Romantic Age (1789-1832)
The Romantic Movement, also known as the Romantic era, was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century.
The Romantic Movement, also known as the Romantic era, was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It was at its peak from approximately 1800 to 1850. The movement was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism, as well as the glorification of the past and nature. It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, especially against the scientific rationalization of nature.
Romanticism was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but it also had a major impact on historiography, education, social sciences, and the natural sciences. It emphasized intense emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience and granted a new importance to experiences of sympathy, awe, wonder, and terror. The movement stressed the nobility of folk art and ancient cultural practices, but also championed radical politics, unconventional behavior, and authentic spontaneity.
In contrast to the rationalism and classicism of the Enlightenment, Romanticism revived medievalism and juxtaposed a pastoral conception of a more "authentic" European past with a highly critical view of recent social changes, including urbanization, brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Many Romantic ideals were first articulated by German thinkers in the Sturm und Drang movement, which elevated intuition and emotion above Enlightenment rationalism.
Romanticism lionized the achievements of "heroic" individuals – especially artists, who began to be represented as cultural leaders. The movement prioritized the artist's unique, individual imagination above the strictures of classical form. In the second half of the 19th century, Realism emerged as a response to Romanticism.
Romantic literature is characterized by several key elements:
1. Glorification of Nature: Romantic literature often portrays nature in its most unbound glory. Writers provide deep, personal descriptions of nature and its wild and powerful qualities.
2. Emphasis on Emotion: A focus on emotion is a key characteristic of Romantic literature. Feelings are described in various forms, including love, fear, sorrow, and loneliness.
3. Individualism and Spirituality: Romantic writers valued the individual experience above all else, leading to a heightened sense of spirituality in their work.
4. Celebration of Isolation and Melancholy: Romantic literature often celebrates isolation and melancholy as necessary for spiritual and artistic development.
5. Interest in the Common Man: Romanticism elevated "regular people" as being deserving of celebration.
6. Idealization of Women: Women were often idealized in Romantic literature.
7. Personification and Pathetic Fallacy: Romantic literature often uses personification and pathetic fallacy, attributing human feelings and responses to nature or inanimate objects.
There were many famous poets during the Romantic era. Here are some of the most notable ones:
1. William Blake: Known for "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"
2. William Wordsworth: Known for "The Prelude"
3. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Known for "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
4. George Gordon, Lord Byron: Known for "Don Juan", "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage"
5. Percy Bysshe Shelley: Known for "Prometheus Unbound", "Adonaïs", "Ode to the West Wind", "Ozymandias"
6. John Keats: Known for "Great Odes", "Hyperion", "Endymion"
7. Edgar Allan Poe: A famous Romantic poet in America
8. Victor Marie Hugo: The leading figure of the movement in France
Notable female poets of the Romantic era include Felicia Dorothea Hemans, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Charlotte Smith, Mary Robinson, Hannah More, and Joanna Baillie.
Written by Pooran Chandra