4th semester PAPER 402C: BRITISH ROMANTIC LITERATURE (Tripura University BA Honours in English, 4th Semester

  4th semester PAPER 402C: BRITISH ROMANTIC LITERATURE (Tripura University BA Honours in English, 4th Semester)



 Unit-I: Pre-Romantic and Early Romantic Poetry

1. Analyze William Blake's use of symbolism in 'The Lamb' and 'The Tyger' to explore themes of innocence and experience. How do these poems reflect Romantic conceptions of nature and divinity?

2. Discuss Robert Burns' 'A Bard’s Epitaph' as a reflection on the poet's role in society. Reference Wordsworth's 'Preface to Lyrical Ballads' to connect it to Romantic ideals of common man and equality.

3. Compare the portrayal of childhood and social critique in Blake's 'The Chimney Sweeper' (from Songs of Innocence and Experience). How does it embody the Romantic emphasis on fraternity and revolution?

4. Examine how Blake's poems in Unit-I challenge Classicism and embrace imagination over reason, drawing on Coleridge's Biographia Literaria.

5. Critically evaluate the influence of French and German philosophies on Blake's dualistic vision in 'The Tyger' and 'The Lamb'. Relate to broader Romantic sensibilities.

6. Discuss Burns' epitaph as a Romantic lyric, focusing on its tone, prosody, and autobiographical elements. How does it anticipate the themes of freedom and community in later Romantics?

7. Analyze the linguistic and stylistic innovations in Blake's Songs, using examples from 'The Chimney Sweeper'. Reference Keats' letters on negative capability.

8. How do the poems in Unit-I illustrate the transition from pre-Romantic to full Romanticism? Discuss with reference to social and intellectual backgrounds.


 Unit-II: Major Romantic Poets

9. Examine Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey' as a meditation on nature and memory. How does it exemplify Romantic conceptions of nature as a moral guide?

10. Discuss Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan' as a product of imagination and the subconscious. Reference Rousseau's 'Preface' to Emile on education and human nature.

11. Analyze Shelley's 'Ode to the West Wind' as a revolutionary poem. How does it blend personal emotion with political fervor, reflecting Literature and Revolution?

12. Critically assess Keats' 'To Autumn' in terms of sensory imagery and acceptance of transience. Relate to Romantic themes of beauty and mortality.

13. Compare the treatment of nature in Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey' and Shelley's 'Ode to the West Wind'. How do they differ in philosophical outlook?

14. Discuss the role of the sublime in Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan' and Keats' 'To Autumn'. Draw on suggested readings like Coleridge's Biographia Literaria.

15. Examine how Unit-II poems develop skills of critical analysis through themes, language, and prosody. Use examples from Shelley and Wordsworth.

16. How do the odes and lyrics in Unit-II reflect the Romantic period's intellectual influences, such as German idealism? Analyze with textual references.


 Unit-III: Romantic Novels

17. Analyze Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a Gothic novel exploring themes of creation and isolation. How does it critique Romantic individualism?

18. Discuss Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (noted as Ivan Hoe in syllabus) in terms of historical romance and chivalry. Relate to the Romantic fascination with the past and revolution.

19. Examine Jane Austen's Emma as a social comedy with Romantic undertones. How does it portray themes of self-awareness and community?

20. Compare the Gothic elements in Frankenstein and the historical romance in Ivanhoe. What do they reveal about Romantic conceptions of nature and society?

21. Critically evaluate the influence of French Revolution on the narratives in Frankenstein and Emma. Reference suggested topics like Literature and Revolution.

22. Discuss how Emma subverts traditional Romantic ideals through irony and realism. Relate to Wordsworth's emphasis on common life.

23. Analyze the theme of ambition and its consequences in Frankenstein, drawing parallels to Shelley's 'Ode to the West Wind'.

24. How does Ivanhoe blend adventure with social commentary? Discuss its relevance to Romantic fraternity and equality.


 Unit-IV: Romantic Prose

25. Examine Charles Lamb's 'Dream Children: A Reverie' as a personal essay blending nostalgia and imagination. How does it reflect Romantic sensibility?

26. Discuss William Hazlitt's 'On Poetry in General' as a defense of Romantic poetry. Reference Coleridge's Biographia Literaria for comparisons.

27. Analyze Lamb's 'In Praise of Chimney Sweepers' in terms of social critique and empathy. Relate to Blake's 'The Chimney Sweeper'.

28. Critically assess how Unit-IV prose pieces embody the Romantic lyric in non-verse form. Use examples from Hazlitt and Lamb.

29. Discuss the influence of personal experience on Lamb's essays, connecting to Keats' letters on the poet's role.

30. How does Hazlitt's essay explore reason versus imagination? Relate to broader Romantic debates.


 General/Broader Topics (Crossing Units)

31. Trace the evolution of Romanticism from Classicism, using texts from at least two units. Reference French and German influences.

32. Discuss the interplay of reason and imagination in Romantic literature, with examples from poetry and prose. Draw on suggested readings.

33. Analyze how Romantic texts relate to other arts like painting, using examples from nature descriptions in Unit-II and Gothic in Unit-III.

34. Examine the impact of social and philosophical backgrounds on Romantic sensibility, focusing on equality and freedom across units.

35. Critically evaluate the Gothic and revolutionary elements in Romantic literature, using Frankenstein and poems from Unit-II.

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