Some of the important features of the social background of the Romantic Period 1770-1850 are as follows:
1. Beginning of Romantic Period
It was the beginning of the Romantic period when Britain was a highly and largest agricultural economic country; Britain's wealth and all financial and economic prosperities were based on agriculture. However, by the end of this Romantic period, the situation rapidly changed from agricultural economics towards industrialization economic. England became an industrializing nation by the end of this Romantic period. This all was possible because of both agricultural and industrial revolutionary movements of the time.
2. Population of England in the Romantic Period
Another main feature is that the population of England became around doubled at that time and absolutely when this dramatic and rapid increase in the population rose, this expanded force of labor a lot because definitely they had not another choice and as according to population sparkling-sun of demand in goods and services appeared. This process further gradually took a strong grasp and gave birth to the Industrial Revolution, which economically proved beneficial. However, society was still deprived of basic rights and freedom.
3. Urbanization in Society
The third feature is also the main character of this age that people started to select their future as an urbanized society. This rapid industrialization and rapid increase in population, which touched double the figure, forced people to travel from rural areas to urban areas. Britain became the world’s first urbanized society. England, a country based on agricultural economic resources and rural lifestyle in the past, became dependent upon industrialization economic resources and urbanized.
4. Remarkable Development
A fourth feature, which is the main characteristic of England, also got a remarkable and amazing development in the transportation system. They built better roads, and canal systems for proper services for industries, and those all services were available cheaply and quickly. This transportation system during industrialization was the beginning of the railway system in England.
5. Industrial Revolution
The agricultural and industrial revolution resulted in a new class that appeared and was known as the middle class. These both gave it birth. Mostly lands were being bought by landowners from lower social status. This newly rich industrial and kind of commercial class often tried to buy a social status from the rural.
6. Women's Role
Another feature is needed to be discussed here that we also trace gender roles and sensibilities clearly confined in society. Women were confined to just the domestic sphere that men must play an active role in society.
7. Religious Conditions
On the other hand, if we are talking about the religious situation, we know that Wesleyan Methodism kept a stunning kind of comeback in the field of religion. A large number of people started to be Christian believers. French Revolution in the history of English Literature is a major historical and political event traced to this period. All Romantic poets that we know in this age, like William Wordsworth, William Bake, P.B Shelley, Byron, and all poets, supported the French Revolution with the slogan of “Liberty, Equality & Fraternity.”
Introduction of the age of Romanticism in the History of English Literature
This Romantic age is connected with a literary movement called 'Romanticism.' Similarly, we call the neoclassical age a neoclassicism or same with Greek period or kind Augustus's period is connected with Classicism. So in this particular way, we call the age of romantic as Romanticism. This age also has a literary meaning that is the age of Wordsworth because he was a prominent writer of this age. It is a period where we see dry intellectuality that Dryden, Pope & other writers were blindly copying those ancient masters. The big issue was that they were not able to copy ancient masters; they were not classical. They were Pseudo Classical. They focused on philosophy, difficult intellectually, and focused on things which all had moral grounds, and even they said to write things in Heroic couplet, you can’t write blank verse, free other or in other forms. You will have to follow the rules and regulations, and without rules and regulations, you are not allowed to write. If someone wants to be a writer, he must first be a philosopher, then he can write. He must be well aware of rules, rules of grammar, regulations about usage of meters. The entire 18th century, before 1798, is dominated by dry intellectuality. We saw it was the age of revolution because America got independence in 1776. We know the American Revolution, and along with that, we trace the French revolution, which had a strong impact or influence on England because the French were near England. America was across the Atlantic; that's why it has less influence. Their revolutions revolted writers were inspired by them to do something that became French people were against the church and upper class. That's was, they revolted against these dry intellectuality of ancient masters.
English writers were inspired by the French Revolution and the American Revolution, and they also tried to revolt the same as the French public revolted against their monarchs. People were really so infuriated by these ancient rules, formalities, and gaudiness of the 18th century. They wanted amendments. Similarly, this Romanticism is also a kind of revolt against these pseudo-classical. They tried to end these Augustus’s school of thought and create a new school of thought. We trace here contrasting views about poetry by Lord Jeffrey and John Keats. Lord Jeffery said that "Poetry is all about connection with religion; there are not certain changes acceptable and not fixed. Lawful authorities and other powers can’t ask any questions about it. John Keats replays that "Poetry is not salvation or it's not in under the control of anyone. Poetry is creative, so it must be creative. No religious interference should be there because it's free from all religious and other rules and regulations. It is a sign of freedom about how we use it.
Starting year of this age is also controversial because some critic says it started from 1789 when the French revolution was started, and few critics say that it starts from the publication of lyrical ballads in 1798. It's a poetic work which is written by both William Wordsworth and S.T Coleridge collectively. Among these, both argumentative points more widely accepted is 1798. Romanticism rose quickly as a literary movement when we trace major political events like the French revolution and Napoleonic wars. These two political issues are major reasons for romanticism for being a literary movement because the French revolution was not bounded around France's boundaries. Still, it has a huge impact was also victimized by English literature. One thing that is really interesting that British writers were supporting the French revolution. However, British monarchs and government were against them because the government was thinking that if French people have rebelled against their monarch today, then tomorrow English people can take rebellions against us, so the impact of the French revolution must not take place into Anglicans, not only Britishers but entire Europe was in terror due to this rebellion. England & France already were their enemy, and support of the writer's French revolution was dangerous for them. When it placed the name of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, this slogan inspired and became the cause of the 'Movement of Romanticism.' This moment stepped forward because other people started carving for freedom and tried to free themselves from old rules chains.
Major Literary Characteristics of the Romantic period
Generally, we already know that romanticism is a reaction against neoclassicism; they were against the rules of neoclassicism because they were older, dry, and strict. This now romanticism emphasized a lot to use simple, precise, and straightforward poetry rather than dry intellectualism. Simplicity is one of the best priority of romantic. They motivate that language should be simple. As William Wordsworth says, readers understand that "real language in the common man in a state of vivid sensation. The romantic writer always focused on excessive feelings, emotions, desires, and imagination in literature. They say it always must be included in literature because these elements are actually really it must be included here. The romantic writer always focused on poetry rather than prose. They emphasize to compose poetry, not prose because they think that is the best form of literature. These thoughts created outstanding poets, William Wordsworth, John Keats, P.B Shelley, Lord Byron, S.T Coleridge, and William Blake. William Wordsworth tries to make poetry more and more simple even though he said that there must not be any difference between Poe's language proceeded prosed. Poetry must be simple as prose is simple. Along with these all rules, romantic port always chosen setting if their poetry humble and rustic. Their settings of poems were mountains, valleys, rains, forests, flowers, orchards, snowfalls, waterfalls, and an all-natural imaginative world. They didn't choose their setting bustling urban life. Furthermore, also, we see William Wordsworth. He says that the writer must not be written for only himself; he must be written to others. He should express things as other people are expressing for themself. The writer always takes other's emotions, feelings, and pains because the writer has huge sensibility.
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