David Feuerstein

The “Spirit of the Age” is an idea that permeated the minds of Romantic-period authors, painters, and thinkers. It is used to describe the large changes in creating and thinking that were brought about due to changes in the cultural and political spheres surrounding the Romantic period. These changes included things such as mass migrations from rural settings to urban settings in order to work in factories and revolutions taking place in both America and France against monarchies. The changes that occurred during this time all impacted the literature being written in some way or another. The switch from an agricultural market to an industrial market caused renovation around the ideas of child employment while the toppling of monarchies inspired rebellion against male authorities and revolution against absolute powers in Romantic literature.

Due to the Industrial Revolution, there was a “shift in manufacturing that resulted from the invention of power-driven machinery to replace hand labor” (“The Romantic Period” 7). This meant there were more jobs to found in urban settings than rural settings so people naturally migrated to urbanized areas. Before this switch, children would be expected to help their parents with the daily work in a rural setting. Since there is no daily work in urban settings, such as feeding animals, the work children performed changed. In “The Chimney Sweeper” by William Blake, the child’s work experience is critiqued. “A little black thing among the snow / Crying ‘weep, ‘weep, in notes of woe” (Blake 1-2). Blake conveys how young children were often used for chimney sweeping by having the child unable to fully pronounce the word “sweep”. The child is also covered in black soot which is representative of death as black is often associated with death. This soot associated with death clings to the child in order to convey the idea that death surrounds the child on a daily basis as they clean the chimneys. In the first two lines of the poem, Blake critiques the idea of a small, young child being placed in a situation that could kill them. “They [my parents] clothed me in clothes of death, / And taught me to sing the notes of woe” (Blake 7-8). Blake conveys how despite the dangerous conditions for their children, parents would still send their children to work. He views this in a negative light as the parents are sending them to what could be their deaths despite being so young. By showcasing the negative aspects of child labor in an industrialized setting, Blake is arguing for a renovation around the laws and ideas focused on child labor.

Around the same time as the Romantic period, there were also revolutions against monarchies. The revolutions occurred “in America, then France, then Haiti” against absolute powers that controlled them (“The Romantic Period” 5). These revolutions were a rejection of monarchies and an expression of the want for individual freedom. These values can be found in “The Rights of Woman” by Anna Letitia Barbauld. “Go, bid proud Man his boasted rule resign, / And kiss the golden sceptre of thy reign” (Barbauld 7-8). Barbauld reflects a feeling of rebellion against women being subservient to men. Just as those who participated in rebellions against monarchies were hoping to achieve their own independence, women were questioning their own independence in regard to men. “Make treacherous Man thy subject, not thy friend” (Barbauld 19). This is an example of changing conventional relationships. During the time, men were typically in charge of women. Barbauld is acknowledging the idea some women had that they should rise up and seize power from men. This is reflective of how the revolution in France occurred. The peasants in the French Revolution seized power from the king, a figure who typically had power over the common people. The feelings expressed during the French Revolution are expressed by some women during the Romantic period. Barbauld does attempt to temper this rebellious spirit. “In Nature’s school, by her soft maxims taught, / That separate rights are lost in mutual love” (Barbauld 31-32). Barbauld argues that the spirit of rebellion may be better utilized by focusing on a rebellion against hatred as opposed to a rebellion against their fellow men. To Barbauld, the rebellious “Spirit of the Age” could lead to an understanding between women and men rather than resulting in one being over the other.

The toppling of monarchies also created the idea of the rejection of monarchies. Common people had risen up against absolute powers and came out victorious. This inspired Romantic literature that promoted anti-monarchy ideas. An example of this type of writing is “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley. “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, / Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! / Nothing beside remains” (Shelley 10-12). Shelley conveys the inconsequential nature of monarchies. Ozymandias had a vast empire to the point that they believed themselves to be superior to other rulers. Despite this, there is hardly any evidence that their kingdom existed. Since nothing they created exists anymore, the fruits of their labor ultimately meant nothing. Ozymandias’s empire did not add value to anyone. This is an idea that is most likely reflective of how revolutionaries viewed the monarchs that ruled over them. If the monarchies were viewed as something that added value to the lives of those under them, then the chances of the revolutions occurring may have been lower. However, the revolutionaries did not view them as valuable, so they revolted. Shelley reflects the sentiment of monarchies not being valuable by showing the statue of Ozymandias in such a dilapidated state. By portraying a monarch in this way, Shelley is promoting revolution against monarchs by showing how they will eventually result in nothing; providing no benefits to anyone under them.

Romantic-period authors wrote works that reflected the “Spirit of the Age”. This spirit was one that was created through events that reflected massive social and political changes such as industrialization and revolution. Industrialization brought about questions surrounding the renovation of child employment while revolutions inspired rebellion against men by women and revolution against other monarchs. These questions and ideas were reflected in the works of Romantic-period authors.

Works Cited

Barbauld, Anna Letitia. “The Rights of Woman.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, 10th ed., vol. 2, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019, pp. 36-37.

Blake, William. “The Chimney Sweeper.” Songs of Experience, 1794. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, 10th ed., vol. 2, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019, p. 57.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “Ozymandias.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, 10th ed., vol. 2, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019, p. 395.

“The Romantic Period.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, 10th ed., vol. 2, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019, pp. 3-30.