The Romantic Period: Author Spotlight

The Body of Abel found by Adam and Eve, by William Blake.

WILLIAM BLAKE 1757-1827

Blake has fascinated me in the past in his various religious pieces of art. In them i have been impressed with his passion for the stories of the Old Testament. He was relatively unheard of throughout his life, but today is recognized as a prominent figure of the Romantic Period: his poetry and art is religious, insightful and reflective. Blake considered his worth as a human being, and the experience and contributions we make to society. The fact that he centered worth on God, and something greater than himself, strikes me as a very humble, mature conclusion.

The Human Abstract

Pity would be no more
If we did not make somebody poor,
And Mercy no more could be
If all were as happy as we.

And mutual fear brings Peace,
Till the selfish loves increase;
Then Cruelty knits a snare,
And spreads his baits with care.

He sits down with holy fears,
And waters the ground with tears;
Then Humility takes its root
Underneath his foot.

Soon spreads the dismal shade
Of Mystery over his head,
And the caterpillar and fly
Feed on the Mystery.

And it bears the fruit of Deceit,
Ruddy and sweet to eat,
And the raven his nest has made
In its thickest shade.

The gods of the earth and sea
Sought through nature to find this tree,
But their search was all in vain:
There grows one in the human Brain.

I think that there is something great to be said of artists who atrtribute greatness and beauty to something larger than themselves. Today it is not a common thing to find with success a sense of gratitude to God. Mankind has grown more and more self involved. It is not a frequent thing for one to consider trials, for example, as an opportunity to serve one another and be compassionate. I wonder how different the world would be, stripped of pride, and actually interested in the wellbeing of its follow man.

The Romantic Period: Favourite Music

Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky. My mother used to play classic music in the house when we were little- she would teach us all of the composers and the songs. We grew to love the crescendos of Vivaldi's four seasons- I have to crank the volume to this day in Winter. My favourite was Swan Lake. When I started school, we would have school assembly. Every day the teacher would play a piece and ask if anyone knew what it was. One week he played this and I raised my hand and told him- he was shocked that I knew.

I wanted to be a ballerina. I used to dance around the house to this piece. Tchaikovsky creates raw emotion in his use of crescendos and diminuendos. It is a powerful, sad piece that invites so many emotions.

The man himself, Tchaikovsky.

The Romantic Period: Romantic Vogue

The French- OTT, naturally. As we know, fashion in France is of the upmost importance. Marie Antoinette made sure to see to that. The Aristocratic woman, for sure, had to keep in touch with the very latest fashions:it was every bit as important as running her home. I am reminded of the Scarlet Pimpernel: How important the cravat was. Ha! Of course, we are not too concerned with the french. But it is worthwhile to mention that french fashion, at least on an aristocratic level, made its way to Britain, and was seen somewhat as a standard. However flamboyant it was: we were influenced.

However, we Brits couldn't quite live with ourselves if we were seen to be copying french trends. The Romantic period was the beginnings of a staunch hatred between the two nations. And so, in the hoyty toyty manner with which we Brits seems to always hold, we took their flamboyancy and modified it. Modest was celebrated, and the Aristocracy emphasized fine fabrics in simple form. Perhaps the main area in which which we got creative was with the hat. Even as time went on and outfits became simpler in style, the hat was always a statement of ones worth in society.


Typical in Womens fashion, we notice the empire waist, cropped coat, pastel colour and gloves. Fabrics were of the upmost importance: the middle class kept silks for very special occasions.

The Romantic Period: Favourite Art

Francisco Goya. The Shootings of May Third. 1808. Goya has always been a favourite painter. Although he painted many potraits for the aristocracy, his other pieces follow a very different technique and style, unique for his time. Being quite politically intune, Goya focused many of his works on events that happened around him, and painted in a very realistic manner. His use of colour is especially unique amidst other professional artists in the Romantic Period. He is not afraid to use bold and intense colour, which accentuates the drama of the scene he is painting. His pieces are captivating and truthful. In this particular painting, I am impressed by Guya's ability to get his audience's empathy immediately: the victim in the painting seems to emmit light: innocence. The red of the blood stands out- the gore taints the painting. the figures in the background portray such emotion that the audience instantly detests the shooters: the oppressors. This is quite typical of social thinking in the Romantic Period.

The Romatic Period: A Few People of Consequence

William Pitt And Napoleon. Pitt, the British Prime Minister from 1783 to 1801 (and then again from 1804-06) was a tight leader, suppressing freedom of speech in Britain. Napoleon was equally as notorious in his hunger for power. Both were pretty stuck up and power-hungry. What sort of leader is a good leader? I think of King Benjamin, of the Book of Mormon: a leader who did everything he could for his people, served with compassion and set an example of love and charity. His people, consequently, loved him and times were peaceful. Politics in the Romantic Period were a headache! What was lacking? Compassion for the poorer classes!

Jane Austen. Praise Jane for her incredible talent for caputing what her female audience wanted to read about. She was, essentially, an entertainer. Though of course we consider her to be a classic legend, I wonder how she was concieved in her time. Anne Hathaway and those 20th Century Fox peeps have tried to show us (Becoming Jane- an okay movie-watch it is you don't mind Hathaway's strained accent), but I still wonder whether or not she was just the equivalent of our Stephanie Meyer. Regardless, females continue to thank her for Mr. Darcy- who, up until Edward Cullen, was the ideal man.
Literary appreciation: her ability to accurately portray class distinction, the implications of such in the eyes of both the upper and lower classes, romantically suggesting the integration of the classes and creating in Mrs. Bennett a character who will always make me laugh.

Lord Byron. A man I should have liked to have observed at a party. He was extravagent, dramatic and a flirt. The Greeks still consider him a national hero. Byron invented his own hero in literature- probably after the image of himself- a character "mad bad and dangerous to know," according to fellow writer Lady Caroline Lamb. What I like about Byron (more so than his writing, I think), was his decision to involve himselves in the lives of other writers. He was BFF with Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Claire Clairmont- they even vacationed together. I wonder to think what they discussed over dinner.

Marie Antoinette (french). Marie, will will learn later in Romantic Period Vogue, remains to be considered a pioneer in Romantic fashion. We appreciate her effort in keeping up appearances under the spotlight of the media, and of course living such an incredible life that Hollywood just HAD to recreate it. It didn't do so well. Poor Kirsten Dunst.

The Romantic Period: In the British News

Peterloo Massacre, Manchester, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819. Cavalry charge a HUGE crowd of protesters who were demanding a parliamentary reform. Power to the people! Until the Cavalry come...

King George III is declared incurably insane in 1811. Well, it happens to the best of us. Long live the King!

The Romantic Period: On Everybody's Minds

What occupied the thoughts of those Brits during the Romantic years? Primarily the French. The French Revolution (beginning with the assembly of the States General in July 1793) tore through the minds of most Europeans and sparked ideas of independence, individual worth and freedom. Trust the french to start such chaos! Cue repressive measures in England. It's funny to think what powerful people will do to remain in power. We are concerned with class here: an aristocracy worried that the common people will overrule their comfy lifestyle. Eventually, free expression and common concern overrules even something as thriving and powerful as the African Slave Trade.

Suddenly everybody has a say- or believes they have a right to it. Poets explore the nobility and worth in such expressions: in Wordsworth's We Are Seven, even a child has something worthwhile to contribute to the adult way of thinking: tangible logic is given the shaft as room is made for insightful intuition.

Slavery is abolished in the Empire in 1807. I find it interesting to see how much we congratulate ourselves for that one. The forgive and forget policy we seem to have adopted and embrace is somewhat ridiculous. I lived in Ghana for three years, and one of the things that struck me about being so involved in society there is the fear that those people have of "the white man". The general consensus seems to be not to trust the expatriate: when the self is concerned, freedom is very valued. On many occasions I was unexpectadely (and unprovokingly) attacked with statements of equality. I felt like they didn't believe that I believed we were indeed equal. There is a lasting effect of the slave trade in Ghana: blame is not something that is forgotten even today, no matter how much freedom became valued in the Romantic Period.