THE ROMANTIC MOVEMENT 1790-1840’s

Romanticism-EMOTION AND PASSION-Counteract Technical, Scientific, Materialistic, Industrial, Enlightened World

Romantics Really Dislike Industrialism and Enlightenment and Question if “Progress” has been made. -Generally, with the Modernization of the World as a result of the multiple revolutions made since the middle

ages, particularly those of the Industrial Revolution, Enlightenment, Science, a large movement emerges in contrast to these that questions progress and develops a deeper appreciation for “before”.

Subjects:-Focused Heavily on Incorporating Great Passion and Emotion into:

1. APPRECIATING THE NATURAL/NATURE LANDSCAPES-FOCUS IS ON NATURE and the NATURAL

-Nature is Dynamic, Alive, and Divine-NOT Precise and Mechanical (Enlightened Thinking)

-Industrial Revolution is Unnatural-Destroys Nature

-Many Flee to “unspoiled lands” (unindustrialized parts)-Childhood Innocence is destroyed by Industrial Revolution

-View of Nature is ROMANTICIZED -Literally depicted unrealistically better than it was.

Primitivism: A belief in the goodness and value of the unspoiled, naturally created state of individuals and groups. For example, children and savages were regarded as heroic and admirable in the Romantic world view. Also, the artistic productions of the "uncivilized" population, the folklore and folk art of the peasantry, were highly esteemed for their natural, unspoiled quality.

Caspar David Friedrich“The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog”

John Constable, Hadleigh Castle, The Mouth of the Thames—Morning after a Stormy Night, 1829http://artgallery.yale.edu/exhibitions/exhibition/critique-reason-romantic-art-1760-1860

2. APPRECIATING MIDDLE AGES-Glorified and Revived the days of Knights, Castles, Chivalry, and Gothic Architecture-Technically a “rebirth” of the “Dark Ages”

Karl Friedrich SchinkelGothic Cathedral with Imperial Palace Karl Friedrich Schinkel

Medieval Town on a River

3. MYSTICISM in RELIGION-Enlightenment: Rigid, Mechanical, Impersonal Deist Religion, Secular,

-Everything Must Be Understood to ExistRomanticism:

-Rebellion against rigid head thinking for more HEART-Understanding can be better achieved by inner feelings and emotion-Not everything is understood and that is GOOD, Mysticism

Madonna with Child by Carolsfeld Jerusalem. The Emanation of the Giant Albion/Chapter I/Plate 76 by William Blake

4. NATIONALISM-Including Romantic History

Georg Wilhelm Frederic HegelGerman Philosopher/ Historian -History was full of heroic heroes-Fostered the idea of National Identity and Freedom

Individualism: Each individual was a law unto himself, responsible to God alone for his behavior. The emphasis was on the "hero", the individual who is willing to stand alone and will die for a cause he believes in. This individualism permitted rebellion against authority and existing rules if the rebellion could be justified by a higher authority. Romanticism emphasized the humanitarian commitment to helping others. To the Romantic hero, it was not as important to win as it was to have fought for a noble cause. Victory was in the fight itself, not in the winning.

Glorification of nationalism, patriotism: Romanticism held that there was a belief in a mystical link with national origins and national history. Romanticism emphasized folk tales, traditional costumes, country and village life, and national histories, although the history promoted was an idealistic, not a realistic one. Romanticism rejected the Enlightenment’s analytic view of the past as counter-productive. Instead, Romanticism viewed the world as a growing organism changing with each nation's unique history. Romanticists expressed a vital optimism about life and the future. Romantic nationalists were fanatical patriots and passionate revolutionaries. The Romantic hero played an important part in the nationalist rebellions of the early nineteenth century. Remember, the Romantic often had no hope of winning his struggle but fought anyway.

“Liberty Leading the People” Eugene Delacroix

“Germania”Philipp Veit, 1848.

“The Third of May” Spanish Resistance to NapoleonFrancisco Goya

“Massacre at Chois” Greek Struggle for Freedom against Ottomas.Eugene Delacroix

Comparison of Enlightenment to Romanticism on Next Page

Enlightenment and Romanticism: A Comparison

  Enlightenment/Neo-Classicism Romanticism

literary forms

traditione.g. heroic couplet.elevated, proper language,artifice; True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance (Pope)

innovation and originality“primitive”; folk & fairy tales. romance. common language; every day experience; humble, rural; fanciful, picturesque, rugged

literary modesatiric mode; wink to audience reason provides knowledge talk about ideas

lyric mode: self-expression feelings provide knowledgepoetry defined by Wordsworth“spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling; it takes its origin from emotion recalled in tranquility”

reality empirical, physical, mathematical long ago, far away, transcendent, supernatural; internal

aesthetics/nature

order: measured, compressed, controlled, balanced

organic, dynamic, audacious, expansive;combine contraries: grotesque, sublime

plot driven by ideas, events, reason driven by character, emotions, passion, tragic endings

characters universal; everyman; puppetsunique, sacred individual; outcasts, rebels, nonconformists. Prometheus, Cain, Satanic hero-villain, mad scientist, Great Outlaw

authority, wisdom age & experience;located in society

youth & innocence;located in the individual

society order & authority inherently good; should protect man

inherently oppressive to manalienation

ideal manphilosophe-putting intelligence and wit to service of mankindOne Truth: intellectual

poet: brings nature’s miracles to our attention, puts us in touch with joyMany truths of daily experience

man in nature brutish innately good; noble savage

limits man should be satisfied within his limitations; work is noble

no limits, dissatisfaction, adventure, leisure: “painful feeling of incomplete destiny”

http://www4.ncsu.edu/~dsbeckma/222Enlitenmentcf.html