Purpose
This week, we continue studying Romantic poetry, especially the relationship between imagination, truth, beauty, art, nature, and human experience. You will also briefly review the literary history handout so that you can place Romanticism within the larger development of Western literature.
Required Reading
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan
- John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn
- William Wordsworth, The World is Too Much With Us
- Review: Periods of Literary History handout
Writing Task
Write a 300–600 word comparative analytical response in which you make a clear claim about how one Romantic poem explores one of the following ideas:
- imagination
- truth
- beauty
- art
- nature
- mortality
- the difference between reality and vision
You may focus mainly on one poem, but you should also briefly compare it to either another Romantic poem from this week or another text we have studied earlier in the course.
Literary History Connection
In your response, include at least 2–3 sentences explaining how Romanticism differs from, responds to, or develops out of an earlier literary period. You may use the Periods of Literary History handout to help with this.
For example, you might explain how Romanticism differs from the Enlightenment’s emphasis on logic, or how Romantic poetry’s focus on imagination and individuality differs from earlier classical or neoclassical ideals.
Requirements
- Length: 300–600 words
- Include a clear thesis or central claim
- Use at least two direct references or quotations from the poem(s)
- Explain the meaning of the quoted evidence
- Include a brief connection to literary history
- Use MLA-style parenthetical citations when quoting poetry, if possible
Suggested Structure
1.  Introduction: Identify the poem and make your central claim.
2.  Body Paragraph 1: Analyze one image, phrase, symbol, or passage from the poem.
3.  Body Paragraph 2: Compare that idea to another poem, text, or literary period.
4.  Conclusion: Explain what the poem suggests about imagination, truth, beauty, or human experience.
Instructor Note
The goal is not simply to summarize the poem. Instead, focus on how the poem creates meaning through language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Romantic poems often ask us to consider whether imagination is merely escape, or whether it may reveal something true about life, beauty, and the human soul.
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