Notes

Individualism—Romantics celebrated people one at a time rather than en masse. Further, they celebrated what makes us each uniquely ourselves.
High Seriousness—gone are the days of mockery and sarcasm found during the Restoration. Romantic authors mean business.
Strong Humanitarianism—humanitarianism means to help other humans out of the goodness of your heart. This typically means helping others even if it does not bring you anything in return. Service to others is a big theme.
Social Reform—some Romantic authors were distraught by the class divisions in Romantic England. Many works touch on the need to reform society and societal views.
Rejection of Materialism—because Romantics found worth in nature and in the very basic qualities of humans, material possessions like clothing and houses were unimportant. Remember, there was a very wealthy upper-class during this time that put an extreme emphasis on material possessions—this is what drove much of the factory work in England, which the Romantics did not support.
Personal Conviction—feeling strongly about something was celebrated by Romantics, even if they did not agree with all convictions; they honored those who had strength of conviction.
Tremendous Awareness of Nature’s Power and Beauty—the Romantics were in tune with nature. These people would have loved the Discovery Channel because they were in awe of nature’s strength and brilliance.
Nature’s Connection to People—though Romantics saw nature as a thing of marvelous beauty and strength, they also viewed it as being directly linked to humans. Humans all have nature within them and a need to draw near to it.
Deep Personal Earnestness—the key word here is “deep.” Romantics pondered things deeply. They considered lives, humans, nature, and emotions as being of the utmost importance. It is not enough to be earnest or passionate, for Romantics, it is the depth of that passion that matters. The deeper, the better.
Delight in the Common—Romantics adored nature, such as the simplicity of dew on grass or a flower in bloom, and this ideal was carried further in delighting in the common things of life, such as moms washing clothes, babies learning how to crawl, men building homes. Simple, basic needs are celebrated over more complicated matters (like business transactions).
Probing into the Mysterious—Romantics had a penchant for curiosity and thus were fascinated with supernatural and mystical ideals, such as medicines that heal and the forces that make change. Science was of great interest to them.
Relationships with Fellow Man and Nature—Romantics held the belief that men do not crave solitude. Rather, they desire, and even require, relationships with fellow humans and with nature in order to be fulfilled.
Emotions—Romantic authors were very much in tune with how they felt and frequently saw parts of nature as expressions of those emotions—rainbows cause joy, beauty is like the night, etc. This is also tied to deep personal earnestness; one cannot be earnest if one does not know how to feel.
Support for the Poor or Suppressed—this characteristic falls in line with delighting in the common. Romantics found much more joy in farmers and day laborers than in the rich capitalists who owned the factories and rode around town flaunting their wealth. The simpler, the better. This includes lifestyles as well as people.
Tranquil Memories—perhaps the greatest theme of Romantic literature is wrapped up in the phrase “memory recollected in tranquility” (Abrams 8). Much of Romantic literature, but predominately its poetry, centers around memories of the past that brought the authors’ great joy. These memories, of course, are related to common man, common lives, common beauty, and nature.