English Romanticism: The Human Context

by Marilyn Gaull

The English Romantic period―when, as Wordsworth wrote, "the whole earth/The beauty wore of promise"―was also a time in which many of our contemporary attitudes, conventions, and institutions originated. The present book explores, in fascinating depth, the context given by human beings of the time to what its writers called "the spirit of the age." Professor Gaull begins her survey with a section entitled" The Human Context," in which she explores the literary marketplace, children's literature and education, the theater, economics, and the idea of the hero. In the next group of chapters, generally titled "The Illusion of History," she investigates how the Romantics invented the past, studied natural history and its illusion, and created the ideas of the gothic and of the bards. her final section is "The Experimental Arts," with chapters studying the age's poetry, painting, and science. Within each of the chapters the Romantic figures most appropriate to those chapters are treated in detail―as, for example, Byron and Byronism in "Heros and Heroism." Professor Guall's original research and infectious style make this book the ideal, if not necessary, companion in courses on the Romantic poets or in intellectual history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literature, History

464 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 1988

Reviews

[Esmé · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I feel like I'm not completely able to count this towards my reading goal because I sort of skipped around to read parts that interested me most, but anyways,....)
not bad for being written before the year 2000 LOL. I actually didn't read this for a course and I personally really enjoyed the Content. it was a fun read to have when I was bored.

[Mark Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a course, so with anything 'required' it must be painful (if it is good for you it must be bland, kind of thinking), but I was pleasantly disappointed. Gaull makes a lively, piquant, factual account of the age. She was able to use just a few pages to get her point across for each and every contributor to the Movement called Romanticism. I found her summations insightful and useful; it worked as a handy reference guide. I read the entire book and am better off for doing so.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better, if not the best, books about the time period, and goes into great detail about all aspects of daily life. I am using this for research and personal knowledge,and the format makes it simple to understand yet never insults your intellect.