FIRST GENERATION ROMANTIC POETS

FIRST GENERATION ROMANTIC POETS – WILLIAM WORDSWORTH AND SAMUEL T. COLERIDGE 

          The beginning of the British Romantic Movement is generally considered to have been marked by the collection of poems titled Lyrical Ballads, first published in 1798, most of the poems of this first edition belonged to William Wordsworth, while only four were contributed by Samuel T. Coleridge, among which, one of his best known works: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

          A second edition was published in 1800 with the famous Preface written by W. Wordsworth in which the poet outlines his poetic standpoints about Romanticism and that can be accounted for as the Manifesto of English Romanticism. In 1802 yet another edition came out with an appendix written by Wordsworth, Poetic Diction, to provide further insight regarding the main features and the radical changes that both these poets brought forth in the development of this new poetic theory .

Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth : 

            In a chance meeting that would change the course of poetic history, Samuel Taylor Coleridge made the acquaintance of William Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, in Somerset in 1795. The two became immediate friends. Upon meeting Wordsworth, Coleridge decided to move to Grasmere to be in close proximity to his fellow poet. During this time, Wordsworth and Coleridge greatly influenced, criticized and inspired eachother’s poetry. In 1798, the two poets joined together to publish the first edition of Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poems that is considered by many to be the definitive starting point of the Romantic Era. Over the course of their collaboration, the second edition followed suit in 1800. Their mutual friend Robert Southey, who was also a poet, worked with them and the trio became known at the “Lake Poets.” In this page, we will more deeply explore the relationship between these two Romantic poets and the people, like Southey, who shaped their lives and their poetry while they lived in Grasmere. Not only did Wordsworth and Coleridge have similar poetic interests, but the two developed a deep and lasting friendship that was able to withstand the trials of their drug addiction, bouts of depression and mutual artistic criticism.

      1. William wordsworth ( 1770-1850 )

           His life : William Wordsworth was born in the Lake District and attended St John’s College in Cambridge. As was customary for scholars of those times he went on his Grand Tour through Europe and while travelling on foot the French Alps, in 1790, he became familiar with the revolutionary democratic ideas that so much affected him. However, he was soon greatly disappointed for they turned into raging fury destroying any hope of a more just social order. He was so distraught by such turn of events that he had a nervous breakdown that nearly annihilated him and from which he recovered only thanks to the close contact to nature that such an important part will have in his poetry later on.

           His close relationship with his sister Dorothy and his friendship with Samuel T. Coleridge were crucial for Wordsworth poetical growth and development. In 1802 he married Mary Hutchinson with whom he had five children, he also had an older daughter from a previous relationship he had had with Annette Vallon.

        A distinguished intellectual and artist he was made Poet Laureate in 1843. He died at the age of eighty in 1850.

    

Career : 

          Young William discovered his passion for poetry while attending Hawkshead Grammar School. In 1787, he began his career as a poet by publishing a sonnet in The European Magazine.

         He visited Europe while studying at St John's College in Cambridge. This experience profoundly shaped his life interests and empathy, exposed him to the struggles of an average man, and inspired his poems.

         In 1793, he released 'An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketch,' a poetry collection that boosted his career. In 1795, he met author Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Soon after meeting him, the most important work of the English Romantic Movement, 'Lyrical Ballads,' was published in 1798 due to their teamwork. In 1807, at the peak of his career, he wrote 'Poems, in two volumes.' In 1810, he released 'Guide to Lakes,' then 'The Excursion,' in 1814, and 'Laodamia,' in 1815.

Major Works of William Wordsworth : 

         William Wordsworth was one of the earliest English Romantic poets, and his collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge to release "Lyrical Ballads" set off a trend of romanticism in English literature. It would be best to read the following William Wordsworth's most renowned poems.

         

1. Lyrical Ballad: Coleridge collaborated in its publication. It contains 23 poems, 19 of which were written by Wordsworth. The first lyric published in this collection was "Lines Written a Few Miles Above the Tintern Abbey." Wordsworth explains his poetic concepts in the preface to the second edition. Wordsworth stated that his primary purpose in terms of subject matter was to "select events and situations from everyday reality, and language understood by men."
2. The Prelude: It was composed between the years 1799 and 1805. It is a 14-book descriptive epic poem written in blank verse. The poet's emotional growth is evaluated in this poem. This poem might be seen as a chronicle of the poet's mental evolution."
3. Lucy Poem: In Germany, Wordsworth authored five short poems. It accomplishes unique compassion and elegant clarity of expression for Wordsworth. However, Lucy's details of origin and identity remain unrevealed.
4. Sonnets: About 500 sonnets were written by . He is regarded as one of English literature's best sonneteers.His most significant works include the sonnet 'Om Milton,' 'The World is Too Much with Us on Westminster Bridge', and 'Late and Soon.'
5. Tintern Abbey: "Tintern Abbey" was published in . The poem is based on a little location near the Monmouthshire settlement of Tintern, on the Welsh side of the River Wye. Wordsworth explains his beliefs about nature and its beauty to his readers through this poem. It's conversational poetry with components of an Ode and a theatrical presentation.
6. Ode: Intimations Of Immortality: The poem discusses the author's heavenly connection to nature and is regarded as Wordsworth's best ode. The poem contrasts a kid's strong relationship with the environment to that which is lost when the child gets older and loses his heavenly perspective. On the other hand, the narrator's memories of the past permit him to experience his connection with nature.
7. Daffodils: "Daffodils," one of the masterpieces of English Romantic literature, describes the story of a poet walking around the countryside and encountering a field of lovely flowers. Wordsworth's experience with the large group of daffodils while walking with his sister Dorothy in April 1802 influenced the poem published in 1807
8. London 1802: The poem,written in 1802, is a driver for Wordsworth criticizing his fellow citizens for being greedy and ethically sluggish. He praises seventeenth-century writer John Milton and discusses how Milton might improve England's current position if he were still alive.While paying respect to Milton, Wordsworth's poem "London 1802" cast light on the decaying realities of English society.                      Personal life   : While on a student trip to France, William Wordsworth fell in love with Annette Vallon, a French lady he met. She had a daughter with her, Caroline, so he did not marry her. He did everything he could to care for her daughter. Later, Wordsworth married Mary Hutchinson, a longtime friend, in 1802. Wordsworth's personal life became quite tough during the following few years as two of his children died, and his brother was lost at sea. Wordsworth relocated from Grasmere to Ambleside. Although it was never quite as good as his earlier efforts, he kept writing poetry. He didn't write much after 1835. He received a government pension in 1842 and was named poet laureate the following year.

         Why We Should Read the Work of Wordsworth : 

         Romanticism was a European artistic, cultural, lyrical, and philosophical movement that began at the end of the 18th century. Romanticism was defined by its stress on feeling and independence. It can also be defined as the celebration of all things historical and contemporary, with a preference for the medieval over the classical. Wordsworth is regarded as one of Romanticism's most influential thinkers and characters. He is recognized as a poet interested in spiritual and cognitive exploration, fascinated with the individual connection to the environment, and a strong proponent of integrating common people's terminology and voice inflections in poetry. 

  Death and Legacy:

         William Wordsworth died of pleurisy on April 23, 1850, at Rydal Mount, Westmorland, England. He was buried in Grasmere's St. Oswald's Church. His wife, Mary, released The Prelude, also known as Poem to Coleridge, a few months after his death. He was the first and only poet laureate to compose no official verses, which he did in 1843.

       

Conclusion: 

William Wordsworth played a significant role in the Romantic literary movement and enjoyed a noteworthy life as a poet. His profound love of the natural world and his reflective and lyrical writing revolutionized English poetry and made a lasting impression on the literary community.

    2 . Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Early Life and Education

         Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in 1772 in a small English town called Ottery St. Mary. His father, John Coleridge, was a country vicar and a headmaster at the local school. John had three children from his first marriage and an additional ten children from his marriage with Samuel's mother, Ann Bowden Coleridge. Samuel was the youngest of his father's children. As a young child, Coleridge read voraciously. He was especially fond of Arabian Nights, a book full of exotic intrigue and adventure. When his father discovered the book, he burned it. This event forced Coleridge to begin using his imagination to entertain himself at a young age.

        John wanted Samuel to become a vicar. He saw that Samuel was intelligent and capable. When John died in 1781, Samuel was sent to London to study at a grammar school for underprivileged children called Christ's Hospital. At Christ's Hospital, Coleridge received a comprehensive education in the classics as well as British literature. At Christ's Hospital, Coleridge forged a friendship with poet and essayist Charles Lamb. Coleridge entered Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1791, intending to become a clergyman. Coleridge began to write poetry at this time, but he had not yet found his distinctive voice. He became interested in current events and liberal politics. He also became interested in Unitarianism, a protestant sect that was gaining popularity in England.

        In December of 1793, Coleridge's studies were not going well, and he was in debt. He enlisted under a false name in the king's army. He hated military life and was able, with the help of his brother, to get discharged. Upon his release, he met Robert Southey a radical poet studying at Balliol College, Oxford. Coleridge returned to Jesus College but left for good in December of 1794 without a degree. 

Early Career:

      While Coleridge was at Jesus College, he befriended the writer named Robert Southey. He's kind of the John Lennon to Coleridge's McCartney. That's maybe a good analogy. They shared the same general outlook on life and hopes for the future.

         They hatched a plan to create what is known as a pantisocracy. Which you might say, what is that? Is it a democracy of pants? No, it's not - sadly. It's a utopian society where everyone is equal in status and role. They wanted to do this in Pennsylvania. I don't know if that's exactly where I would go in search of utopia, but that's where they wanted it.

       So Southey married this woman named Edith Fricker. Then, in 1795, he persuades Coleridge to marry Edith's sister, Sara Fricker. I don't really know how that went - oh yeah, she needs a husband. Why don't you do it? It didn't really work out because he wasn't ever really that into her. Actually, not only was he not that really into her, he kind of hated her and they spent a lot of time apart and they never really got along.

         That was 1795, which was a bad year for him in that sense, but a good year in the sense that he met a guy named William Wordsworth , who ended up being a huge influence on him. They bonded over poetry and politics, and within a few years, they were not only friends, but they were collaborating on a lot of stuff. They were really the leaders of this blossoming Romantic Movement in poetry.

         But before Coleridge could be a major poet, he had to figure out a way to make money. Even back then, poetry was not the most lucrative career choice, maybe a bit more so than now, but not by that much. In 1798, he's kind of in real financial trouble again. He was about to fulfill his dead father's wish to become a minister, which by now you know is a terrible idea! Then, these awesome dudes named the Wedgwood brothers offer him a lot of money just to write. So, they give him an annuity of 150 pounds a year, which is nothing by today's standards but was enough by those standards - just because they think he's a good poet and they want to encourage him to write more. If anyone wants to sponsor me, I'm accepting! 

Major Works:

         This is a game-changer for him. He's really able to just focus on his work now. About a month after hearing from them - again it's 1798 - he writes Frost at Midnight. This is one of his first major things. In the poem, he talks about his upbringing in the city and he worries and hopes that his son will get to really experience nature. You can see that it's a key Romantic theme cropping up; the importance of nature vs. the city, things like that. An excerpt from that goes:

For I was reared

In the great city, pent 'mid cloisters dim,

And saw nought lovely but the sky and stars.

But thou, my babe! Shalt wander like a breeze

By lakes and sandy shores, beneath the crags

Of ancient mountain, and beneath the clouds…

        Frost at Midnight, as you can maybe see from its address to the son, is known as one of Coleridge's conversation poems which were written over about a dozen years at the turn of the 19th century. As you might guess, they're written in a conversational tone. As you saw in Frost at Midnight, they share the same celebration of nature trait that comes up throughout Romantic poetry. They're also very clearly about Coleridge's friends and experiences. They're very much based on life.

        In addition to Frost at Midnight, other notable conversation poems are The Eolian Harp, This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison and The Nightingale (these are the famous ones).

       Later on in that same year, 1798 (kind of the big year for Coleridge), he and Wordsworth (remember, Wordsworth is the little Simon and Garfunkel buddy) publish Lyrical Ballads, which is a collection of poetry. It's the thing that's important to the Romantic Movement; the birth of the Romantic Poetry Movement is the publication of this book. 

  Death  : 

      Samuel Taylor Coleridge died of lung or respiratory failure on July 25, 1834, at the age of 61. Coleridge's death was possibly caused by a chronic lung disease that may have been related to his long-term opium usage. Coleridge died at the home of his physician, James Gillman, with whom he had been living for the past 18 years as a means of treating his opium addiction. After his death, Coleridge was buried in the graveyard of St Michael's Church in Highgate, London, near the Gillman home where he had died.

    Reference  : 

    

  Capuana, L. R. “Video Lesson on First Generation Romantic Poets – W. Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge.” L. R. CAPUANA, 27 Apr. 2021, lrcapuana.com/2021/04/27/video-lesson-on-first-generation-romantic-poets-w-wordsworth-and-s-t-coleridge/.

“Coleridge and Wordsworth.” British Literature Wiki, University of Delaware, sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/coleridge-and-wordsworth/.

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