First published 1961
Bate examines how English literature transformed during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He maps the intellectual and artistic movement away from neoclassical principles toward romantic ideals. The study explores changing attitudes about imagination, nature, and individual expression. Bate analyzes how writers abandoned formal restraints and rigid conventions. He shows poets and critics embracing emotion over reason, spontaneity over structure. The book traces this cultural shift through major literary figures and their works. Bate demonstrates how romantic writers redefined creativity itself. His analysis reveals the philosophical foundations underlying this artistic revolution. The work offers readers insight into one of literature's most significant transitions.
Genres: art, literary-criticism, historical-fiction, 20th-century, criticism, 19th-century, art-history, academic
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-transformation, literary-analysis
Period: Late 18th Century, Early 19th Century
197 pages · Paperback · Joanna Cotler Books