Romantic Literature - Essay Example

Two Different Styles of Romantic Literature Romanticism in literature is typically portrayed by s that are woven by the imagination. Among these seemingly illogical depictions are situations such as the macabre, worlds of fantasy, the spiritual realm, moral and psychological dilemmas. Due to the prolific works of many authors during the era of romanticism, it has been recognized as a strong force in the numerous outputs of prose that delve with things that are not easily explained by human reason or logic. However, while a reader might see the vivid style of romanticists as mere products of the imagination, one cannot help but reflect that these illustrations may well be the sensational expression of authentic feelings, thoughts, recollection of events, ideas of uncertainty, or even memories of the author, or of people that the author knows of. The evolution of the style of romantic literature was borne out of the need of many writers to express their inner thoughts in a way that is characterized by freedom, imagination, as well as creativity, without the impediment of following normal human logic. As a result, many romantic works such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto bear situations that are not realistic, even during the time that these works were published. While these two works are entirely different, one is a poem while the other is a novel, what ties these two together is the creation of suspense as far as the main characters of the stories or narratives are concerned. The succession of events may not be as clear as logic to predict, thus adding a sense of uncertainty to what could possibly happen to the protagonists, the antagonists, or both. In the course of this analysis, these two important works from the Romanticist era of literature would be used to illustrate how the combination of the use of imaginary settings as well as adding a feeling of uncertainty in behalf of the characters not only appeal to the senses of the readers but also draw them into their lives and shoes, as well as being able to see the triumphs, the losses, and other emotions of the cast as real emotions that are valid in their given situations. Real Emotions in Surreal Situations In comparing the first chapter of The Castle of Otranto to the summary of the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, it can be seen that the settings of the narratives are surreal or even imaginary. However, the characters are portrayed as ordinary people, without any superpowers or whatnot. This puts real people in unreal or surreal situations. In the case of the Ancient Mariner and the rest of the crew of the ship, they felt real terror when they saw the ghost ship with Death and Night-mare Life-in-Death: Are those her ribs through which the Sun Did peer, as through a grate? And is that Woman all her crew Is that a Death? And are there two? Is Death that woman’s mate? (Coleridge 11). The writer vividly described the people or apparitions aboard the appearing ship in order to help the reader visualize the passengers of the ghost ship. A few lines after the description of the passengers of the ghost ship came the terror that the mariner and his shipmates felt after Death and Night-mare Life-in-Death decided which souls they would take as their own, We listened and looked sideways up! Fear at my heart, as at a cup My life-blood seemed to sip! (Coleridge 11). To put it bluntly, the mariner felt as if his blood has totally drained away after hearing that the souls of all passengers of their marooned ship would be taken away. It can be likened to how a person would feel when facing immediate danger or seeing it approach, where time seems to stand still and it would feel like there is no other choice but to die. The same feeling of terror is also depicted in the character Isabella when she was being pursued by Prince Manfred in the first chapter of The Castle of Otranto: “Words cannot paint the horror of the Princess’s situation. Alone in so dismal a place, her mind imprinted with all the terrible events of the day, hopeless of escaping, expecting every moment the arrival of Manfred, and far from tranquil on knowing she was within reach of somebody, she knew not whom, who for some cause seemed concealed thereabouts; all these thoughts crowded on her distracted mind, and she was ready to sink under her apprehensions. She addressed herself to every saint in heaven, and inwardly implored their assistance. For a considerable time she remained in an agony of despair” (Walpole 36). In the passage, it is described in detail what is running through the thoughts of Princess Isabella while she was trying to hide from the pursuits of Manfred and his servants. It can be compared to being pursued by dangerous persons, animals, or even when trying to escape from natural disasters, when those under such conditions feel like their lives are out of their hands, and must be willfully sent to a higher power. The situations might seem impossible but for a person that is able to understand how the characters might be feeling at that very moment, such ideas and feelings are too real to simply be ignored. In a sense, life is imitated by art, but painted in much more detail and vividness. Not only does the feeling of fear seem true in both excerpts, but also the relief of getting out of danger as well. When Isabella was able to meet a peasant that showed her the way to a trap door in the castle, a sense of urgency to escape emanates from the descriptions of the scenes: “Oh! Transport!” said Isabella; “here is the trap-door!” and, taking out the key, she touched the spring, which, starting aside, discovered an iron ring. “Lift up the door,” said the Princess. The stranger obeyed, and beneath appeared some stone steps descending into a vault totally dark. “We must go down here,” said Isabella. “Follow me; dark and dismal as it is, we cannot miss our way; it leads directly to the church of St. Nicholas” (Walpole 37). Feeling that she is safe from the clutches of the deranged ruler, the Princess did not think of the darkness that fills the secret tunnel, but only the salvation and relief that she will get once she gets to the church at the end. Similarly, the mariner also gets his own sense of relief and redemption when for the first time for a long while he is able to taste water from the rain, The silly buckets on the deck, That so long remained, I dreamt that they were filled with dew And when I awoke, it rained (Coleridge 14). It is like how people in real life find comfort in getting something as simple as food or water after a tiresome day. The only difference between the people in the real world and the mariner is that in the poem he was stranded somewhere in the middle of the sea without anything to save him or his comrades, while for people in the modern real world have conveniences such as canned food or bottled water at their disposal. Nevertheless, being hungry and thirsty are both as real to the mariner as it is to the reader, which makes them actual reflections of what people feel in such situations. Comparison and Contrast of the Literary Ballad (Ancient Mariner) to the First Chapter of the First Gothic Novel (Castle of Otranto) One of the major similarities between the two works of prose is that they both portray terror and salvation for the protagonists. In the case of the literary ballad, the terror of being stranded in an unknown place without any food while seeing other people die can happen in real life, save perhaps the part where death appears and wields power over the mortals. In such case, it is what makes the poem romantic, because it was woven with supernatural and imaginary elements. For the gothic novel, the terror of being pursued by a ruler out of his wits can also happen in real life, where psychopaths chase normal people and inflict pain or death. On the other hand, salvation for the mariner is when he was able to drink water from the rain, as well as being rescued and brought back to his hometown. For Isabelle, her salvation came when she was able to get inside the tunnel and escape Manfred’s pursuits. In a way, these two endings reflect the true wishes of most people in the real life as well: achieving salvation from their problems and having relief from their hardships. While the settings in both romantic works are seen as surreal or imaginary, the actual feelings of the protagonists are real because at some point, readers are able to relate to what these characters feel. Thus, in a way the literary works portray actual feelings of people under imaginary circumstances. In contrasting the two works, the literary ballad is written by Coleridge in an old-fashioned form, which makes it seem to revert into the older forms of Gothic style. It is also noticeable that many terms were deemed archaic, and the presence of gloss within the text makes it a bit complicated to read due to additional information. In order to retain the cohesion and sense of being archaic, Coleridge used the outdated words to give justice in using the gloss and other notations within the text. For example, in the line where the appearance of the ghost ship was being described, the use of archaic words made the passage a bit complicated, See! see! (I cried) she tacks no more! Hither to work us weal; Without a breeze, without a tide, She steadies with upright keel! (Coleridge 10). Compared with the use of outmoded words, the gothic novel by Walpole also used some, but not mostly old-fashioned words as well, just to give a medieval feel to the story. In the exchange of words by Manfred and Isabella before the chase, the author only limited the use of these old-fashioned words into the dialogues of the characters, and the narrations are rather modern in comparison, which makes Walpole’s style a bit more modernized, “Alas, my Lord!” said Isabella, “my mind is too sadly engrossed by the recent catastrophe in your family to think of another marriage. If ever my father returns, it shall be his pleasure, I shall obey, as I did when I consented to give my hand to your son: but until his return, permit me to remain under your hospitable roof, and employ the melancholy hours in assuaging yours, Hippolita’s, and the fair Matilda’s affliction” (Walpole 34). Thus, as seen from the styles of the two authors, Coleridge was aiming for an authenticity in the archaic nature of his prose, while for Walpole, his aim was to combine modern styles with old-fashioned methods of speech just to give a “feel” of being such but not being outright archaic. Conclusion In romantic literature, one of the strong elements in the genre is the use of imagery, as well as the use of vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses and feelings, but not to the logical nature of the human mind. In both the works of Coleridge and Walpole, they were able to illustrate how people in danger would be thinking, as well as to how they would feel when they have reached salvation or redemption. This is regardless of the style being used by the author, whether it is in old-fashioned style of speech, modernized, or a mixture of the two. Thus, despite the surreal settings of such literary works, readers can relate to what the characters in the stories might be feeling in a moment, which makes such forms of prose effective conveyors of the human nature of the cast of these stories. Works Cited Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1992. Print. Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2004. Print. Read More