 Hello Learners! Hi! Chai Anika Roy, welcome you all to the audio visual program on Unit 2 titled William Wordsworth, Life and Works included in the course namely Poetry of BA Second Semester English. Please note dear Learners that this is the first of the two video lessons on this unit. Now let us move forward to check the objectives of this video. This video has the following objectives to situate William Wordsworth in his context and to explain about Romanticism. Born on 7th April 1770, William Wordsworth was a major English poet and one of the pioneers of English Romanticism. He was the poet laureate that is he was appointed as a member of the British Royal household from 1843 until his death in 1850. The publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798 by William Wordsworth and his friend and fellow Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Colloridge marked the beginning of the Romantic age in English Literature. We must note one thing that it is important for us to contextualize a poet or a writer and study his or her poetry in the backdrop of the historical and social setting. With regard to this in order to appreciate and analyze Wordsworth and his works it is required to know about the Romantic age in literature. So now let us deal with Romanticism at first what the term denotes and what are its important features. When we talk about Romanticism the first thing that comes to our mind is that it was a pan-European movement that is it spread throughout Europe and was not limited to a certain country or place. As a movement sharing certain features Romanticism was to be found mostly in Germany, France and England. Regarding the time Romanticism originated towards the end of the 18th century and flourished during the first part of the 19th century. Significantly Romanticism occurred as a result of and in reaction against the values critical norms and standard literary practices of the preceding age that is the Augustan age. Although Romanticism manifested itself mostly in the arts and literature it has had a lasting impact on history and politics and has shaped prevalent modes of thinking. Even though it cannot be divided into watertight compartments Romantic period as a term is used generally to define the literature of roughly the end of the 18th century and the first third of the 19th century that share a common historical situation that is when literature moved in directions that were in marked contrast to the standard literary practices and values of the 18th century the age that preceded the Romantic age and which was also known as the Enlightenment or the Augustan age. The marked features of the Augustan age are it was an age of reason it advocated a rational and detached scientific approach to most urban human endeavours and dilemmas. The Enlightenment had developed and championed logic and region above all other qualities subjective emotions contemplation of nature and the creative impulse felt by individuals where denied any importance and only the classical standards of order harmony proportion and objectivity were preferred it was believed that objectivity was not only desirable but also achievable from this it becomes clear that there was little room in this worldview for the emotion-based nature that would define Romanticism. Romanticism thus emerged as a reaction against what was perceived to be a cultural climate that had been lacking in spontaneity creativity and individuality. Romanticism was characterized by the following aspects it emphasized on emotional and subjective spontaneity and highlighted the importance of individual feeling and imagination the Romantics believed imagination to be a source of creative faculty the Romantics sought a return to nature and viewed nature with reverence. So how do we define Romantic poetry? Romantic poetry is the poetry that emerged in the Romantic age and that which differed significantly in form and content from the poetry of the preceding age. Generally English Romantic poetry is known for its six major points with William Wordsworth as one of the most towering figures among them the others are William Blake, Samuel Taylor Colleridge, P. B. Shelley, John Kitts and Lord Byron. It is very important to underline the deviation of the Romantics from the preceding age that is Augustan age because it is only then that we can understand the thought process of the Romantic poets. In the Augustan age the writers imitated the literature and culture of the reign of Augustus. There was a revival of interest in the classics and the authors sought to imitate classical forms. Their language was derivative and ordered and ornate and the relationship to nature was one of cautious imitation. They did not give into the power of nature but sought to behold it through the lenses of reason and emphasized the importance of collective society rather than individualism. Emotion was subordinate to reason which was the prime source for inspiration. Thus we see that the Romantics went against the 18th century standard of weaving nature scientifically and regarded it as a vital living force capable of steering powerful emotions in humans and this is the background or the context in which we are to study William Wordsworth and analyze his contribution towards Romantic literature. One important question that we must try to address is how Wordsworth's poetry exemplify the features of Romantic poetry in contrast to the poetry of the preceding age of reason and I am sure after going through this video you must have been familiar not only with the features of Romanticism but also you have gained an idea to differentiate it from the intellectual context of the Augustan age that is the age that preceded the Romantic age. You can consult the following books in order to gather more information and ideas about Romanticism which influenced points like William Wordsworth. In the second part of this video program we shall deal with the life and works of William Wordsworth. So see you all in the next video. Thank you.