The Nature of Emotions

In his 1798 book Lyrical Ballads, whom he co-authored with Samuel Coleridge, William Wordsworth described poetry as a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Cooksey). Both Wordsworth and Coleridge were pioneers of the Romantic Movement which stressed the importance of expressing emotions, particularly through poetry. Nature was a key element for the Romantic movement. Romanticism encouraged exploration of feelings and many poets used nature as an inspiration for their thoughts. Another important aspect was the idea of intuition over reason. Many artists during the Romantic period sought to create art that relied on untaught reasoning instead of rationalization. These artists believed that through intuition and emotion genuine art was made. The Romantic Movement affirms that only by returning to nature and immagination can one find true expression for emotions.

The Romantic Movement pioneered many poets and artists to question the world around them, and it allowed them to rebel against the notions held by others in society. Romanticism sprang up in 1750 and it ended around the 1850's. The movement was in response to the Enlightment Age of the early eighteenth century (Cooksey). During the Enlightenment, a new way of "thinking emerged that stressed thinking critically about the world and about humankind, independently of religion, myth or tradition" (Kleiner, Mamiya 836). There was a renewed interest in science and mathmatiques and the Enlightenment emphasized reason, calculations, and objective nature. There was a renwed interest in the anatomy and astronomy fields. The Enlightenment Era moved away from faith and myth and focused on ideas that were tangible (Kleiner, Mamiya 838). The Romantic movement was the complete op...

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