Romanticism was a significant artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that emerged in Europe
towards the end of the 18th century and lasted until the mid-19th century. Here are the key aspects of
Romanticism:
1. Time period: Romanticism peaked from approximately 1800 to 1850.
2. Core values: The movement emphasized individualism, emotion, imagination, and appreciation of
nature. It rejected the rationalism and order associated with the Enlightenment and Industrial
Revolution.
3. Key themes:
- Reverence for nature and the supernatural
- Idealization of the past, particularly the Middle Ages
- Fascination with the exotic and mysterious
- Celebration of the heroic and sublime
- Focus on individual subjectivity and emotion
4. Literature: Romantic literature began in the 1790s with the publication of "Lyrical Ballads" by William
Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It emphasized the "spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings" and often focused on nature, emotion, and the individual.
5. Notable authors: William Blake, John Keats, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Sir Walter Scott, and
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
6. Influence on other arts: Romanticism also had a significant impact on painting, music, and
architecture.
7. Philosophical underpinnings: Romantics believed that passion and intuition were crucial to
understanding the world, and that beauty evokes strong emotional responses.
8. Reaction to society: The movement often critiqued contemporary industrial society and its perceived
materialism and environmental degradation.
9. Legacy: Romanticism has had a lasting impact on Western civilization, influencing modern political
theory, environmentalism, and various forms of art and literature.
10. Pre-Romanticism: The movement was preceded by trends in the mid-18th century, including a new
appreciation for medieval romances and relatively unsophisticated but emotional literary expressions.
Romanticism represented a significant shift in Western cultural and artistic expression, emphasizing the
power of emotion, imagination, and individual experience over the rationalism of the preceding era.
Citations:
[1] https://www.supersummary.com/romanticism/
[2] https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/British_and_Irish_Literature/
British_Literature_II_-_Romantic_Era_to_the_Twentieth_Century_and_Beyond_%28Robinson
%29/01:_The_Romantic_Era/1.01:_Romanticism_in_Literature
[3] https://www.thoughtco.com/romanticism-definition-4777449
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism
[5] https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism
