Romanticism

Characteristics

Emotion over reason Human sense, passion, and faith

Glorification of nature Beauty

Rejected Enlightenment view of pastEncouraged personal freedom and flexibility

Characteristics

Drew upon ideals of Middle Ages Honor, fait, and chivalry

Humanitarian movements were created to fight slavery, poverty, and industrial evils

Romantics focused on peasant life and transcribed folk songs, tales, and proverbs

Philosophical Forerunners

Jean Jacques Rousseau Social Contract

Immanuel Kant Established philosophy separate from religion

George William Friedreich Hegel Leading figure of German idealism

Johann Gottlieb Fichte Addresses to the German Nation Believed Germans were superior to other people

Romantic Poetry

Romantics believed that poetry was supreme over all other literary forms Expression of one’s soul

Romantic PartyGermany

Friedrich von Schiller Wrote about man achieving freedom through the

aesthetic of Beauty “Ode to Joy”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “Faust” Man sells soul to devil in return for experiencing all

human experiences

England

William Wordsworth Lyrical Ballads Defied classic rules and abandoned flowery poetic

conventions for ordinary languageSir Walter Scott

Rob Roy Ivanhoe

Percy Bysshe Shelley Prometheus Unbound Detailed the revolt of humans against a society that

oppresses them

Romantic Literature

George Sand Female writer, Amandine Dupin Emphasized themes of the romantic love of nature and

moral idealismVictor Hugo

Hunchback of Notre Dame Les Miserables Use of fantastic characters, strange settings, and

human emotions

Romantic Art

Caspar David Friedrich Wanderers above the

sea of fog Focused on power of

nature

Romantic Art

Eugene Delacroix Most famous French

romantic painter Dramatic use of color Liberty Leading the

People

Romantic Art

Theodore Gericault Themes of power of

nature and man’s attempt to survive its force

Raft of the Medusa

Romantic Art

J.M.W. Turner Natures power and

terror Landscapes,

seascapes, etc…

Romantic Music

Places a strong connection with emotion as well as nationalism

Ludwig van Beethoven Inner human emotion

Franz Schubert Incorporated music and

romantic poetryHector Berlioz

Programmatic musicFranz Liszt

Symphonic poemRichard Wagner

“Music drama”Peter Tchaikovsky

Russian romantic composer

Connection to Politics and Revolution

Romantics believed in revolutionary movements that would give people more freedom and control over their lives

Supported nationalistic movements that emphasized cultural traditions and languages of Europe’s varied people