Describe the Major Romantic Poets and their Contribution to English Poetry. 

Answer

Discuss the salient features/important characteristics of Romanticism in the works of the major romantic poets. 

Or, describe the major Romantic poets and their contribution to English poetry. 

(এই প্রশ্ন যদি Features দিয়ে করে, তাহলে Features দিয়ে উত্তর করবেন। আর যদি Poets দিয়ে করে, তাহলে Poets দিয়ে উত্তর করবেন। এখানে Features & Poets দের নাম ধরে একটাই বর্ণনা দেওয়া হলো। তবে, কবির নাম ধরে যদি প্রশ্ন আসে, তাহলে অন্য কবিদের কবিতার নাম ওই পয়েন্টে লিখবেন না। Wordsworth & John Keats এ দুইটা পয়েন্ট দেওয়া আছে। Features দিয়ে প্রশ্ন হলে দুইটা পয়েন্ট ই দিতে পারবেন। আর Poets দিয়ে প্রশ্ন হলে, কবির নাম লিখে দুইটা পয়েন্ট একটা কবির বর্ণনায় দিয়ে দেবেন।)

Romanticism was a literary movement that started the Romantic Age (1798-1832) in English literature. This movement marked a shift from the earlier literary trends (Neo-classicism). It focused on personal feelings/emotions, imagination, and a deep love for nature. It also valued common people and their lives. Romanticism grew as a reaction to big changes in society across Europe, like the French Revolution (1789-1799).

The major Romantic poets of this age were William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. They rejected logic and reason. Instead, they embraced creativity and passion. The striking features of Romanticism/Romantic Poetry (or, the contributions of the major Romantic poets) are discussed below.

Love for Nature/William Wordsworth: Romanticism is the reaction against Neo-classicism (1660-1785). Nature is starkly absent in Neo-classical poetry. The poets of the Romantic Period deeply felt frustration because of the absence of nature in poetry. Nature is the source of life and productivity. Wordsworth’s philosophy is that nature is a true friend of human beings. So, Wordsworth advises his sister Dorothy to make friendships with nature. He says in “Tintern Abbey,”

“Nature never did betray

The heart that loved her;”

High Imagination/John Keats (1795-1821) or S. T. Coleridge (1772-1834): High Imagination was one of the most important features of the Romantic Age. Romantic poets believed that imagination was more powerful than reason. They thought that imagination could