As we all know, the Romantic period began with the publication of Lyrical Ballads by the great poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge.
This period is mainly focused on poetry and ‘the essential nobleness of common men and the value of the individual.’ It has also seen so many political and social upheavals; therefore, this is known as the age of revolution. Liberty, Equality and Fraternity were the key ideas of the French revolution, which were absorbed by the society. In such a serious condition, poets are trying to write something which gives the common people a moment of peace and relaxation with their imagination and fancy. But another genre is there which has not been discussed well. That is the fiction of the Romantic period. In this article, we are going to discuss different types of fictions that were available in the Romantic period. So, let’s move into them –
Gothic Fiction
How can we forget the great novel The Castle of Otranto, when we are talking about gothic fiction? It is like Horace Walpole single-handedly managed the entire category through his best creation. Now, we should focus on the basic characteristics of this genre. The setting should be an isolated or abandoned castle which has a dark, secret or a haunted passage. The story will surely revolve around some unknown mystery which will definitely create enough fear among the characters as well as the readers. It will also have a 'passion-driven willful villain' or an oppressive anti- hero. And the supernatural factor will definitely be there in the form of walking ghosts or spirits. Overall, this type of writing is called Gothic fiction.
Jacobean Fictions
Though it is named as Jacobean, this fiction is basically a part of the Romantic period. It is written 1780and 1805by the British radicals who were in support of the French Revolution. The major names of this genre are – William Godwin, Robert Bage, Elizabeth Inchbald and Charlotte Turner-Smith. This term was introduced by the great literary scholar Gary Kelly in his work The English Jacobin Novel. As literacy was increasing among the lower middle class of English society, these novels tried to encourage the masses with the ideals of the Revolution. That's why these fictions deal with the unfair governmental system and the entire power structure in which the poor become poorer and the rich become richer.
Lastly, there are also few other forms like Novel of Manners and Historical Fiction which enrich the entire genre of Romantic Fiction.
