Question

Examine the audiences for neoclassical and romantic forms of poetry. Which movement appealed to the common man?

Answer 1

Humanism was the era when humans were placed in spotlight - before that, the Church propagated that religion and social groups were what mattered, but then suddenly people realized that in fact they are individuals and that is something they should be fighting to preserve. This is one of the ideas that Romantic poets also took and wrote about in their poetry. For them, humans, emotions, nature, etc. were of utmost importance and they didn't really pay much attention to religion or politics. Humanism taught them that individuality is what matters and they highly valued that belief.

Answer 2

William Wordsworth, a Romantic poet, in his "Preface to Lyrical Ballads" said that he wanted to appeal to the common man and use words that were clear and emphatic. Neoclassicists tended to write more for the higher classes, commenting on society and appealing to the smarter and higher man. Romantics, because of their belief that society could only be saved by reforming the individual, addressed the common man in simple language. Neoclassicists placed more importance on advancing through society, but Romantics focused on emotion and the natural state of humans. Neoclassicists also focused more on the critics of their work, while Romantics didn't take criticism into account because their writing was for them and for the individual.Romantics hated the societal changes that came with the Industrial Revolution and wanted humankind to return to a rustic and natural life, saying that cities and factories corrupted the natural state of an individual. Romanticism appealed to the common man because of its focus on the individual and the natural state of society.