The Romantic Movement
France & Germany
Romanticism
Defining ‘Romanticism’ is difficult because the idea of what is
romantic varies. Arthur Lovejoy claimed that what had truly
existed was not ‘Romanticism’ but a veritable ‘plurality of
Romanticisms.’
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Common factors which shaped Romanticism, such as the French
Revolution and the British Industrial Revolution. Both of these crisis
caused writers to look for explanations.
Myths of creation and nature [natural beauty & harmony vs. artifice]
became more important, and replaced the Neoclassical ideals of
rationalism, traditionalism, and formal harmony.
Romantics emphasized individualism [the individual spirit, mind and
capabilities], imagination [thought], and emotion [bliss and agony] as
their guiding principles.
French Romanticism
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Reaction to the cruel realities of the French Revolution trying to make sense of the chaos of their society.
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Rousseau’s Confessions had a major influence on the French
Romantic movement.
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A sense of loss for what might have been, part of the French post
revolutionary sentiment, was reflected in its many romantic writings
Focus on the past and individual remembering became one of the
focuses of French Romanticism.
The idea of living a solitary and imaginative life away from society
was another important focus.
Writings dealing with the emotions and the idea of the
tragedy of love rather than a utopian bliss.
Desire for freedom and escape authority
French Romantic Heroes
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Conscious that they are unlike others [exceptional]
Solitude, leading to melancholy
Feeling of being outside society [so not bound to its
laws]
Often an outlaw figure with a grudge against society
[more sinned against than sinning]
Love and fate go together
Mysterious in past/origin and usually die
German Romanticism
“In Germany, Romanticism was a combination of spirit and life, of universe
and the individual.” Romanticism in Germany pertained not only to art
and literature, but also to the sciences and everyday life.
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Journeys of self-realization
Infusion of nature with the mysterious to make it unique and beautiful
Life is poetry, and that all things are connected in such a way that a beautiful
harmony and peace can exist.
Some aspects of loss – modern society is out of touch with something important.
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pain of unrequited love or love triangle
Impossible loves
Romanticism was seen as a diversion from present problems but the end product
was a piece that acknowledged what was happening politically while providing a
respite from reality.
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Goethe’s tales included ghost stories, love stories and moral tales.
German Romantic Heroes
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Conscious that they are unlike others [exceptional]
Need for individual spiritual growth
Suffer emotional pain [loss in love]
Somehow hopeful that harmony can be achieved
Stunned by natural beauty – find the mysterious in
nature
Fantastical realms combined with reality [magic,
gods, devils]