Emotion in Romanticism?

[Leeta]

I've been learning about Romanticism the past couple of weeks. I'm still trying to understand the concept of strong emotion that the Romantic poets used. I looked all over the place and the only strong or sudden emotion I found was in Wordsworth's "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known" where he sudden has a fear. I've noticed interjections like "Oh! How I wish..." is that the characteristic of strong emotion in Romantic poetry? Anything else I read, I only see normal emotions that I read in any type of poetry, such as a love for someone, a friendship, a father, etc. Is that the Romantic characteristic?

Could someone please help me wrap my brain around this? I don't know why it's so confusing...I've even checked out a huge book with romantic poems separated by themes...one was of emotion and after reading them I still didn't see it. :(

[JBI]

The romantic characteristic is, in a nutshell, digging within oneself for inspiration and subject, rather than looking at external things, such as subject. This is best defined by looking at Wordsworth's Prelude (preferably the 1850 version), which pretty much is the strongest example of the romantic tradition in English literature. Also, it would help to read the preface to Lyrical Ballads, which tries to define the goals and thoughts Wordsworth and Coleridge had. In addition, for some contemporary scholarship, William Hazlitt's The Spirit of the Age is the canonical work in Romantic scholarship, and Romantic theory.

[blazeofglory]

Romantic poetry is out of the inspiration one gets in nature. For nature is the sum and substance of their stuff.

[JBI]

Romantic poetry is out of the inspiration one gets in nature. For nature is the sum and substance of their stuff.

That is Wordsworth, but not all romanticism.

[Nightshade]

I've noticed interjections like "Oh! How I wish..." is that the characteristic of strong emotion in Romantic poetry? Anything else I read, I only see normal emotions that I read in any type of poetry, such as a love for someone, a friendship, a father, etc. Is that the Romantic characteristic?

As I seem to rember the best way to notice the emotion is to look at it in direct contrast to what came before the ROmantic movement. In the romantic poetry as far as I recall it is perfectly accepitable to be so overcome by emotion that it seriously affects you, for eg look at keats' Ode melancholy, La Belle and Isabella or the pot of basil

[nacreous]

romantic poetry was not about romance, it was not about emotions.
the romantic movement arose to assert that what really counts in life, what really matters about our pathetic little lives, is not our thoughts, not our actions, but our feelings. The poetry did not have to be about emotions. Those poets simply expressed their philosophy which still pervades our society, that our feelings matter more than our actions.
thats why we tend to bottle things up, by the way. just an opinion.

[blazeofglory]

Romantic poets work more with emotions than with intellects.

[TuckyTulip]

Romantic poetry speaks straight from the Heart~

[wessexgirl]

Think of what came before The Romantics, and what they were a reaction to. Classicism is all about reason and intellect. Romanticism is about emotion and feeling. Nature played a huge part in their philosophy, man being an integral part of nature. Look at some of Wordsworth's work, such as:

No motion has she now, no force;
She neither hears nor sees;
Rolled round in earth's diurnal course,
With rocks, and stones, and trees.

He's often over-awed by nature and his feelings, like Keats is with his Ode to a Nightingale. Classicists don't really get over-awed by things, as they use cool, clear, calmness in their reactions. Look at the reverie Keats is in and his sensibilities. Then perhaps compare them with what came before. :)

[blazeofglory]

Emotion is the sum and substance of romantic poets and they do not care once they get swayed by spurts of emotions. Emotions, beauty of nature, wilderness or rustic life appeal to them. Nature is God for them.

Maybe romanticism is an obsolete idea these days, yet I do not see poems in size and quantity written and published during the romantic era.

They are really magnetic and I enjoy reading them still now.

[GothMan]

And if we're talking about German Romanticism then the keyword is IRONY!

[Lioness_Heart]

The Romantic movement was a backlash against the Enlightenment, which focussed heavily on reason (as has already been stated)

It's about seeing the beauty and poetry in everyday things (not exclusively, but on the whole), although some Romantic poetry can have political motivation. In general, Romantic poets focus on the natural world, and use it to explore the 'human condition'.

But just because they are called 'Romantic' does not mean that they only discuss love etc; one of my favorite romantic poets is John Clare, and I Am is quite terrifying in its portrayal of loss and isolation. Also, they do not all express the emotion in an overt manner; Romantic poetry can be quite subtle, but, as far as I can see, the true impact of the emotion comes from the passion and idealism of the poets themselves - that comes through in their poetry in quite an understated way.

[blazeofglory]

I've been learning about Romanticism the past couple of weeks. I'm still trying to understand the concept of strong emotion that the Romantic poets used. I looked all over the place and the only strong or sudden emotion I found was in Wordsworth's "Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known" where he sudden has a fear. I've noticed interjections like "Oh! How I wish..." is that the characteristic of strong emotion in Romantic poetry? Anything else I read, I only see normal emotions that I read in any type of poetry, such as a love for someone, a friendship, a father, etc. Is that the Romantic characteristic?

Could someone please help me wrap my brain around this? I don't know why it's so confusing...I've even checked out a huge book with romantic poems separated by themes...one was of emotion and after reading them I still didn't see it. :(
The sum and substance of a romantic poet is emotion. Ideas coming out impulsively not meditatively make a good poem.