The symmetrical tyger: the issues and tensions of teaching Romantic poetry at A Level

Poetry is an expression of creativity through language, which has the power to unlock universal themes that link all of humanity.Historically, the genre has been a neglected area of the curriculum that has suffered becauseof insufficient curriculum time, poor teaching, as well as a deference perpetuated in some circles, which has resulted in the medium being regarded as impenetrable by many pupils and teachers. This researchfocuses on understanding the placeof Romantic poetry within the A-levelcurriculum and consideringstudent’s holistic growth as well as their cerebral development. I explore what poetry experiences students have at A-level,consider the attitude of teachers to Romantic poetry and explore the impact that this has on their students. Working from a constructivist grounded theory perspective, this study considers the attitudes and experiences of a group of year 12 and 13 students in Somerset, England, towards Romantic poetry.

Exploring the priorities, interests and understanding of the sample group of A-level students and their teachers,I ultimately conclude that the foundational experiences that students have of poetry are very important and the attitudes exhibited by their teachers can be very influential.