AP Literature Romantic Poetry Unit: During this unit we will explore, working in small groups, the six major British Romantic poets. With your group, you will be asked to create a presentation and to serve as discussion leaders for that day. You will have all of Thursday 2/24 and Friday 2/25 to work on preparing—anything else will need to be done on your own time. I would suggest that group members try to read most of the suggested poetry between now and next Thursday. I will try to devote extra attention in class Thursday to the Blake and Wordsworth groups; other groups can make arrangements to meet me at lunch or after school if you would like more help. The presentations should include the following elements:

1.  Biographical/Bibliographical Information: Become familiar with your poet’s life, especially experiences, relationships, and travels that may be especially relevant to his work. This should only take about 5-7 minutes of the presentation in class, if that.

2.  Graphics/Pictures: Please show us some images of the poet, as well as graphics that could connect to some of the poetry.

3.  Overall Analysis/Relation to Romanticism: You should discuss generalizations that can be made about the poet’s work, based on your careful reading and study. Of course, supporting examples should be given. Use the handout from the homework folder as a reference.

4.  Sharing and analysis of 2 poems (choose shorter ones or excerpts from the longer ones): Select two poems (I will advise some of you in terms of suggestions) to share with the class. Prepare some comments as well as questions for the class. Be able to point out important devices, ways in which the poems display elements of Romanticism, as well as your ideas on possible meanings and interpretations.

5.  Links to useful websites as well as suggested poems for further reading.

There should be a written record (whether Power Point or word document) of what is presented. The work should be shared equitably.

Presentation Schedule:

Mon., 2/28; Blake: Ian, Alec, Joel

Tuesday, 3/1: Wordsworth: Jenn, Allie, Lillian

Wednesday, 3/2: Coleridge: Simran, Sarah Ann, Patrick

Thursday, 3/3: Byron: Chris, Charlie

Friday, 3/4: Shelley: Nathan, Peter, Bennett

Monday, 3/7: Keats: Andrew, Olivia, Ben


Suggested reading for each Romantic poet:

Blake: from Songs of Innocence: The Lamb, Holy Thursday, The Little Black Boy, Nurse’s Song

From Songs of Experience: The Tyger, The Chimney Sweeper, The Sick Rose, The Garden of Love, London, A Poison Tree

Proverbs of Hell

Wordsworth: We are Seven, Tintern Abbey, She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways, Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, London 1802, In London, 1802, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

The Prelude (excerpts)

Coleridge: This Lime-tree Bower my Prison, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan

Byron: When we two parted, The Girl of Cadiz, Darkness, Stanzas to Augusta, So we’ll go no more a –roving.

Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and Don Juan (excerpts)

Shelley: Ozymandias, Sonnet: England in 1819, Love’s Philosophy, Ode to the West Wind

Keats: Ode on a Grecian Urn, On First looking into Chapman’s Homer, When I have Fears, La Belle Dame sans Merci, To Autumn, Bright Star