Romantics

[mercymyqueen]

Ever since I discovered Blake, Coleridge and Wordsworth almost simultaneously, I've been head-over-heels for the romantics. I'd like to discuss the 'canon Romantics' the ones said in one breath, the movements in different countries, and examples of romanticism found where you wouldn't expect them.

Do you guys think that the British romantics get more street cred around here simply because we speak English, or is it something deeper? Oh, and I'd by all means like to discuss lit/prose as well as poetry, if it's allowed here.

[JBI]

Because we speak English. Leopardi < Shelley < Byron < Coleridge. In terms of writing, his prose and verse seem equal to, or greater than the verses of the others named. Wordsworth and Keats however, I would argue are quite something else. Goethe certainly is the best, even better than anything I can think of in English. He just was that good - at it seems everything.

[stlukesguild]

Undoubtedly if we are speaking on an English-language web site... or in a course in an English-language nation the great British Romantics... as well as American poets such as Poe, Whitman, Dickinson, and even Longfellow are going to garnish further recognition than many poets of equal or even superior achievements from other countries. Leopardi is certainly under-recognized... although I will reserve my judgment as to whether he is as great as JBI considers him. Goethe... yes! And Hölderlin and Heine and Möricke and Novalis. And Victor Hugo and Pushkin all come to mind. Certainly there are more. On the other hand, I will not question the fact that certain countries during certain times... including the Romantic era... were more productive or produced more canonical work than others. Certainly the Germans owned music with few exceptions... while painting was somewhat split between France and England (with a few important contributions from elsewhere: Goya in Spain, Friederich in Germany).

[JCamilo]

Yeah, Goethe is something apart, maybe not even romantic, but the romantic generation of england is too influential in the sense of model (not only of text, but also of definition of poet and his attitude) and happened in a time of English political rise... this probally put them apart in the discussion as well...

[JCamilo]

Welll, Baudelaire could be the end of romantic generation for the french, awesome dude as well. Brazilian romantic generation produced at least two genial poets, Castro Alves and Gonçalves Dias.