Nature In Neoclassical And Romantic Poetry

Nature in Neoclassical and Romantic PoetryAbstractThis paper aims to discuss how the concept of Nature is different for the Neoclassicals and the Romantics. The Neoclassical movement focuses on rationality, morality, and scientific development. Thus, their perception of the concept of Nature is based on order and harmony. When the Neoclassicals mention Nature, they mean the order of the universe. This will be traced in the paper through analyzing Alexander Pope’s poem “An Essay on Man”. On the other hand, the Romantics were done with the rigidity of the Neoclassicals, so they focused on the beauty of physical nature, on freedom, and on spirituality. The Romantics spoke about Nature in terms of physical nature, and its importance lied in its beauty because it is a manifestation of God’s creation. Through connecting with Nature, one can connect to God. They believed we are born with a cosmic vision, a state that connects us to God, and they believed that Nature allowed us to regain that cosmic vision that we lose throughout the years. The Romantic concept of Nature can be analyzed through William Wordsworth’s poem “My Heart Lepas Up”. Both concepts of Nature are reflective of their age.<span