Key Conflicts in English Romantic Literature

1. Individual vs. Society

Emphasis on personal emotion and imagination clashes with societal norms (e.g., Frankenstein).

2. Nature vs. Civilization

Idealized countryside contrasted with corrupt cities (Wordsworth).

3. Imagination vs. Reason

Intuition and creativity valued over cold logic (Coleridge's "Kubla Khan").

4. Past vs. Present

Nostalgia for a simpler, innocent past versus flawed modernity (Scott's novels).

5. Sublime vs. Picturesque

Awe-inspiring, terrifying nature versus controlled, aesthetic landscapes.

6. Emotion vs. Restraint

Intense passion, melancholy, despair celebrated over repression (Keats).

7. Mortality vs. Immortality

Grappling with death, time, and the search for eternal truth (Blake).

These tensions gave Romantic works their emotional depth and philosophical richness.