UVU Romantic British Literature (Spring 2022) Dashboard
Description
The Romantic period is unique amongst other literary historical periods; it is neither demarcated by, or named for, the reign a monarch (like the Elizabethan or Victorian eras), nor is it defined by the century with which it coincides (like the Twentieth or Twenty-First Centuries). Instead, the Romantic period is bookended by major political and social events. Named for a literary genre recovered in the eighteenth century (the medieval romance), the Romantic period is generally agreed to have ended in 1832 at the first major reform of the British Parliament, but its beginning could be considered to coincide with a variety of events, such as the 1776 American declaration of independence, or the 1789 commencement of the French revolution. In general, the literature of this period might be characterized as reactionary; Romantic critics and artists were responding to the period’s radical social and political shifts and to the British literary tradition’s overemphasis on classical influences at the expense of other genres and modes of expression. In many ways, they were confronting their own political philosophy, artistic ancestry, and the trauma and turbulence of near-constant war.
This course explores these confrontations through four loosely constructed units that cover the political debates and artistic innovations fomented by the French Revolution, the challenges posed to gender norms by Romantic women writers, the passionate efforts of abolitionists to raise awareness about the horrors of slavery, and the radicalism espoused by some of British literature’s more (in)famous poets.
Galleries, Timelines, and Maps
This is where you'll post your historical sites / locations.
This is where we'll post our timeline entries.
Individual Entries
“North-East of the city limits of Geneva, along the southern shore of Lake Leman. Extends the district of Cologny. In a superb location on the Cologny heights stands a modest, square, stucco house- the Villa Diodati.” (Clark) This noteworthy estate has housed both Lord Byron and Milton. The writers loved the property because of its incredible location and the marvelous nature that surrounds it. It was often a ground for their meditation on what the wrote.
Villa Diodati is famously known as the location where Mary Shelley first began to write her infamous novel Frankenstein. In may of 1826 Mary, along with her husband Percy Shelley, took a trip to visit Lord Byron who was in Switzerland at the time. The Villa was located on the shores of a lake in Switzerland. Byron and Percy soon became friends, “. . . spending the day sailing together and the evenings in lively discussion.”(Badalmenti 5) The visit was going smoothly until unexpected weather forced Byron, Percy, Mary, and...
In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte set out to conquer Egypt. He did not only bring along soldiers on this journey though. He also brought with him engineers, scientists, and archeologists from the Commission of Science and Arts. Their goal was to enlighten the people and learn about Egyptian history. In September of 1798, after he had begun his military conquest, Napolean formed the Institut d’Égypte to accomplish these goals. His team of scientists and engineers began their work zealously, though many of them had little experience or knowledge of the area or its history. For example, when the artist Dominique Vivant Denon discovered The Book of the Dead (a funerary text), he falsely believed he was the first person to ever discover that ancient Egyptians wrote on papyri (Brier).
Despite their lack of experience and knowledge, the French made several...
moreLocated in the Graian Alps mountain range that covers significant areas in the countries of France, Italy and Switzerland, Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the mountain range, measuring at 15,782.3 ft in elevation. This magnificent height makes the Mont Blanc summit the highest peak in Western Europe, and the second highest peak in all of Europe! The Mont Blanc massif itself, with its eleven separate summits that each tower over 4,000 ft in elevation, has been a source of curiosity, exploration and inspiration for mountaineers, nearby villagers,and authors and poets (especially during the Romantic period) for centuries.
Named after its incredible glacier caped tops, “Mont Blanc” literally translates to “white mountain” in French. Today, these glacier tops have attracted people all over the world to engage in activities on the Mont Blanc massif, such as “hiking, climbing, trail running and winter ports...
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