Romanticism
The
Romantics
1780-1830
Definition:
Romanticism is an
attitude toward
nature, humanity,
and society that
championed
freedom and
individualism.
Romanticism was the dominating philosophy during the
50 year period between 1780-1830. The Romantic Age
was a shift from the ideas of the Classical Age. During
the Classical Age, writers valued reason, clarity, balance,
and order, which were all things embodied in classical
Greek literature.
Writers in the Romantic Age celebrated:
• imagination
• emotions
• nature
• humanity
Definition
Romanticism refers to a movement in art,
literature, and music during the 19th century.
Romanticism is characterized by the 5 “I”s
 Imagination
 Intuition
 Idealism
 Inspiration
 Individuality
Imagination
Imagination was emphasized over “reason.”
This was a backlash against the rationalism
characterized by the Neoclassical period or
“Age of Reason.”
Imagination was considered necessary for
creating all art.
British writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge called
it “intellectual intuition.”
Intuition
Romantics placed value on “intuition,” or feeling
and instincts, over reason.
Emotions were important in Romantic art.
British Romantic William Wordsworth described
poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings.”
Idealism
Idealism is the concept that we can make the
world a better place.
Idealism refers to any theory that emphasizes the
spirit, the mind, or language over matter –
thought has a crucial role in making the world the
way it is.
Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, held
that the mind forces the world we perceive to take
the shape of space-and-time.
Inspiration
The Romantic artist, musician, or writer, is an
“inspired creator” rather than a “technical
master.”
What this means is “going with the moment” or
being spontaneous, rather than “getting it
precise.”
Individuality
Romantics celebrated the individual.
During this time period, Women’s Rights and
Abolitionism were taking root as major
movements.
Walt Whitman, a later Romantic writer, would
write a poem entitled “Song of Myself”: it begins,
“I celebrate myself…”
Origins
Romanticism began to take root as a movement
following the French Revolution and the
American Revolution.
The publication of Lyrical Ballads by
William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor
Coleridge in 1792 is considered the beginning of
literary Romanticism.
The Industrial Revolution: The result of the
Neoclassical fascination with order, reason, and
science was a wealth of technological advances that
fueled an economic shift called the Industrial
Revolution.
In many ways, Romantic ideals
were a reaction to the injustices of
the Industrial Revolution. There
was also a rising awareness of the
need for social justice for
individuals, especially for children,
women, and slaves.
All of these revisions were a direct
result from an increased focus on
the needs of every individual.
The Arts
Romanticism was a movement across all the arts:
visual art, music, and literature.
All of the arts embraced themes prevalent in the
Middle Ages: chivalry, courtly love. Literature
and art from this time depicted these themes.
Music (ballets and operas) illustrated these
themes.
Shakespeare came back into vogue.
Visual Arts
Neoclassical art was
rigid, severe, and
unemotional; it
hearkened back to
ancient Greece and
Rome
Romantic art was
emotional, deeplyfelt, individualistic,
and exotic. It has
been described as a
reaction to
Neoclassicism, or
“anti-Classicism.”
Albert
Bierstadt,
Among the
Sierra
Nevada
Mountains,
California,
1868
What
kinds of
feelings
does this
painting
evoke?
Thomas Cole,
1842, The
Voyage of Life
Old Age
Romantics
believed that
human life and
nature were
connected. Man
cam from earth
and would return.
Society became
fascinated with the
medieval period—
castles, knights,
honor, the unknown,
the imaginative
characters that
could have
existed…
John William
Waterhouse
The Lady of Shalott
1888, after a poem
by Tennyson; like
many Victorian
paintings, romantic
but not Romantic
Caspar David
Friedrich, Wanderer Above
the Sea of Fog, 1818
Notice this man is above
the fog…why?
Thomas
Cole’s
The Oxbow
What
contrasts
do you
see? How
can they
relate to
the
Romantics’
views?
Thomas Cole’s
Catskill Scenery
Can you
see a
contrast
between
untouched
nature and
civilization?
Thomas
Cole’s
Indian
Sacrifice
Think about
the
Music
“Classical” musicians
included composers
like Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart and
Franz Josef Haydn.
See Vivaldi’s Four
Seasons
Romantic musicians
included composers
like Frederic Chopin,
Franz Lizst, Pyotr
Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Music: Components
1730-1820.
1800-1910.
Classical music
emphasized
internal order
and balance.
Romantic music
emphasized
expression of
feelings.
Literature
In America, Romanticism most strongly
impacted literature.
Writers explored supernatural and gothic
themes.
Writers wrote about nature – Transcendentalists
believed God was IN nature, unlike “Age of
Reason” writers like Franklin and Jefferson, who
saw God as a “divine watchmaker,” who created
the universe and left it to run itself.