English romantic poetry dates back to the Romantic Period roughly between 1785 and 1830. Writers from this period focused on wonder, amazement and appreciation of nature, animals, possessions and people. The poetry of this period is well­known for its high degree of creativity and imagination. Through the use of the senses, poets expressed their love for the universe. Poets such as Keats, Byron, Shelly and Wordsworth painted pictures with words through the use of imagery, metaphor (隐喻) and simile (明喻).

　　Romantic poets describe poetry as the overflow of powerful feelings which expresses their minds. The interest of the romantic poets is not in the physical world or in the action of men, but in the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of the poets themselves.

　　Under the influence of the American and French revolutions, there was an increasing belief that every human being is worth praising, and a growing sympathy for the suffering of common people. Romantic poetry shows strong feelings against unjust social and political situations. Romantic poetry also shows the passion that the writer possesses for the beauty of the world around. A passionate appreciation and admiration for beautiful land, especially undisturbed pieces of land, is emphasized in romantic poems.

　　Romantic poems contain exotic (异国的) images and stories of kings, gods, goddesses, angels and spirits. The mystery and power of love is central to many romantic poems. Not every romantic poem paints an image of happiness and satisfaction with a lover or loving relationship; many romantic poets composed poems that emphasized heartache and sadness for lost love.

　　The primary function of a romantic poem is to express one's imagination. Using all of the senses, poets create a beautiful image that allows readers to not only see and feel what the poet is describing, but also actually smell, hear and taste the subjects discussed in a poem. Poets today continue to look to the poets of the Romantic Period for inspiration and motivation.

Section_ⅠWelcome to the unit & Reading - Pre­reading

　　[原文呈现]

　　Appreciating literature

　　What is classic literature? Classics are the antiques① of the literary② world. They are novels, plays and poems that were written a long time ago③ and were so well written that people still read them nowadays. They are examples of great writing and wisdom, and even those written centuries ago④ can still be found in bookshops and libraries today.

Because a lot of classics⑤ were written so long ago, their language characteristics⑥ are