The Romanticism Period (1800 - 1860)

ROMANTICISM

Romanticism (also the Romantic era or the Romantic period) was an artistic, literary, and

intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century. It was

partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the aristocratic social and political norms of

the Age of Enlightenment, and the scientific rationalization of nature. It was embodied

most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on

historiography, education and the natural sciences.

What are the Origins of Romanticism? origins of

Romanticism? The Romantic movement is a movement that began in Europe in the late 18th

century

The Romantic period was an intellectual and artistic movement—this includes

literature, visual art, music and architecture

The Romantic movement flourished in Britain—we still read many of the British

Romantic poets such as William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Percy

Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron.

American Romanticism

The movement began in America in 1828 (roughly)

It ended in 1865 with the onslaught of the Civil War, which led to the Age of Realism.

Social and Political Influences in the Romanticism Period

Industrialism

First occurred in Britain

Power shifted from aristocratic

landowners to middle class city

dwellers

Populations moved from an

agrarian (rural) center to an

urban center

Characteristics of Romanticism

1. The Engaged & Enraged Artist

2. The Individual/ The Dreamer

3. Glorification of Nature

4. Revival of Past Styles

5. The Supernatural

6. Exoticism

The Romantic Hero

The Romantic Hero valued emotion rather than

rational thought, he often lived excluded from

society, and became one with the natural world.

He was youthful, innocent, intuitive, close to

nature, and hopelessly uneasy with women who

represented the trappings of civilization.

The “Noble Savage” – an idealization of the Native

American as the epitome (best example) of

simplicity, innocence and closeness with nature.

The Dark Romantics

Emphasizes the supernatural, grotesque,

the gloomy and the morbid.

Unlike the Romantics, the Dark Romantics

acknowledged the evil of man and the

horror of evil.

The Dark Romantics- Edgar Allan Poe ( the

father of the horror genre), Nathaniel

Hawthorne, Herman Melville.

Famous Romantics and their Works

Washington Irving– “Rip Van Winkle” The Legend of Sleep Hollow

James Fenimore Cooper—The Last of the Mohicans

William Cullen Bryant (poet)- “Thanatopsis”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow- “Evangeline”

Edgar Allan Poe- many poems and short stories

Herman Melville- Moby Dick

Nathaniel Hawthorne- “The Scarlet Letter”, short stories

Emily Dickinson (Poetry)

Walt Whitman – (Gothic) Leaves of Grass

CONCLUSION

Remember: The Romantic period is not about Romantic love! It is a literary

movement and has nothing to do with the romance novel.

Poets, painters, and musicians no longer trying to make their expression fit

conventional forms, but carving out new forms to capture their feelings and thoughts

Emphasis on the language of the Soul.

Often associated with the terms “American Renaissance” and “Transcendentalism”.

Individuals have unique, endless potential.

Self-realization comes through art.

Artists are the true philosophers.

Thanks A Lot!