Romantism And Neoclassicism
Throughout history, the arts and literature have been a form of
rationalization
of the minds and thoughts of an artist or writer. The
progression or regression
of knowledge over a period of time can be
chronicled or mapped with the use of
the literature and arts of these
artists. More specifically, the major shift in
thinking from 18th-century
Neoclassicism to 19th-century Romanticism can be seen
in the works of
Alexander Pope and William Wordsworth. A deliberation on the
works of these
two authors show the differences, if not complete opposites
between the
Neoclassic and Romantic concepts. The purpose of a poem can vary
from poet to
poet, but for the Neoclassic poet the main purpose was to educate
the reader.
During this time, Newton and other famous intellects were springing
forth new
ideas. Ideas such as explanations being formed in terms of moving
particles.
Pope shares this idea with the reader in "An Essay on Man"
(stanza2?): "A
thousand movements scarce one purpose gain". Pope’s manner
of writing is very
straightforward. He makes firm statements instead of
questionable
presumptions and he does this as if he is teaching something with a
purpose.
This Neoclassic quality of teaching is seen in portions of his poem
such as,
"His knowledge measured to his state and place, his time a moment,
and a
point his space." (lines71-73) These uses of ideas and teaching in the
poem
make the poem less pleasurable for the reader to read as it allows no
room
for imagination and personal reflection. This is likely intentionally
done by
Pope as it was common in his time to write with a direct purpose
rather than to
please the reader. The purpose in writing for the Romantic
poet is quite
different from that of the Neoclassic poet. The Romantic poet
wrote to please
the reader rather than to educate. This can be seen in
Wordsworth’s poem
"Ode: Intimations of Immortatlity from Recollections of
Early Childhood.",
especially in his use of language throughout the poem.
Language such as, "The
Moon doth with delight" (line12) and "Then sing,
ye Birds, sing, sing a
joyous song!" (Line168) It is this extensive use of
vivid language that force
the reader to use their imagination and visualize
the events or images in the
poem. They can then relate to these events or
images and in turn become an
active participant in reading the poem.