nineteenth century was a turning point in the literary history of not only England but also the whole Europe. It sprinkled the waves of change and challenges in the literary geniuses of the entire world. There was a kind of revolution in all the genres, but it became more evident in the field of poetry. The conditions in social, political and economic issues of the day affected the intellectual minds fully. The Romantic Movement had it’s roots in the American War of Independence, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution of England. The hard and bitter living conditions of lower strata of society moved the heart of the Romantic masters. They started writing for the deprived, distressed and disadvantaged sections of the society. They gave pages to the ideal human conditions and vibrant natural settings along with personal imagination and feelings. The French Revolution and its ideals of ‘Equality, Fraternity and Liberty’ coloured their hopes for justice and freedom for all. Though they did not deal with any kind of political crisis but events of the day filled their hearts with a new kind of enthusiasm, which they shared in their poems. Though all the Romantic masters like William Wordsworth, S.T. Coleridge, John Keats, P.B. Shelley and Lord Byron felt enthusiastically about the French Revolution and shared their romantic idealism, but the highest poet of nature, William Wordsworth stands forwarded to all of them.
Kavita, Dr. Sujata Rana. Romantic imagination and revolutionary idealism: Two aspects of William Wordsworth. International Journal of English Research, Volume 4, Issue 6, 2018, Pages 44-47