Romanticism: Life, Literature and Landscape

Produced in partnership with the Wordsworth Trust, Romanticism focuses on primary and supplementary materials pertaining to William Wordsworth and other British Romantic literary figures such as Dorothy Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Although it does not include material on the number of literary authors represented in Gale's British Literary Manuscripts Online, 1660-1900 (CH, May'10, 47-4754), Romanticism offers depth of specialization, thus providing strong context for researchers and students. In addition to manuscripts, early editions, journals, financial records, and other primary sources, the collection features historical maps, photographs of places important to Wordsworth and his literary colleagues, and images of some 2,500 artworks by contemporaneous artists such as Turner. Although the collection is organized by browsable categories including Documents, and Maps, browsing within these specific categories is confusing and somewhat tedious. Fortunately, a strong Advanced Search function for documents and visual resources is available. Additionally, a My Archive feature allows users to create smaller collections of materials to return to later. The Literary Lives section offers short biographies, including the Wordsworths and other important literary figures such as Tennyson, Shelley, and Byron. The Further Resources section includes five essays, a chronology, and external links. Overall, Romanticism represents a specialized, deep resource that British Romanticism researchers and students likely will find very useful. However, libraries that serve less specialized programs (and that have cost concerns) may want to consider broader primary source databases instead.

Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty.

Reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.