Romanticism (1780- 1830)

What was it? Romanticism was a cultural movement that started in Europe. It is a movement of feeling, and it is said to be the reappearance of instinct and emotion, which the rational Enlightenment could never wholly suppressed (make it disappeared). It was somewhat of a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, which occurred during the same period. And it was also a result of the American freedom from English control, the French Revolution and the Economic revolution. The movement affected philosophical thinking, literature, music, and art. It is followed by another literary and cultural period called Realism.

Historical Context: Napoleon rises to power in France and opposes England militarily and economically. Tory philosophy that government should NOT interfere with private enterprise. Whigs who were in power supported middle class people who were asking for a place in society and in decision-making. Middle class gains representation in the British parliament. Railroads begin to run. They helped common people and writers to travel to distant places in order to look for peace and inspiration. In France, Rousseaus idea that man is born good and society corrupts him. He preached the virtues of life in the state of nature, far removed from civilization. Movements of protest: a desire to personal freedom.

What are the characteristics of Romanticism? Romanticism saw a shift from: Faith in reason to faith in the senses, feelings, and imagination; dominance of emotion over reason and content over form. Restore hope in human race, for the fact that not everything could be mechanized and rendered lifeless and that nothing has to be logical.

 Interest in urban society to an interest in the rural and natural; the industrial revolution had shifted lie from the peaceful, serene countryside, towards chaotic cities, transforming man natural order. Public, impersonal poetry to subjective poetry; Romantics wrote novels, poems using the oral tradition of folk songs (to idealize the common man). They wrote about children, the trauma of the common man, humankind, the soul, human values, love and the suffering from the Industrial Revolution. Personal nature, strong uses of feelings, abundant use of symbolism, exploitation of nature. Simplicity and naturalness. What really mattered was what they wanted to say, easy to understand. They used language spoken by the common man. If you did not know how to write poetry, you could. Concern with the scientific and mundane to an interest in the mysterious and infinite, including the marvelous with the real. Enlightenment is considered Apollonian: (Greek mythology): it was related with rules, norms. Thinkers were characterized by their wit, clarity and intelligence. Apollo, in Roman mythology is called Febo, the God of agriculture, cattle, light, truth and intelligence. There is a connection with the principle of individualization, analytic reasoning, rational and structural/formal thought and all types of form and structure. Romanticism is considered Dionysian: (Greek mythology): connected with nature, love, imagination. There is a connection with Realism and Naturalism. Dionysius is the God of wine and vegetation. In the Roman mythology, he was called Baco and was related with orgies and parties as well as nature and what was pure. There is a connection with the principle of will. It breaks down mans individual character, enthusiasm and ecstasy (in these states man submerges himself in a grater whole and uses his instinct). There is a belief in the goodness of people. Evil is attributed to society and not to human nature.

Style/Genre Poetry (poets wrote about love and nature. Learn to think out of the box, to dream and to explore, to believe) Lyrical ballads (a collection of poems by Wordsworth and Coleridge) ushered forth the romantic period. Topics to paint and write Medieval past

The individual against society Intuition, Feelings and emotions, as well as Introspection Psychology Melancholy Sadness Moods of all kinds. Spirituality The supernatural, mystery, the mystical, the gothic, the exotic, death. Peaceful beauty, The glorification of nature. It was one of the first times in the history of art that landscapes became a significant subject for painting.

Romantic literature The Romantic poet William Wordsworth exposes that Romanticism is the never ending pursuit after the ever fleeting object of desire. It tends to emphasize a love of nature, a respect for primitivism, and a valuing of the common, "natural" man; Romantics idealize country life and believe that many of the ills of society are a result of urbanization. a. Nature for the Romantics becomes a means for divine revelation (Wordsworth) b. It is also a metaphor for the creative process(the river in Kubla Khan)

Writings were considered innovative, based on their beliefs that literature could be spontaneous, imaginative, personal and free. Creative expression, transform the ordinary into the extraordinary and experience emotions at a deeply intense level.

Interest in the supernatural, unreal beings.

Sub-genre: Gothic Literature Mary Shelley said Human beings must understand and learn to appreciate the little things that life has to offer, to make the pain and pleasure of another individual ones own, in order to truly comprehend the meaning of life. Terror and horror stories and novels started to be written. Dark and gloomy settings, characters and situations were fantastic, tragedies, grotesque, wild, savage, mysterious, and often melodramatic.

Romantic art The great Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich summed up Romanticism by saying "the artist's feeling is his law". Rule: Imagination and emotion are more important than reason and formal rules; imagination is a gateway to transcendent experience and truth. Intuition and a reliance on natural feelings as a guide to conduct are valued over controlled, rationality. The artist was an extremely individualistic creator whose creative spirit was more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures. The brushwork for romantic art became looser and less precise. Importance of Nature Interest in the past Poets were considered Amorous of the fars: poets used imagination and sensibility to connect man with the natural world. Writers reach distant places from reality created by them; they flew with their imagination and feelings. Some of the poets, such as Wordsworth and Coleridge chose to live in the farm. They went to distant places such as the Myths and ruins of Greece and Rome for inspiration. They wanted to be in contact with nature to write. The landscape was an artistic imperative. Idealization of nature: During Enlightenment, nature was something to be used and it meant human nature. During Romanticism, it was not something to be used but to be admired. Nature meant ocean, mountains, waterfalls and lightening, lions and mythical beasts. Painters and writers sentimentalized country scenes and country people. Indians, the noble savage were considered humanity in pure, natural state

 As citizens now felt freer to travel for the simple pleasure of it, mountains passes and deep woods were not longer merely hazards to be traversed but aware some views to be enjoyed and pondered as it helps urban man find his true identity.

Key Literature/Authors: Novelists: Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe Poets: Robert Burns, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, John Keats, Nathanial Hawthorne Painters: William Blake, Francisco Goya, Caspar David Friedrich, Eugene Delacroix

Landscape and nature