Raunchy Romance (An analysis of three elements that make up Romantic Poetry)

We often come to think that when we hear the term “romantic poetry” our thoughts immediately jump to the images of a candle light dinner, a stroll on the beach, a rose pedal covered bed and so on. However, the definition of the romantic poetry isn’t about the love we know about, but in fact a time period. This period dating in the early eighteen hundreds relieved to us many famous romantic poets including Wordsworth, Burns and Blake. These poets contributed greatly to this time period including their many works, the most lengthy and famous being Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey.” However, if romantic poetry isn’t about love and sex, then what is it about? What makes romantic poetry different than other poetry? The answer to these questions can be answered with the three elements that make up romantic poetry. The three elements of romantic poetry include that we can learn important things from Nature, imagination and emotion are more important than reason and finally that simple ideas can help you understand complex ideas.

The first element of romantic poetry, can be seen through several texts, which the element of that we can learn important things from Nature. For example, in John Keats poem, “Ode to a Nightingale” Keat, dying from a disease, and distraught by grief from being unmarried, goes into his garden where he states, “Tasting of Flora and the country-green, Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!” In which Keat learns that even though he faces a soon death, the smell of flowers and the chirping of a bird bring him peace and happiness where he thought no such thing could be found. Another example can be seen in William Wordsworth poem, “The Table Turned.” In this piece of poetry Wordsworth states, “Sweet is the lore...

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... emotion are more important than reason and finally that simple ideas can help you understand complex ideas. Throughout my readings of this type of poetry and all poetry in fact, that is uses these elements to communicate complex ideas to people in simple ways. Throughout their changing society at the time with revolutions, both government and with life itself, many men and women chose to express their feelings and to preserve the ever changing world. They wanted to keep life simple and to life it with love and kindness.

Works Cited

• Blake, William. "And Did Those Feet." 1808. Poem. Stanza 4

• Coxe, Edward. "The Last Leaf." 1805. Poem.

• Keats, John. "Ode to a Nightingale." 1821. Poem. Lines 13-14

• Williams, Helen Maria. "On Reading the Poem upon the Mountain-daisy, by Mr. Burns." 1827. Poem.

• Wordsworth, William. "The Tables Turned." 1798. Poem. Lines 13-16