Romantic Novel

ST.
XAVIER’S COLLEGE, RANCHI

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (ELL)
SEMESTER III
CORE COURSE 6- HISTORY OF ENGLISH NOVEL
UNIT 1- HISTORY OF ENGLISH NOVEL
PDF no. 5 (study material prepared by Prof. Udita Mitra)
Romantic Novel/ Romantic Fiction

Romantic novel refers to English novels written in the Romantic Age, which was approximately
between 1780 and 1830. In this period, there was the rise of democratic awareness all over Europe. The
French Revolution of 1789 was marked by the intense call for ‘liberty’, ‘equality’ and ‘fraternity’
(brotherhood). There was widespread protest against political corruption and social injustice. The focus was on
ensuring the chance for the complete development of every individual, without considering one’s class or status.
All these factors contributed to the rise of Romanticism.
Romanticism can be understood as interest in imagination, emotions and subjectivity, elements

like magic, mystery and supernatural, human life in relation to Nature and nostalgia for the
way of life in the past. These elements had been prominent in the Elizabethan and the Jacobean literature.
But the neo- classical age had put exclusive focus on intellect, logic, rationality and urban society. There was a
reaction to all that when, in the later years of the 18th century, people began to discuss how to go back to a simpler
life. With this desire in mind, the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau had given the call ‘ Back to
Nature’ (man is good by nature but he is corrupted by laws and customs; man must be free of such obstacles
and live as per one’s individuality). In England, the publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798 formally initiated the
Romantic Revival; in case of the English novel, Gothic novels had already brought back several elements of
Romanticism into attention.
English novel was also influenced by the spirit of Romanticism in many ways. Writers now gave more
importance to the individual and the individual’s experience of the inner reality. Focus was more on
exploring issues related to the rural life. Continuous developments in education, communication and
publishing led to an increase in the number of women writers in this age. The Romantic spirit of exploring the
past was seen in the ‘historical novel’ pioneered by Sir Walter Scott.
Jane Austen (1775- 1817) was born in Steventon near Bath. She wrote novels about the English
gentry (landowners in villages). She herself belonged to this social class and used her experiences in her
writing. She specified in one of her letters;
“Three or four families in a Country Village…. the little bit (two inches wide) of Ivory on which I work”
In this way, Austen can be regarded as a provincial (local, rural, limited to a small area) novelist or
regional novelist. She specially focused on the life of women of this social class. In those days, women
depended on marriage in order to get security and respect. Austen’s novels revolved around the themes of
marriage, family, gender bias against women, the decline of the gentry and the role of the clergy. However Austen
gave great importance to education, moral values, social decorum and emotional maturity. She wrote in Mansfield
Park;
Give a girl an education and introduce her properly into the world… she has the means of settling well,
without further expense to anybody.
She created memorable female characters like Elizabeth Bennett and Emma Woodhouse who are charming,
witty, emotionally independent even within the social restrictions and mature enough to learn from their
mistakes. Her characters often undergo moral development in the narrative. Her significant novels include
Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1816), Persuasion
(1818) and Northanger Abbey (1818). Austen did not like the sentimental tone of the 18th century novels. She
was more subtle and realistic in her approach and made great use of irony. Virginia Woolf described Austen
as “mistress of much deeper emotion than appears on the surface”. Her novels can be seen as ‘novel of
manners’ as she presents accurate observation of the English gentry. However Austen showed no
involvement in the political or economic matters of that time.
Besides Austen, several other women novelists enriched the Romantic novel.
Maria Edgeworth (1767- 1849), too, was a pioneer of the ‘provincial novel’. She wrote about the rural
life of Ireland in novels like Castle Rackrent (1800), The Absentee (1812) and Ormond (1817). Her other novels
like Belinda (1801), Patronage (1814) and Helen (1834) were about the rural life in England. She strongly
believed in gender-equality and women’s education. On the other hand, Susan Edmonstone Ferrier
(1780- 1854) wrote about the Scottish society and the social issues related to women. She, too, was a
‘provincial’ writer. Her novels include Marriage (1818), Destiny and Inheritance.
John Gatte (1779- 1839) wrote about the rural life of Scotland in his novels. The Entail (1822) was a
tale on the tragic result of greed. Annals of the Parish (1821) showed the impact of urbanization and large- scale
changes on a small town. His other novels include The Ayrshire Legatees (1820) and The Provost (1822).
Although the writings of Horace Walpole and Maria Edgeworth contain traces of the ‘historical novel’,
it was Sir Walter Scott (1771- 1832) who came to be regarded as the pioneer of the ‘historical
novel’. He wrote about 17th and 18th century Scotland in his first novel Waverley (1814) and several other
novels after that, such as Guy Mannering (1815), The Antiquary (1816), Rob Roy (1817) and so on. In these
novels, he wrote on the class- structure, chivalry and morality, religious and dynastic issues, rebellions like the
Jacobite uprisings and many other things that shaped the history of Scotland. He wrote in the style of medieval
romances, showing the adventures of a brave virtuous hero. He also wrote about medieval England in novels
like Ivanhoe (1820), The Talisman (1825) and The Betrothed (1825). Scott created an illusion of the past in his
novels even if he was not always historically accurate. He described the wild landscapes of Scotland with great
passion. His dialogues had a distinct Scottish flavor.
Although the novels written by the Bronte sisters (Charlotte, Emily, Anne) were published in the
Victorian Age, those narratives bear all the hallmarks of the Romantic Novel. Charlotte Bronte
voiced the right of women to be loved and respected without losing out on their independence and identity. Her
novel Jane Eyre (1847) brought deep insight into a woman’s search for love and dignity in the middle of moral
crises and class- conflict. Her other two novels were Shirley (1849) and Villette (1853). Anne Bronte
published two novels, Agnes Grey (1847) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848). Emily Bronte is
remembered for her only novel Wuthering Heights (1848). Set in the isolated moors of Yorkshire, it brings out
the intense conflict between nature and civilization and between society and the individual. It also examines
class- divisions and the gender roles forced upon women. The intensity of passions and the layered narrative
structure add to the beauty of this novel.
Romantic Novel was very popular for exploring the individual’s perception of life. It focused on
analyzing the deep emotions and the several aspects of human imagination. But the 19th century brought in
rapid changes one after another, such as industrialization, urbanization, continuous rise of democratic
awareness, conflict between science and religion and the gradual weakening of the old established social
and moral order. English novel again put its focus back on the external reality. Romantic Novel, after
creating a niche for itself, led to the development of English novel in the Victorian Age; the Victorian Age
would become the Golden Age of the English Novel.
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Areas to focus on:

▪ Romantic novel as a whole
▪ Meaning of Romanticism and its impact on English novel
▪ Women novelists
▪ Provincial/ Regional novel
▪ Historical novel
▪ Writers considered individually- eg: Jane Austen, Walter Scott

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ST.

XAVIER’S COLLEGE, RANCHI

UNIT 1- HISTORY OF ENGLISH NOVEL

PDF no. 5 (study material prepared by Prof. Udita Mitra)

Romantic Novel/ Romantic Fiction

Romanticism can be understood as interest in imagination, emotions and subjectivity, elements

Areas to focus on:

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