Romanticism
Definition and Origin
Romanticism is a highly influential artistic and literary movement of the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, in revolt against the aristocratic social and political norms of The Age of Enlightenment and the scientific rationalisation of nature. Romanticism had its origin in the late 1700s in Europe, particularly in France, Germany and England. It is difficult to trace the exact beginnings of Romanticism, but it was during the mid 18th century that there began a change in the way people saw tradition. There was a surge of interest in folklore, and the belief in the story telling ability of the common, uneducated man was formed. The folk tradition focused on simplistic and natural aspects of life, with the stories being passed down to generations orally. Thus, the art and literature, especially poetry of the era contained vivid descriptions of nature and were focused on the lives of common man rather than the aristocracy.
This was also the period nationalistic movements in various parts of Europe, owing to the many civil wars and revolutions. People developed a sense of Nationalism which was often reflected in their writings. The Romantic Movement also caused the revisit of some aspects of the medieval age, such as the belief in the supernatural. The age was also significant due to the discovery of new lands and colonisation; hence there also was an emphasis on Exoticism in the art and literature of the age. Description of far off lands was a common feature in the works of the period. There was also a revival of religious piety and faith, and there was also an increased emphasis on individualism.
Characteristics of Romantic Literature:
• Individualism
The writers of the romantic era gave great im...
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...ical upheavals, the writers of the romantic era were also revolutionary and rebellious in nature. They believed in experimentation and refused to confine themselves within the bondage of rules.
Romanticism in English Poetry (1798 to 1832)
The romantic era, with regards to English Poetry, is considered to have started in 1798 with the publication of ‘Lyrical Ballads’ of Wordsworth and Coleridge. William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Percy Bysche Shelley and Lord Byron are the important Romantic poets. The characteristics of romantic literature as described above are reflected in the works of these poets, who were near contemporaries. Their contribution to English poetry gains particular importance in the light that they freed poetry from the constraints of aristocracy, and enriched poetry by adding elements of music, nature and imagination to it.
Romanticism was a period when people encouraged artists freely expressing their emotions and feelings. Art was to be derived from the artist's imagination with little interference from other outside forces. Artists were considered geniuses. To be considered a genius, you were someone who was able to produce art from nothing. This was the key to romanticism. Romantics had a strong connection with nature. They had very little trust with the human world. Having a good connection with nature was a key concept to being mentally and morally healthy. The romanticism period initiated an interest in the supernatural. Looking into the afterlife and what the different religions believe happen.
Romanticism first came about in the 18th century and it was mostly used for art and literature. The actual word “romanticism” was created in Britain in the 1840s. People like Victor Hugo, William Wordsworth, and Percy Bysshe Shelley had big impacts on this style of art. Romanticism is an art in which people express their emotion. Whatever they believed is put into a picture, painting, poem, or book. Romanticism goes deep into a mind. It is very deep thinking and it’s expressing yourself through that deep thinking. Romanticism is the reaction to the Enlightenment and the enlightenment aka the “Age of Reason” took place during the 1700s to 1800s. The enlightenment emphasized being rational and using your mind; on the other hand, romanticism focuses on emotion and imagination. It says don’t just focus on rationality and reason.
The American Renaissance introduced an individualistic approach to viewing society and human nature that focused on equality and the inherent goodness of all mankind. The period ushered in the beginning of widespread movements toward race and gender equality. Out of Sentimental Romanticism came several very successful female writers who used emotional appeals to relate the plights of women to readers. The Transcendentalists who held a philosophical understanding of equality based on human nature rather than characteristics of individuals, asserted that all people are equal by nature, yet didn’t particularly concern themselves with inequality of women. In thought, the Dark Romantics shared the same belief in equality as the other groups of Romantics.
The Romantic period at its height extended over just a bit more than a century, from the latter half of the eighteenth century through to nearly the end of the nineteenth century. During this period, a new school of poetry was forged, and with it, a new moral philosophy. But, as the nineteenth century wound down, the Romantic movement seemed to be proving itself far more dependent on the specific cultural events it spanned than many believed; that is, the movement was beginning to wind down in time with the ebbing of the industrial and urban boom in much the same way that the movement grew out of the initial period of industrial and urban growth. Thus, it would be easy to classify the Romantic movement as inherently tied to its cultural context. The difficulty, then, comes when poets and authors outside of this time period-and indeed in contexts quite different then those of the original Romantic poets-begin to label themselves as Romantics.
Romanticism is the evolution of literary ideals resulting from the American and French Revolution that took Western Europe by storm from 1785 to 1832. The Romantic period during the late 18th century, was designed to bring upon a new understanding to the average reader such as you and I, challenging the ideals of classicism and shedding a new light on simplistic literature that has influenced today’s literary culture. William Wordsworth and his colleague Samuel Coleridge, challenged their neoclassical predecessors and taught us to glorify our spontaneous overflow of emotion, as a source for inspiration. As a result, Romantic artists emerged to follow
Romanticism is a revolt against rationalism. The poets and authors of this time wrote about God, religion, and Beauty in nature. The romantics held a conviction that imagination and emotion are superior to reason. One such author is William Cullen Bryant, he wrote the poem Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood. This poem uses many literary devices, and has a strong message to portray to the reader.
Romanticism was a literary movement that occurred in the late eighteenth century to the mid nineteenth century which shifted the focus of literature from puritan works, to works which revolved around imagination, the beauty of nature, the individual, and the value of emotion over intellect. The ideas of the movement were quite revolutionary as earlier literature was inhibited by the need to focus on society and the rational world it effected. Romanticism allowed writers to be more creative with there stories and to explore an irrational world which before, would have been at the very least frowned upon if not outright rejected. The short story, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an example of a romantic work because it showcases the individual over society, exalts emotion and intuition over reason, and keeps a strong focus on nature throughout the story.
Romanticism is basically an ideal world of freedom and a revolt against the reason, judgment, and ideals imposed on one by society. It is a “philosophical movement that redefined the fundamental ways in which people in Western cultures thought about themselves and about their world” (“Romanticism”). The origins of Romanticism date back to the late 1700s. During
Romanticism was an artistic and literary movement that began in the late 18th century Europe that stressed the individual’s expression of emotion and imagination, glorification of the past and nature, and departure from forms of classicism. The movement emerged as a reaction against the ideas
The Romantic period was an expressive and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century and peaked in the 1800s-1850s. This movement was defined and given depth by an expulsion of all ideals set by the society of the particular time, in the sense that the Romantics sought something deeper, something greater than the simplistic and structured world that they lived in. They drew their inspiration from that around them. Their surroundings, especially nature and the very fabric of their minds, their imagination. This expulsion of the complexity of the simple human life their world had organised and maintained resulted in a unique revolution in history. Eradication of materialism, organisation and society and
Romanticism is an influential literary movement in America that changed literature permanently from the drastically modest and structured ideals of Puritanism. Two contrasting types of authors, Romantics and Dark Romantics, introduce new, meaningful literature to America; while Romantics see the light and airy side of the world, Dark Romantics see the darker more horrific side. This drastically modified literary period is influenced by Europe and was revolutionary for America from the moment it arrived. American Romanticism rejects the normal, rational thought and praises the unpredictability and complexity of emotion. Romanticism has changed American literature forever.
Romanticism started in the 18th century and was said to be influenced by the French and Industrial Revolution.
...en established, the events of the Romantic Era, such as the French Revolution, the change of the English urban economy, and the divergent religions that came upon the scene influenced the writers of the period. These authors were also affected by the ideology that came to be; the new belief that placed more value on imagination than on science and put more emphasis on emotion than on reason. A newfound freedom gave way to innovations in art and music. These factors all combined to influence authors, playwrights, and poets. The result was a great shift in literature. This shift allowed movement from the calm, structure of classical writing to the imaginative and emotional writing that is still valued today. All these developments led to a new season of writing, the Romantic Period without which we may not have a Mary Shelley, or the modern literature we have today.
... It was all about progress, political correctness and it was very controlling in the area of how people lived their lives concerning many matters. By embracing the ordinary and unknown of human existence, the romantics overthrew the limitations that were seen in the Enlightenment. Defining Romanticism is not easy as there was not a particular dominate set of beliefs nor were the styles in literature and art the same. It was a time to be yourself, to let out whatever type of personality that was within. The modern world has Romanticism to thank for much of the way we live today concerning ideas, values, love, dreams and beliefs. It’s worthwhile to mention that both era’s consisted of varieties of thought, much like it is today. We are better off today because of men like Isaac Newton during the Enlightenment and for the Romantics teaching us how to be free thinkers.
The Romantic Period was from 1784 until 1832, it brought a more brave, individual, and imaginative approach to both literature and life. During this time the individual became more important than society. Individualism became the center of the Romantic vision (Pfordresher, 423). The Romantic Age in England was a movement that affected all the countries of Western Europe. Romanticism represents an attempt to rediscover the mystery and wonder of the world (Pfordresher, 424). The French Revolution, 1793-1815, gave life and breath to the dreams of many Romantic writers; they wanted liberty and equality for all individuals (Pfordresher, 423).