ROMANTICISM

THE BEGINNING OF A NEW AGE

A radical change in European culture about the concept of human beings,

world and poetry

ROMANTICISM can be thought as a REACTION TO:

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION:

- England changes from an agricultural society into a modern and industrial nation

-There is an increase of population and the development of a factory system → urbanization (mushroom towns)

- Increase of transports (railways, barges and canals)

- Inhuman conditions of work

- Important changes in agriculture

FRENCH REVOLUTION:

- Fear of Jacobinism (especially

government – no reforms) but

intellectuals and artists supported

the French Revolution

NAPOLEON:

- Contrast between France (Napoleon) and

England (Nelson). After that there are a

lot of poor people who lived in bad conditions of

life

CONCLUSIONS: – Fear of French Revolution ideas– Bad conditions of life (inhuman life for poor people and workers)

– Associations of workers

ENLIGHTENMENT(‘700)

ROMANTICISM(‘800)

BEST FACULTY

Faith in reason (as clear as light), that can explain everything.

Reaction against reason and supremacy of feelings and emotions (as mysterious as night).

RELATION-SHIP MAN-

NATURE

Nature is governed by mechanical laws and it’s completely dominated by humans.

It is a living, powerful, active and organic force. Now nature itself dominates humans.

PERIOD OF REFERENCE

Classicism, because of the rationalistic ideas of perfection, balance and harmony.

The classical ideas don’t consider the humans’ emotions. Revaluation of the Middle Ages, which is seen as irrationalistic and fascinating.

ARTMimetic orientation, like in classical art.

Expressive orientation. Symbolism: use of allegory (similar to the medieval one), useful to express the infinite.

NATURE IN ROMANTICISM: Josef Mallord William Turner, The shipwrek

English Romanticism is characterized by different literary genres:

More freedom from models

and rules

Symbols as vehicles

of visionary perception

The search for absolute

Nature as a mirror of the poets soul and feelings

Expression of the power

of imagination and creativity

ROMANTIC POETRY

Supernatural beings like ghosts, vampires

and monsters

The presentation of characters

who embody Evil

Taste for error and horror (spectral

locations such as cemeteries and haunted houses)

Superiority of night on the fleeting day

The most important works are: •The Castle of Otranto

•The mysteries of Udolpho•The monk

•Frankenstein

THE GOTHIC NOVEL

NOVEL OF MANNERS

Third person narrator

Human passions are not

expressed directly but more subtly

Characters are usually set in the upper or middle levels

of society

It deals with codes and

conventions of daily

behaviour

Visits, balls and teas are

occasions for meeting and for

discussions

The most prominentauthors is

Jane Austen

Historical context

It gives support to the idea of romantic nationalism

Both actual-historical

and fictional characters

Use of the third- person narrator

It descibes manner, buildings

of the past,according

to the historicalverisimitude

HISTORICAL NOVEL

Fading forms, many shades of colour

and brightness

We can percive the comparison between human

fragility and greatness of nature

The artist is guided by his imagination

and not by standards canons set

One of the central

theme is the explosion of

nature

ROMANTIC ART

It translates the concept of Sublime in

the painting.All the feelings, that man perceive in front of the spectacles of

Nature

William Turner, The burning of the house of lords and commons

ROMANTIC MUSIC(Composers: Beethowen, Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, Chopin)

Innovations:

• A new approach to instrumental music

• The orchestra conductor arises (before that this role was given to first violin and to harpsichordist)

• Like art and literature, it evokes moods or inspire feelings of nationalism, love and awe

Matter of continuity:

• It maintains much of the structure of the music from the classical play

• Composers work to expand the forms

THE MAIN ISSUES OF ROMANTIC

PHILOSOPHERS

The problem of death.

It is considered as a reunion with the

Total,so life doesn’t die, but returns to the

whole universe.

The meaning of life.

Philosophers belived that life

is not desiderable because it is full

of grief.

The disagreement between finite and infinite, so between

man and nature.

It follows that man feels the

aspiration towards the Infinite that

can be achieved

through art and especially

through poetry.