Rom-Non-Poetry+Movements

  Romantic Period Non-Poetry Movement Background  During the romantic period, literature reflected the changing attitudes of the people. The emotional response became more significant and appreciated than the reasonable or logical one. The spotlight that the previous era had reserved for reason and science soon moved to focus on the natural man, for all his failings and imperfections. This led to an increased interest in older, more primitive civilizations and historical novels dealing with them. Fictional literary works often delineated or satirized human relationships, as in the cases of Jane Austen and Thomas Love Peacock respectively. Both Fictional as well as nonfictional prose often touched upon, crossed paths with, or were squarely rooted in social issues such as human rights and women's rights.

Notable Authors Jane Austen- Austen was born December 16, 1775. Her works are hailed by many as the one of if not the most influential and greatest writers of her time. Ironically, she would never know this fame and renown during her own life time. She published her books anonymously so unfortunately, it was not until after her death that she received the recognition she and her works of literature deserved. Her works were often comedies of manners, that depict the world of the upper class ladies and gentlemen. Many deal with the business of young women finding suitable (i.e. rich) husbands so as to increase or maintain there social statistics, this emphasizes women's dependency on men and marriage for financial security as well, during that time. This is ironic, seeing as she herself never married on the grounds that it would take away from her independence. Her writing was known for its realism, sometimes above all else. She ridicules the characters when they are stupid or silly, all the while creating a thought invoking parody about the lives led and social norms lived by in those days. Some of her most famous works include //Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Northhanger Abbey,// and //Emma //

Thomas Love Peacock- Born October 18, 1785, Peacock was a poet in addition to being a novelist and playwright. Known for his quick wit and vast intelligence, Peacock's writings often were rich in marvelous detail, full of brilliant wit and genial humor. He himself was a good friend of the great poet Percy Bysse Shelly, the husband of Mary Shelley, even having been influenced by his works and ideas. He was sometimes criticized for having too simple plays or characters, but this was often more than made up for by the graceful genius of his writing.

Mary Shelley- Born 1797 in Great Britain, she meets and marries the well known poet Percy Bysse Shelly. Shelley was a feminist and a revolutionary in her own sense, She advocated equal educations for both men and women in 1787 with her book //Thoughts on the Education of Daughters//. When she was nineteen, Shelley spent most of her summer in Geneva, Switzerland. One night she was gathered around a campfire with her stepsister and others to tell ghost stories between themselves a certain Lord Byron suggested they all write down a horror story. Shelley later said that she wanted to write a story that truly spoke to the strange fears of our nature and awaken a deep, blood-curling dread and quicken the beatings those who listened to the stories' hearts. The story she wrote would eventually become the famous "Frankenstein". WIth this novel, Shelley attempted to show the readers the darker sides of human nature present within the real Frankenstein and his monster.

Sources [|http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0852619.html][|http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0852619.html][|http://www.nndb.com/people/661/000097370/ http://apeng12af09kr.wikispaces.com/file/view/karlof-frankenstein.jpg http://apeng12af09kr.wikispaces.com/file/view/CassandraAusten-JaneAusten%28c.1810%29.jpg]