Romantism And Neoclassicism Essay, Research Paper

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.