Romanticism and the Concept of Genre

In this lecture, Dr Ross Wilson (University of Cambridge) explores the relationship between Romanticism and the concept of genre, focusing in particular on: (i) the view of writers such as Bryan Procter and William Wordsworth that genre was little more than ‘the capricious habits of former poets’ that stifled poetic creativity and expression; and (ii) the revival in this period of several poetic forms that had been neglected in the course of the 18th century (or longer), such as the ballad, the sonnet, and even the autobiography.