Romantic Period Writings With Special Reference to Jane Austen - Essay Example

?Romantic Period Writings With Special Reference to Jane Austen When Romanticism was first introduced into literary horizon, it was hailed as “fanciful, light, and even inconsequential’. “Romance was originally a descriptive term”, which was often used in context of European, German and other types of fiction. However, traces of Romanticism in literature can be found even in the works of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. Later on, it was used to “refer to the verse epics of Tasso and Ariosto”1. Later on Romantic Era reached its zenith in the hands of great masters of Romanticism like Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Byron, Shelley. Their female counterparts like Charlotte Smith, Hannah More, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Helen Maria Williams, Felicia Dorothea Hemans, Jane Austen, and Letitia Langdon, too, played a major role in shaping up the literary scenario during the Romantic era. This paper examines in length the characteristics of writings of Romantic Age, especially by women authors. This paper also traces the ‘radical’ and ‘conservative’ elements found in the writings of Romantic era. Features, practices and characteristics of women authors are also dealt with and the way they expressed ‘radical’ and ‘conservative’ elements are also discussed. The age of romanticism The Age of Romanticism came into being as a result of two great revolutions- the American Revolution during the years 1776-1783 and the French Revolution, during the years 1789-1799. Prior to these two revolutions, literature and ideas were primarily associated with rationalism, intellectual aspects and facts. These were the effects of Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment- the two products of pre- Romantic era. However, they produced discontentment as they supported monopoly or supremacy of political power, which rested solely on the hands of the king and his nobles. Common people had no say in it. At the same time, the social and economic conditions too experienced a drastic change. Thus, romanticism rose from the sense of rejection of all those which denied the self, the resources and rights of the individuals. It emerged as a force opposite to Enlightenment, and supports complex interrelationship2. It was in Germany that Romanticism first gained popularity. German author Goethe is regarded as the godfather as well as the greatest exponent of Romanticism. Romanticism thrives on imagination and originality. The writings are regarded as authors’ own self, that is to say, the author becomes the ‘creator’ and nothing is imitated from the external world. In its early stage, Romanticism was only associated with the feelings of love. Goethe’s ‘The Sorrows of Young Weather’ introduced an ideal hero full of love emotions- a model which was later on borrowed by other romantic authors and poets. But from the very beginning, irregularity and deviation from prevalent and accepted norms marked the writings of Romantic authors’ interrelationship with their inner selves and nature3. During the age of Romanticism, culture and society were depreciating at a fast rate. With the advent of globalization and capitalism, a sense of self- determination arose among the common people. Different political developments took place. These events along with other were constantly repeated not only in the works on Romantic age authors, but in the works of Romantic painters, sculptures, and musicians as well4. In case of romantic melodramas, the structure follows the radical form. That is, with its sensationalism, it could convert a tragedy. This phenomenon could be observed in the works of Thomas Kyd and Tennessee Williams5. Women authors of romantic age During the romantic age, several women made remarkable contributions to the field of literature. Some of them are “Anna Radcliffe, Charlotte Turner Smith, Amelia Opie, Mary Shelley and Jane Austen6. These women are remembered for their literary works which are often considered as “perfect embodiment of woman’s soul”7. Their works depicted the long- suppressed feminism which all its delicacy, fragility, sensibility, softness, pureness, devotedness, faith and rich fine emotions. Their refinery took the Romantic age writings to a new level. The adverse effects of industrialization, man distancing himself from nature and developing a feudal system, isolated sufferings of lonely and outcast individuals, social practices and regulations were the common subjects chosen by female authors. The motive was to produce therapeutic effects by means of picturesque and sublime landscapes as well as rationality and strong emotions8. Problems faced by women authors of Romantic Age: The most important problem of women authors of Romantic Age was that that they were not allowed to establish their identity or existence as an individual. Masculine Romanticism dominated the literary scenario, or rather the whole society from a broader perspective. It was difficult for women to seek the individuality they deserved. Their career prospects were curbed and in many cases they were denied their rights. The chief aspect which further strengthened this gender politics during the Romantic era is ‘lack of education’ of the womenfolk. For all these reasons, a woman had to publish her works under a pseudonym or anonymously. Another important limitation faced by women authors was that that, the characters that were created by them were often no accepted. In a male dominated society, the scene of a woman inflicting violence and destruction was not accepted. Equally unacceptable was “un- feministic behavior” by heroines of Romantic literature. Literary works were classified as ‘men novels’ and ‘female novels’9. ‘Radical and Conservative” approach by women authors of Romantic Era: During the Romantic era, women were less educated, and hence were considered equal to men. Most women lacked formal education, receiving education in home only. Thus, each woman Romantic author has to struggle against a lot of odds. At the same time, the female authors also had the burden of family on them. Thus they voiced their claims for social justice. Women authors were mostly inspired by the French Revolution, and propagated the device of apocalyptic speculation in their writings. This feature can be well noticed in the works of Helena Maria Williams and Hester Lynch Piozzi. Piozzi was a firm believer of the politics by Pitt, apprehended the Revolution as apocalyptic. Radical features are evident in her works as they were highly influenced by the social and political crisis which had hit Florence at that time. As a ‘conservative’ supporter of monarchy and atheism, she advocated for radical changes through destructions caused by the Revolution. In ‘The Florence Miscellany’, ‘British Synonymy’ one can find these features. Williams on the other hand possessed positive vibes about the Revolutions and scientific discoveries, and apprehended that unity, progress and peace will follow soon after. In her works one could find a blend of female sensibility with intense social satire, especially in ‘Julia’. Her tendency to represent the contemporary repressive conditions supports radicalism. Like Williams, many women authors of Romantic era wavered between subjective realism and social and political skepticism. As an instance the works of Mary Shelley portrays “radical loss, failures of compassion, abrupt endings”. A noteworthy feature of Romantic era is that, that both radical and conservative Roman women authors used the ‘female prophet’ model in their compositions. This was eminent in compositions like ‘Eighteen Hundred and Eleven’ by Barbauld and ‘The Romance of the Forest’ by Radcliffe. Their bards forecasted the anticipated cataclysms. All these women authors repeatedly surfaced the norms of ‘radical’ and ‘conservative’ approach within the realm of Romanticism10. Jane Austen Jane Austen was perhaps the most remarkable women novelist who adopted ‘conservative’ approach so successfully in Romantic era. Her fictions consisted both conservative and conventional elements11. At the same time, they also maintained a perfect balance between the subjective and objective aspects commonly found in English fictions. Through her writings, she explored the psychological changes while establishing democracy within a society. Her characters were drawn from social lives of common people, and displayed anti- theatrical signs, especially in case of amateur dramas. However, some characters of Jane Austen flare themselves so brilliantly in front of appraising gaze of the readers, thereby showing theatrical tendencies. In her writings, one could find the perfect blend of ‘Delicacy, Tenderness and Sympathy’. Compared to other women novelists of the Romantic era like Aphra Behn, Mary Wollstonecraft, and others, Jane Austen’s writings showed delicacy in its best form alongside parallel emotions of pity, suffering, and sorrow. Other features of Austen’s literary composition include contemporary religious controversies; society’s moral value was decided after selecting a secular group within the society, at a particular point of time in history. It has been argued that her societies as well her characters which she described in her novels deferred from reality. That is, they were neither real nor contemporary ones12. Conservative approach of Jane Austen As because Jane Austen was a women, her works and artistic genius were judged on tougher grounds. She dealt with ‘war of ideas’, which does not assert that her ideas and thoughts were shaped by some war, but the “old- fashioned notions” that had developed within her as a result of formal reading of “conduct books”. She was introduced to her cultural roots in childhood itself. This made her moral values inflexible and directed. Absence of complex subjectivity and limited exploration of self is evident from the portrayal of characters in her novels. Though, most modern critics unanimously agree that Jane Austen was a conservative, there is no concrete proof for the same. One cannot find any statement or letter, either by Austen herself or by someone else which supports this view. The belief arises from the fact that Austen belonged from a certain class whose stability and staleness made her promote the cultures. In this regard, she is addressed as being a conservative13. Radical elements in Jane Austen’s literary composition: In spite of being thoroughly ‘conservative’ in temperament, Jane Austen had some ‘radical’ traits in her Romantic fictions. A change in hierarchy within the social order is observed. Jane Austen is often taken as subversive possessing extremist radical views. This is evident from the fact that Austen, along with other women authors of the Romantic era was utilizing a new type of satire in their writings. This was referred to as ‘satire of the outsider’ as it was different from the type of satire used by their male counterparts during Romantic era. Though their satire, Romantic women expressed their desire to change the prevailing ideas. The intellectual and cultural appeal was made through the blanket or realm of feminism. Though she tried not to appear radical for she was a professional author, but failed deliberately. Radical elements got incorporated in Austen’s work because she was a keen observer of society and, observed the plight of women and inequality within the social system14. Conclusion The works of women authors of Romantic era, especially the literary contributions of Jane Austen makes us revise the notion of ‘radical’ and ‘conservative’ as far as Romantic age is concerned. Men and women Romantic authors alike focused on strong emotions, and one’s inner feelings. At the same time, they also looked up to nature with wonder, delight and awe. They explored its mysteries with a sense of contentment, as an ecstasy. All of them opposed the contemporary trends of globalization and capitalism. Women especially rebelled against the oppression, anguish and impractical social laws. Through their compositions, they presented the image of a prophet with apocalyptic vision, thereby upholding the true picture of society and contemporary politics. This accounts for the ‘radical’ and ‘conservative’ features in literary compositions of Jane Austen, one of the pioneers of Romanticism. The female authors of Romantic era were open to the conservative type but at the same time they also welcome reformation. While a section of them insist on retaining the conventions of marriage and patriarchy, the other was in favor of bringing about radical social reconstruction. Thus, their literary works were set to draw didactic contrasts between social virtues and vices- all by remaining true to the accepted “female manners” during Romantic era. Though the women Romantic authors were conservative by theme and agenda, ‘radical’ qualities can be found in use of multiple plots and contemporary moral issues15. References 1. Burwick, Frederick, Goslee, Nancy Moore., and Dianne Long Hoeveler, (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Romantic Literature, (US: John Wiley & Sons, 2012) 2. Devine, Harriet. Women's Writing of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901: An Anthology, (UK: Edinburgh University Press, 1999) 3. Dolan, Elizabeth A. Seeing Suffering in Women’s Literature of the Romantic Era. (UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2008) 4. Feldman, Paula R. and Kelley, Theresa M.. Romantic Women Writers: Voices and Countervoices, (US: UPNE, 1995) 5. Huttenmuller, Liwanag. Women Writers in the Romantic Age: The Example of Mary Wollstonecraft, (Germany: GRIN Verlag, 2009) 6. Jane Austen: A Sourcebook. (UK: Routledge, 2005). 7. Johnson, Claudia L. Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel (US: University of Chicago Press, 1990) 8. Mazzeno, Laurence W. Jane Austen: two centuries of criticism (Columbia: Camden House, 2011) 9. Smith, Orianne, ‘Romantic Women Writers at the End of the World: Gender and Apocalypse, 1780 – 1835’ in Loyola University Chicago Read More