Introduction to the British Romantic Poets
An overview of the major works, key themes, and historical context of British literary Romanticism
Ratings 3.56 / 5.00
What You Will Learn!
- You will learn to define Romanticism, its main goals, ideas, and hallmarks in this English literature course.
- You will become familiar with the major works and key themes of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake, Byron, Shelley, and Keats.
- You will learn about the history of the Romantic movement in Great Britain.
- This course will teach you how to interpret poems with close reading.
- You will understand how the Romantic movement was shaped by historical events throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
- In this course, you will learn critical reading and analysis skills you can apply to other areas of literary study.
- This course will provide you with useful background knowledge about the English Romantics if you plan to study English Literature at the college level.
- We will cover poetic terms such as rhyme scheme, meter, and form, as well as a multitude of literary devices.
- Learn from an experienced instructor with a deep background in 18th and 19th century literature and an M.A. in English.
- Over two and a half hours of lectures, with all course readings provided as convenient downloadable PDFs.
Description
In this course, we'll examine the major works of all six major British Romantic poets, with an emphasis on how they responded to their tumultuous historical moment and how their work engaged in an ongoing dialogue about the meaning of poetry. Their most famous poems will be discussed, as well as relevant essays and letters that give a sense of how they each shaped the Romantic movement in their own unique ways.
In addition to the poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake, Byron, Shelley, and Keats, we will cover poetic terms such as meter and rhyme scheme, as well as various types of poetic forms. You will become familiar with how to analyze poems using close reading, and how to apply historical and biographical context to the poems you read. You will come away with an understanding of important Romantic themes such as the relationship between humanity and nature, the poet-as-hero, the gothic, and the sublime.
For each poet, annotated readings are included in the course resources. The lectures will include a summary and analysis of the readings, as well as relevant biographical and historical context and information about how each work fits into the Romantic movement more broadly.
*(Please note that this course will briefly touch on sensitive topics such as suicide, sexuality, and drug use in the context of the Romantic poets.)
I hope you'll decide to learn more about the groundbreaking literature of this exciting period.
See you soon!
Andrea Novak, M.A.
Who Should Attend!
- University students, students preparing for university, and anyone with a desire to learn more about the Romantic Period.
