Great things are done when men and mountains meet Romantic Poetry and Its Eccentric Offspring

The Romantic Period is short, relative to other literary periods, but is still quite complex. The beginning and ending dates are identified differently by scholars, though these dates always coincide with major literary, cultural , political, or social events. At this time England was transforming from a primarily agricultural nation to one focused on manufacture, trade, and industry. The England of that time was often described in terms of -Two Nations-: the rich and privileged, and the poor and powerless. Just as there were many different, and conflicting -schools- of poetry during this time, there were many competing visions for what good poetry should be and what its aims should be. William Blake's illuminated poems and prophecies were ignored in his own time. Now, however, the Songs of Innocence and Experience is an established collection of lyrics, and Blake's 'prophetic books' are widely admired and studied. The poems of John Keats have never ceased to fascinate and he is now justly celebrated as one of the greatest English poets, his verse rewarding the reader with a wealth of musical riches and highly evocative settings. Via detailed analysis of individual poems of both writers, in this course we shall explore different themes and specific techniques. Furthermore, we shall cover the whole span of both their lives, their careers, from early lyrical experiments to their great epics and narratives. This course encourages a focus on the power and beauty of Blake's poetry, as well as on the audacity of his ideas. Keats' attitude to the turmoil of his period, and above all his great passion for life, lead to a good understanding of the key features of 19th century Romanticism. Text excerpts, poems and other additional material will be provided as pdf files on moodle. Seminar für Anglistik Beachten Sie, dass Sie diesen Kurs nach den Prüfungsordnungen ab 2011 nicht besuchen dürfen, wenn Sie die für dieses Modulelement laut Fachspezifischen Bestimmungen und Modulhandbuch notwendigen Voraussetzungen ZU BEGINN DES WINTERSEMESTERS noch nicht erfüllen. Modul 1 muss also bereits vor Kursbeginn erfolgreich abgeschlossen sein!!! Für den neuen Lehramtsstudiengang BA-E GymGe ist laut Modulhandbuch keine PL möglich, ebenfalls können LKM-Studierende keine PL für das Modul 11 in diesem Kurs erwerben (auch hier siehe Vorgaben des Modulhandbuchs). 2 LP / 3 LP Studienleistung: regular, active participation; complete reading of the poems and additional material; pass short in-class quizzes. 5 LP: see 2 LP / 3 LP Studienleistung PLUS preparing a 15-20 minute presentation on one of the class' topics. 3 LP Prüfungsleistung: academic term paper of c. 4000 words, to be submitted by 18 March 2016 the latest; the topic for the paper must have been discussed with your course instructor before end of term (January). 7 LP: see the tasks for 2 LP / 3 LP Studienleistung PLUS the task for 3 LP Prüfungsleistung. Universität Siegen WiSe 2015/16 M.A. Severin Maria M.A