Journey into the Human Imagination

Historical Context

• Time period: 200 years ago, during the fall of monarchy and rise of revolutions.
• Influences: Industry, commerce, and advances in science changed perceptions of life.
• Key figures: Poets and novelists such as John Keats, Lord Byron, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

The Necessity of Atheism (1811)

• An anonymous pamphlet distributed in Oxford.
• Argued against belief in God without proof.
• Claimed as blasphemy—punishment included imprisonment.

Romanticism and the Human Experience

• Romantic poets defined modern living through love, life, and death.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge's experience with opium led to exploration of the imagination:
  • Vision from opium inspired "Kubla Khan."
  • Themes of beauty and despair in creative endeavors.
• Coleridge's theories on imagination:
  • Seen as a powerful force for human perception.

John Keats' Journey

• Initial career as a surgeon led to empathy for patients, shifting his path to poetry.
• Recurring themes of beauty, mortality, and truth in his works.
• Keats faced personal tragedies that shaped his artistic vision.
  • Died young at 26, fearing his legacy.

Percy Bysshe Shelley's Rebellion

• Authored pamphlet denouncing religious authority.
• Expelled from Oxford for his views.
• Explored love freely, leading to personal scandal.
• Emphasized the importance of love and liberty in human existence.

Lord Byron: The Celebrity Poet

• Gained fame through work like "Childe Harold."
• Embraced public life, becoming a symbol of romantic passion and personal scandal.
• Explored themes of sensation and experience in his poetry.

Themes of Death and Immortality

• Keats sought immortality through art as a response to mortality.
• Shelley and Keats viewed death as tied to poetic genius, offering a new kind of divinity.
• Shelley's own death became a symbol of the romantic experience, emphasizing the legacy of the poets over their physical forms.

Legacy of the Romantics

• The romantics shaped modern perspectives on individuality and experience.
• Their influence persists in contemporary culture, including the celebration of artistic genius and public personas.
• The romantic spirit is embodied in the quest for self-determination and new experiences.