Best Writers of the Romantic Movement

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September 29, 1:50 PM

by Guy Incognito, Writing Examiner

 

Mikhail Lermontov

The Romantics had little use for man enforcing his will on the world around him. Rather, their interests were founded in the effects that the world had on man.

The Romantics saw beauty rather in the chaotic blend of darkness and redemption, pleasure and pain. While this is my particular "Best Of...." list, it is by no means comprehensive. I do believe, however, that there might be a few in here that American audiences might not be familiar with. Take a look.

George Gordon, Lord Byron: The quintessential bad boy of the Romantic movement in England, Byron thrived on shock and scandal. Yet the man also crafted some of the most mesmerizing poetry of the era. Don't miss the poem "She walks in beauty" and his narrative masterpiece Don Juan.

Aleksandr Pushkin: Pushkin was easily to Russia what Byron was to the United Kingdom.

Pushkin is famous for more works than I have space for, but don't miss the short story "Queen of Spades" and "The Prisoner of the Caucasus".

Mikhail Lermontov: A solider by trade, Lermontov was considered the most important poet in Russia after Pushkin's death. Don't miss his poem "The Demon" or his novel A Hero of Our Times.

Nikolai Karamzin: Even though he wrote during the Sentamental era, his story "The Island of Bornholm" is seen by some as the first piece of Romantic work, with the final sentences ushering in a new literary era. His tale "Poor Liza" is also a narrative staple that I promise you've seen time and time again. It bears striking resemblence to several of the plot point in Jane Austen's works, though it is doubtful she had any knowledge of his.

Percy Bysshe Shelley: Expelled from Oxford for his radical works and ideas, Shelley forged a truly Romantic existence. A close friend of Byron, Shelley wrote, among many others, the revolutionary "Queen Mab" and "Prometheus Unbound" before his untimely death at 29.

Though these writers have all long since died, there is a great deal for current writers to learn from them. While their text might seem a bit heavy to a modern reader, there are sentiments and concepts that they express that are timeless.

So if you're feeling like you're at a dead in, perhaps a look to the past might be what you need to be revitalized. There is inspiration to be found in these works, just like any others, and these are pieces that have stood the test of time. Something that we can all aspire to.

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