Lake Poets & Geneva School

Explore the literary significance of The Lake Poets and The Geneva School—two distinct yet influential movements in English and European literature. Discover their themes, key figures, and lasting impact on Romantic poetry and phenomenological criticism, essential for UGC NET JRF English Literature aspirants.

Introduction

Literary movements shape the evolution of literature, influencing both creative expression and critical interpretation. Among them, The Lake Poets and The Geneva School stand out for their unique contributions. The Lake Poets, comprising William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey, emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, championing Romantic ideals of nature, emotion, and imagination. Their poetry, deeply rooted in the Lake District, emphasized the beauty of the natural world, individual experience, and the power of the human mind.

On the other hand, the Geneva School, a 20th-century literary critical movement, focused on phenomenological and psychological criticism. Scholars like Georges Poulet, Jean-Pierre Richard, and Jean Rousset sought to explore the author’s consciousness and the intimate relationship between the reader and the text. While the Lake Poets revolutionized poetic sensibility, the Geneva School redefined literary criticism, making both essential for students of English literature, especially those preparing for UGC NET JRF. 

The Lake Poets 

The Lake Poets were a group of Romantic poets who lived in the Lake District of England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Their poetry reflected themes of nature, emotions, imagination, and individualism.

1. Major Poets of the Lake School

• William Wordsworth (1770–1850) – The most prominent poet, known for his focus on nature and ordinary life.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) – A poet and philosopher, known for imaginative and supernatural themes.
• Robert Southey (1774–1843) – Poet Laureate of Britain (1813–1843), known for his narrative poems and prose.

2. Key Features of Lake Poetry

• Nature Worship – The beauty of the Lake District influenced their poetry.
• Emotion Over Reason – They emphasized spontaneous emotions over rational thought.
• Simple Language – Unlike earlier poets, they used everyday language to connect with common people.
• Imagination & Supernatural – Coleridge, especially, explored supernatural elements (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner).
• Pantheism – Belief that God is present in nature (Wordsworth’s ‘Tintern Abbey’).

3. Famous Works

• William Wordsworth

  • Lyrical Ballads (1798, with Coleridge) – The book that started the Romantic Movement.
  • The Prelude – A long autobiographical poem about his spiritual growth.
  • I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud – The famous ‘Daffodils’ poem.

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge

  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – A supernatural sea voyage with themes of sin and redemption.
  • Kubla Khan – A dreamlike vision of an exotic world.
  • Biographia Literaria – A critical work discussing imagination and poetry.

• Robert Southey

  • The Life of Nelson – A biography of Admiral Lord Nelson.
  • The Curse of Kehama – A long poem with Indian mythological themes.
  • Popularized the story of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’.

4. Influence and Legacy

• Helped start the English Romantic Movement.
• Influenced poets like John Keats, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron.
• Wordsworth’s ideas inspired the Victorian poets and later Nature poets.

The Geneva School 

The Geneva School was a literary critical movement that emerged in the 20th century in Switzerland, particularly at the University of Geneva. This school of thought focused on phenomenology, existentialism, and psychological criticism, emphasizing the inner life of the author and the reading experience of the text.

1. Key Features of the Geneva School

• Phenomenological Approach – Focused on how literature reveals an author’s consciousness and inner experiences.
• Author’s Intent and Subjectivity – Believed that the study of literature should explore the personal vision of the author.
• Close Reading – Paid deep attention to the text, but with the aim of understanding the author’s mind, unlike the New Critics, who focused only on the text itself.
• Reading as an Experience – Literature was seen as an intimate act that allows readers to engage with the author’s thoughts and emotions.

2. Major Figures of the Geneva School

• Georges Poulet – Known for his work on the consciousness of writers.
• Jean-Pierre Richard – Applied phenomenology to literary criticism.
• Jean Rousset – Studied narrative structures and how they reflect the author’s vision.
• Marcel Raymond – Focused on symbolism and poetic consciousness.
• Albert Béguin – Explored the relationship between literature and psychology.

3. Influence and Legacy

• Connected to Phenomenology (influenced by Edmund Husserl).
• Opposed the Formalism of New Criticism (which ignored the author’s biography).
• Influenced later reader-response criticism and psychoanalytic criticism.
• Had a strong impact on French literary criticism.

Conclusion

Both The Lake Poets and The Geneva School played pivotal roles in their respective literary landscapes. The Lake Poets reshaped English poetry by emphasizing nature, personal emotions, and the simplicity of rural life, influencing later Romantic and Victorian poets. Meanwhile, the Geneva School transformed literary criticism, shifting the focus from external textual analysis to the deep, subjective experience of literature.

For UGC NET JRF aspirants, understanding these movements is crucial. The Lake Poets highlight the core principles of Romantic poetry, while the Geneva School underscores the philosophical and interpretative dimensions of literary studies. Both offer invaluable insights into the creative and analytical aspects of literature, demonstrating how poetry and criticism together shape the literary canon.