The Romantics were a group of poets who lived in the early 19th century. They opposed the classicists who believed that poetry should follow certain rules and be written in a formal, elaborate style. It emphasized feeling over reason, individualism over social order and nature over artifice (artificiality). The Romantics rejected what they saw as artificial rules imposed on art by neoclassical critics such as Edmund Burke or Lord Shaftesbury, who believed that literature should be based on classical models rather than individual inspiration or imagination.
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When I ask which era of poets would people like back, everyone always says Romantics
The Romantic period was a time when people valued emotion over reason. It was also a time when poets and writers were beginning to experiment with new forms, such as the ballad or folk song.
But what happened to all that? Why do we not have any Romantics anymore?
It’s not that we don’t have any Romantic poets anymore. In fact, there are many out there, but they are better known as post-modernists. But more on that later.
Who were The Romantics?
The Romantics were a group of poets who lived in the early 19th century. They opposed the classicists who believed that poetry should follow certain rules and be written in a formal, elaborate style. The Romantic poets introduced new kinds of literary devices to make their poems more interesting, such as free verse and images from nature.
Romantics believed that poets should write about their own feelings and experiences, rather than copying what other writers had done. They also thought that poetry should be about love and nature, not politics or science.
Romantics usually wrote in blank verse, which is unrhymed iambic pentameter. They also used imagery to create a mood or feeling. For example, they might describe the sun rising over a lake or birds flying overhead and leave it up to their readers to imagine what this scene looks like. The Romantics believed that poetry should be about strong emotions and personal experiences rather than politics or science.
Famous Romantics
The most famous Romantic poetry includes "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats and "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" by Walter Scott. Romantic poetry often used dramatic or vivid imagery, such as the storm in Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”
Many famous Romantic writers died young. Some of them, like Keats and Shelley, were very poor and had to rely on the charity of friends for basic necessities like food and shelter. Others were successful but still died young because of their lifestyles--like Byron's reputation as a womanizer who drank too much alcohol.
Romantic poets also had a tendency to be politically radical in their writings; in fact, some people believed that this was one reason why they died young: because they wrote about topics that made the government angry enough to kill them!
But whatever the reason behind all these early deaths was (and there may have been more than one), it can still seem kind of sad when we think back on how many great poets we lost before their time--and how much more great poetry could have been written by other Romantics if only they hadn't died so soon after publishing their first works...
Some people say that, like artists, poets should die young. If they live too long, their minds will become corrupted by the pressures of society and they'll lose touch with their original inspiration. But if we look at the lives of Romantic poets, it seems less likely that this is true. Several of them lived into old age and still managed to have a lasting impact on English literature; others died young but left behind an impressive collection of work that has never faded from popularity in the years since their deaths...
Thomas Chatterton was an English writer who tragically died when he was only 17 years old. He became famous for his imitation of medieval poetry, but he faked many of his works. In fact, he committed suicide because he thought people would reject his poem "The Death of Edward II."
Much of his poetry was imitative, but he also wrote original works. He was inspired by medieval literature and wrote many poems in the style of it.
The truth about the Romantics is not always clear or pretty
The Romantic poets were a diverse group of poets. They did not always agree with each other, but they were united in their reaction against the classicists who believed that poetry should follow certain rules and be written in a formal, elaborate style.
Romanticism was a reaction against what came before it--the Enlightenment (also known as the Age of Reason). During this time period, people started to question authority and think for themselves instead of relying on what others had told them was true or good.
The Romantics wanted to express themselves freely through their writing without being restricted by rules or conventions; they wanted readers to experience their work as if they were actually experiencing life itself--with all its joys and pains! The Romantics really believed in fairies and elves--and sometimes even dragons! Romantic poets like William Blake and Samuel Taylor Coleridge really believed in fairies and elves, but they also introduced new kinds of literary devices to make their poems more interesting. They used a lot of imagery, which is a way of describing things in your poems. For example:
"The sun was warm, the grass was cool" (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
"I wandered lonely as a cloud" (William Wordsworth)
"And there I met an old man who sat upon a stone" (William Blake)
Romanticism is a very difficult time period to define because it was so diverse; there are many different types of Romantic works that vary greatly in style and content. The most important elements that unite all Romantic poets, however, are their use of nature imagery and their focus on the imagination and emotions. They also emphasize emotion over reason, which is one reason why they were so popular among young people at the time.
The Romantic poets were political and passionate, and sometimes had trouble fitting into society. They wanted to change the world with their art, which was revolutionary because it included women writers and people from different cultures.
The Romantics wanted to change the world with their art.
A lot of people think that this is a crazy idea, but it's true! The Romantic poets believed that art could make the world better, and they thought that artists should use their work to help make it so. The Romantics believed that art was the best way for people to express themselves and share their thoughts and feelings with others in society.
They felt strongly about this because they thought that all human beings were connected on some level--and when we share our experiences with each other through poetry or music or paintings or whatever else we do creatively, it makes us feel closer together as humans overall (or at least closer than just reading one anothers' tweets).
Romanticism was revolutionary because it included women writers, whose stories hadn't been told before. Romanticism is a period of literature that began in the late 18th century and lasted until the mid-19th century. During this time, writers wrote about emotions and feelings rather than reality; they focused on nature and imagination rather than society; they used language creatively instead of following rules to make their writing more interesting; they expressed strong feelings about politics or religion through poetry or drama instead of just talking about them
So where are all the new romantics?
So what happened to the Romantics? Well, they're still around. They just don't call themselves Romantics anymore.
Romantic poetry is still being taught in schools and read by people who enjoy reading poetry for its own sake. However, it seems that there are fewer and fewer people who want to write Romantic poetry these days--and those who do may not be as well-known or successful as their Romantic predecessors were.
Perhaps this is because we live in an era when most people care more about practical matters than poetic ones; perhaps it's because society has changed so much since Wordsworth's day; or perhaps it's because modern readers find Romanticism too sentimental for their tastes (as some critics have suggested). Whatever the reason(s), one thing seems certain: if you want yourself a new romantic experience today, you'll have better luck finding one online than anywhere else!
Instapoetry
Instapoetry is a relatively new form of poetry that's been gaining popularity in recent years. Instapoets are poets who use Instagram to share their work, often using hashtags and stories to reach other poets and readers.
Instagram has become an increasingly popular place for writers to share their work because it allows them to connect with each other easily through the platform's community features--you can follow other poets' accounts or write comments on their posts, which they will see when they log back on later.
Instapoets are often associated with the hashtag #poetry and #poet, which have become popular ways to find other poets on Instagram. The hashtags can be used to find new poetry accounts if you're looking for inspiration or want to connect with other poets who share your interests.
