The English Romantic period is typically dated from 1789 until 1832 and is said to include both German and English Writers (Abrams Glossary 153). Because the literature of this period is marked by its range and diversity, Romanticism itself is difficult to define (Abrams Norton 4). The only two Romantic writers who are known to have drawn upon the Lilith legend in their writings -- Goethe and Keats -- took rather similar approaches to the Romantic philosophy.
A primary consideration for Romantics was the favoring of innovation against traditional forms and styles. John Keats, for example, demonstrated literary innovation in his exploitation of the realm of the supernatural and the "far away and long ago," as seen in both "Lamia" and "La Belle Dame sans Merci." Above all, Romantics were concerned with "central human experiences and problems," such as the power of knowledge, the sensuality of human experience, and love (Abrams Glossary 128). Much of the writing takes the form of symbolic and meditative reflections on this all-important theme.
In an early Romantic work -- Goethe's Faust -- Lilith makes her first literary appearance in nearly 600 years. Slightly altered from earlier (more morally reprehensible) portrayals, Lilith becomes an intriguing figure of mysticism, beauty, and seduction. This characterization of Lilith is soon afterward drawn upon by the youthful Romantic, John Keats, where Lilith's sensuality and excessive beauty become prominent. No longer "immoral" in the condemned and hated fashion of pre-medieval literature, Lilith becomes prepared for the pivotal transformation which will occur in the period of the Pre- Raphaelites, specifically in the poems and art of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.