Perspectives

When analysing “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns, it is always a good idea to try and put the poem into perspective by looking at the context it was written in.

The literary period

Robert Burns is considered to be the national poet of Scotland. He was part of the Romantic Movement in literature and he is believed to have been the precursor of other famous writers such as Shelley or Wordsworth. Burns’ literary style is characterised by emotion, pathos, admiration of nature and a strong stand against strict rules. As you have seen, the poem “A Red, Red Rose” exploits some of these pre-Romantic traits.  

Other texts by the same author

Many of Robert Burns’ writings were published in the Scots language, but he also wrote in Scots dialect and in English. One of the most famous poems written in Scots is “To a ...