Romanticism Course  " Part One"

Destined to 2nd Year Students.

Designed by : Dr. SELT Djihad Afaf

A lecturer, UATL.

Definition and Background

Romanticism is a literary, artistic, musical and even political movement that began in the late 18th century,    and lasted until the 19th century—but its influence is still perceptible to this day., Romanticism can be seen as a reaction to the drastic changes in society that occurred during this period, including the revolutions that swept through countries like France and the United States, ushering in grand experiments in democracy.

European Romanticism began as a reaction to the ways in which Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment had transformed society. The Enlightenment had prioritized reason and rationality over emotion and creativity. The Industrial Revolution had urbanized England. Technology was thriving, science was hastily evoluting, and cities were becoming increasingly swarming. There was a kind of shift of the European societies from the agrarian culture to the industrial one.

As an outcome of these changes, many people felt like humanity was trailing its relationship with the natural world and the sublime. They believed that this whole modernity has affected the human soul and rendered it more selfish.

Many scholars believe that despite the fact that the industrial revolution was an economic success it was also a social failure. This is due to  tremendous vices that were brought to the fore such as child labor, spread of unemployment (because men were replaced by machines) and widening the gap between classes.

Amidst these hard times, appears the effective contribution of the Romanticists: a group of artists, writers, and intellectuals who regarded themselves not only as literary laureates but rather political activists and patriots who celebrated nature, emotion, and the spiritual. They criticized the way society had changed and glorified the past in their work.

One of the most brilliant facets of literature is that it consists a reflective a mirror of life. Europe and America witnessed drastic changes in the late eighteenth century, and the Romantic Era reflected this change.

The Main Characteristics of Romanticism ( The Five I s) :

Imagination
Imagination presides the thought and philosophy of this movement. It is highly stressed on and prioritized over reason. In fact, glorifying imagination comes as a backlash against the rational thinking that characterized the Neoclassical period or “Age of Reason.” Imagination is crucial as it is the basis of creativity which is the origin of all arts.

Individualism
Romantics celebrate the individual. The Romantics avowed the significance of the individual, the unique, and the eccentric.  Their celebration of the individual in this movement is taken to the extreme that it tends to oppose the traditional view of the concept of the hero. The neoclassical representation of the hero outcasts the character of the magnificent and the supernatural. However , it takes a certain degree of strength for a common man to become the archetype of a hero.

Inspiration

The Romantic artists and poets tend to seek inspiration within the broods of nature. For Romantics, nature is often presented as a work of art in itself, created by a divine imagination and uttered through emblematic language.For them, it is the source of serenity and positive influence on the human mind and soul.

Idealism
Idealism is the perception that views perfection in every aspect of life.It refers to the different theories and views that emphasize the spiritual side of humanity, its mindset, and favoring language over matter.

 Idealism is the metaphysical view that associates reality to ideas in the mind rather than to material objects.  It lays emphasis on the mental or spiritual components of experience, and renounces the notion of material existence.  Idealists regard the mind and spirit as the most essential, permanent aspects of one’s being.  The philosophical views of Berkeley, Christian Science, and Hinduism embrace idealist thought as they relate it to the existence of a supreme, divine reality that transcends basic human understanding and inherent sensory awareness.- Omonia Vinieris (2002)

Intuition
Romantics often put a premium on “intuition,” or the inner guts, feelings and instincts, over reason. They believe that knowledge is acquired through intuition more than deduction. William Words Worth summarizes it all as he claims:  “all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” W.W

 

The  work that marks the beginning of Romanticism in English literature is Lyrical Ballads by William Wo Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge . It was published  in 1798.