Frankenstein: Poetry Connections

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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Modern culture is full of devices and activities to keep you busy and connected to other people, but unless you take the initiative, it can be very easy to go for extended periods without engaging with nature.

The above study's findings about the benefits of time in nature do not present new ideas. The Romantic poets of the 18^th and 19^th centuries were fully aware of the power nature held over their state of mind.

To better understand Romanticism's emphasis on nature, you need to familiarize yourself with the significance of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain.

Learn how the Industrial Revolution had many positive changes while radically transforming life throughout the country.

The results of this sudden change convinced many Romantic writers that the natural world was a place of spiritual truth and renewal from the hustle and bustle of urban civilization.

One of the philosophical ideas developed during this period was the concept of the sublime. In a 1756 essay, Edmund Burke wrote the following.

"Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain and danger . . . is a source of the sublime; that is, it is productive of the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling."

The concept of the sublime influenced both poetry and art. Consider this painting by John Martin titled The Plains of Heaven.

The painting's emphasis on the many wonders of the natural world, from the snow-capped mountains to the blue ocean, illustrates the many qualities Romantic artists tried to capture in their works.

Nature's power was an excellent source for the sublime because its many wonders can be both beautiful and dangerous.

In connection with the sublime, Romantic poets valued the experience of strong emotions. William Wordsworth stated, "all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings."

In the Got It? section, you will read and analyze some famous works of poetry from the Romantic era. As you do, be on the lookout for the authors' attempts to glorify nature and to portray the value of experiencing strong emotions.