First published 2001
Revolutionary fervor transforms poetry after the American and French revolutions. Jonathan Wordsworth curates both famous works that shaped Romanticism and overlooked treasures from forgotten poets. The collection features Blake's 'Tyger', Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan', and Shelley's 'Ozymandias' while revealing surprising facets of these masters. Blake displays his comedic side, Wordsworth embraces humor, and Shelley demonstrates sharp wit. Coleridge explores dark Gothic themes while Keats and Clare delve into dreamlike realms. Female poets Charlotte Smith and Mary Robinson secure their rightful positions in this explosion of emotion and artistic innovation. The anthology demonstrates Romanticism's central conviction that love possesses transformative power and celebrates the human spirit's endless capacity for awe.
Genres: anthologies, poetry, 19th-century, romanticism
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, hidden-gems
Period: 1776, 1789
1005 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics