American Renaissance & American Romanticism

Golden Oldie

by Rita Dove

I made it home early, only to get 
stalled in the driveway-swaying 
at the wheel like a blind pianist caught in a tune 
meant for more than two hands playing. 
The words were easy, crooned 
by a young girl dying to feel alive, to discover 
a pain majestic enough 
to live by. I turned the air conditioning off, 
leaned back to float on a film of sweat, 
and listened to her sentiment: 
Baby, where did our love go?-a lament 
I greedily took in 
without a clue who my lover 
might be, or where to start looking. 

(1995)

Questions:

What's Romantic about each poem? What's not?

What overall themes or styles emerge?

What other terms compete with the terms of Romanticism? What different kinds of prestige or appeal do different styles or genres offer?