Literary Movements: Romanticism
In this series, BartyED’s expert English tutors describe literary movements pertinent to IGCSE, A-Level, and IBDP students of English. This week we will be discussing Romanticism.
For English students, whether they are studying for their IGCSEs, A-Levels, or IB Diploma, it is important to have an understanding of certain key literary movements. This knowledge will allow candidates of any and all exam boards—IGCSEs, A-Levels, and IB, to name three—to compose more thorough responses to questions posed in examinations, as they can place the extract or poem into a particular historical context.
Ben Kohoe of the University of Oxford has offered a comprehensive definition of Romanticism that would suit IGCSE, A-Level, and IB candidates well to memorise:
“Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement which took place in Europe between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. Understood broadly as a break from the guiding principles of the Enlightenment – which established reason as the foundation of all knowledge – the Romantic Movement emphasised the importance of emotional sensitivity and individual subjectivity. For the Romantics, imagination, rather than reason, was the most important creative faculty.”
The term “romanticism” is somewhat misleading. Candidates of all ages and exam boards, whether IGCSE, A-Level, or IB, often make the association that Romanticism simply means literature that deals with the theme of romantic love. While a considerable amount of poetry and prose encountered by those studying English at IGCSEs, A-Levels, or IB level discusses love, Romanticism as a movement is not limited to this singular theme.
Romanticism encompasses a number of characteristics that allow for a deviation from the traditional love poetry one would expect. Similarly to the importance of having a working definition of Romanticism, IGCSEs, A-Levels, and IB English learners should be able to call to mind the distinct characteristics of Romantic literature. These include:
Interest in the common man and childhood
Strong senses, emotions, and feelings
Awe of nature
Celebration of the individual
Importance of imagination
When examining these characteristics, the astute IGCSE, A-Level, and IB English students will notice the breath of Romantic literature. It reaches far beyond the theme of romantic love.
Typically, Romanticism is associated with writers from Britain. Such poets as William Wordsworth, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, all Englishmen, come to mind when considering Romanticism as a literary movement. However, that is not to say that Romanticism was confined to one island.
For those studying English at IGCSEs, A-Levels, and IB level, it is important to consider the wider presence of any one literary movement. Consequently, students should be aware of the existence of American Romanticism.
Ann Woodlief, Associate Professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University, writes that American Romanticism was “in a state of revolt, primarily against the restraints of classicism and formalism.” These authors were attempting to “recapture the ecstasy of exploration and discovery” as America was fast approaching modernity.
Woddlief lists Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick and Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass as seminal texts of American Romanticism.
Romanticism is a rich and dense literary movement. It stretches far beyond the ideas that one might have of this style of work to encompass stories of horror and epic adventure. Consequently, English students at all levels and in all exam boards, IGCSEs, A-Levels, and IB included, can become easily overwhelmed. BartyED offers the solution in our team of expert English literature tutors. Our experienced tutors meet the students where they are and work closely with young learners to improve areas of weakness. If you think that you or your child could benefit from bespoke English tuition, contact us today by phone (+852 2882 1017) or email (enquiries@bartyed.com).