ROMANTISICM
A MOVEMENT ACROSS THE ARTS
DEFINITION OF ROMANTICISM
• Romanticism is a
movement in art,
literature and music in
the early 19th century.
• It is characterized by the
five “I”s
• Imagination
• Intuition
• Idealism
• Inspiration
• Individuality
ORIGINS OF ROMANTICISM
• There had been a strong anti-monarchy feeling in England
for a long time, and many were inspired by the success of
the American Revolution
• But when the French Revolution turned into the Reign of
Terror, many poets and artists were horrified and
heartbroken—who could you trust any more? What was
true? Where could one find truth, if not in the traditional
institutions of society?
• They looked to things that were pure: children and
childhood, the emotions, and nature
• Romanticism officially started with the publication of
“Lyrical Ballads,” by William Wordsworth and S. T.
Coleridge in 1792
IMAGINATION
• Imagination was
stressed over reason
• This was rebellion
against the rationalism
of the Age of Reason
• Imagination was
considered necessary
for creating all art
• S.T. Coleridge called
this “intellectual
intuition”
INTUITION
• Romantics placed a high
value on intuition, or
feelings and instincts,
over reason. They felt that
reason alone was cold
and unforgiving
• William Wordsworth
called this the
“spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings”
IDEALISM
• Frustrated by the cruelty
of the world around
them, Romantics sought
out ways to make the
world a better place
• They expressed these
ideals through their art,
music and writing
• They wanted to engage
the mind and heart and
to change the culture
around them, for
everyone’s sake
INSPIRATION
Painting by John Constable
• Romantics thought of
their works as inspired, not
merely products of a
technique.
• For them, inspiration
came from within the
moment, from
spontaneity and
enthusiasm
• They felt they were
“inspired creators,” not
merely “technical
masters”
INDIVIDUALITY
• The Romantics celebrated
the individual and ones
own creative power and
presence in the world
• They championed human
rights causes, such as
women’s rights, children’s
rights, abolition of slavery,
and labor rights
• Walt Whitman, a late
Romantic poet, wrote
“Song of Myself” in which
he “celebrates” and
“sings” himself
IN THE VISUAL ARTS
Romantics went
away from what
they perceived
as coldness and
technical
perfection,
embracing a
style that was
warmer and
more personal
Painting by John Constable
IN LITERATURE
Romantics wrote about
• Nature and spirituality—the
Transcendentalists believed
that God was in nature
(radically different from JudeoChristianity)
• Human rights—they were
politically active and aware,
writing against human causes
of suffering
• Emotion—they valued
emotions as guides toward
truth
• The Gothic—they wanted to
take these emotions as far as
they could, to the edge of fear
ROMANTIC ATTITUDES
• Distrust of the city
• Love of and
desire for nature
• Commitment to
individuality
• Nostalgia for the
past
• Avid interest in the
supernatural (but
not traditional
religion)
THUS…
• Romantic writers often
required a suspension of
disbelief so their readers
could explore
• Their works went away from
the city and into the
country
• They embraced the frontier
life and the wilderness
experience
• They also celebrated
expansion into the West
and new places to discover
in the United States
THE AMERICAN ROMANTIC HERO
• Had youthful qualities
and a certain innocence
and curiosity
• Had a distrust of women,
who were seen as
symbols of domesticity
and civilization
• Had a love of nature and
a distrust of city or town
life
• Had a quest for a higher
truth in the natural world