Transitional poets and their contribution to a change in poetic sensibility.

The Shift from Neoclassicism to Romanticism: Early Transitional Figures

The late 18th century saw poets like William Blake and Robert Burns begin to challenge the prevailing Neoclassical aesthetic. While still employing some traditional forms, they injected a new vitality and emotional depth into their work.

• William Blake (1757-1827): Blake’s poetry, exemplified in Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794), rejected the emphasis on reason and order characteristic of the Augustan Age. He embraced imagination, symbolism, and a mystical vision, focusing on the plight of the marginalized and the corrupting influence of industrialization. His use of simple language and ballad forms, combined with complex symbolism, marked a significant departure.
• Robert Burns (1759-1796): Burns, writing in Scots dialect, brought a new authenticity and emotional directness to poetry. His celebration of rural life, love, and social justice resonated with a wider audience and challenged the aristocratic conventions of poetic language. His work foreshadowed the Romantic emphasis on nature and the common man.

The High Romantic Transition: Wordsworth and Coleridge

The publication of Lyrical Ballads (1798) by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge is often considered a watershed moment in English poetry. This collection explicitly aimed to break with the past and establish a new poetic sensibility.

• William Wordsworth (1770-1850): Wordsworth championed the use of “the language really used by men,” rejecting the artificial diction of earlier poetry. His focus on the power of nature to inspire moral and spiritual growth, and his exploration of personal experience, were central to the Romantic movement. Poems like “Tintern Abbey” demonstrate a profound connection between the individual and the natural world.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834): Coleridge, while sharing Wordsworth’s commitment to imagination, explored the realm of the supernatural and the exotic. His poems, such as “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” employed vivid imagery, symbolism, and a heightened sense of mystery. He expanded the possibilities of poetic form and subject matter.

Towards Victorian Sensibility: Byron, Shelley, and Keats

The second generation of Romantic poets – Byron, Shelley, and Keats – further developed the themes and techniques introduced by their predecessors, while also anticipating the concerns of the Victorian era. Their work reflects a growing sense of disillusionment and a questioning of traditional values.

• Lord Byron (1788-1824): Byron’s poetry, characterized by its passionate intensity, rebellious spirit, and Byronic hero, appealed to a new generation of readers. His focus on individual freedom and his critique of social hypocrisy foreshadowed the Victorian emphasis on moral and social reform.
• Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822): Shelley’s radical political views and his lyrical intensity made him a controversial figure. His poetry, such as “Ozymandias,” explored themes of power, tyranny, and the transience of human glory.
• John Keats (1795-1821): Keats’s poetry, renowned for its sensuous imagery, its exploration of beauty and mortality, and its formal perfection, represents a culmination of the Romantic aesthetic. His odes, such as “Ode to a Nightingale,” are masterpieces of lyrical expression.

Poet	Key Characteristics	Contribution to Change
William Blake	Symbolism, Imagination, Mysticism	Rejected Neoclassical reason; embraced subjective experience.
William Wordsworth	Language of the common man, Nature, Personal Experience	Democratized poetic language; emphasized emotional connection to nature.
Lord Byron	Passion, Rebellion, Byronic Hero	Introduced a new type of hero; challenged social norms.