The Romantic Period

Originated in England in 1798

 The literary movement

The literary and artistic movement

known as Romanticism
originated in England in 1798
(with the publication of _Lyrical
Ballads_, a collection of poems
by William Wordsworth and
Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
and quickly spread from there to
the rest of Europe and America. A
reaction against the Age of
Reason that saw both the
American and the French
Revolutions,
 Romanticism emphasized
everything the previous age had
not: feelings, emotions--the heart
over the head--mysticism and
instinct, natural man over
civilized man.
Natural places (the wilder, the
better) became focal points for
paintings and poems; the
supernatural gained a new
credibility; and the human heart
took precedence over all.
Characteristics of Romanticism

Resulting in part from the

libertarian and egalitarian ideals
of the French Revolution, the
romantic movements had in
common only a revolt against the
prescribed rules of classicism.
The basic aims of romanticism
were various: a return to nature
and to belief in the goodness of
humanity; the rediscovery of the
artist as a supremely individual
creator; the development of
nationalistic pride;
and the exaltation of the senses and
emotions over reason and
intellect. In addition, romanticism
was a philosophical revolt against
rationalism.
Wanderer above the sea of fog by
Caspar David Friedrich
Romanticism in the Visual Arts

In the visual arts romanticism is

used to refer loosely to a trend
that appears at any time, and
specifically to the art of the early
19th cent.
Nineteenth-century romanticism was
characterized by the avoidance of
classical forms and rules, emphasis
on the emotional and spiritual,
representation of the unattainable
ideal, nostalgia for the grace of past
ages, and a predilection for exotic
themes.
Third of May by Francisco Goya
The Fighting Téméraire tugged to her
last Berth to be broken,
J.M.W. Turner
Liberty Leading the People by
Eugène Delacroix
A Romantic heroine
A Romantic heroine: in The Lady of
Shalott (1888) John William
Waterhouse's realistic technique
depicts a neo-medieval subject drawn
from Arthurian Romance
 Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830 by
Egide Charles Gustave Wappers: A romantic vision
 Nationalism

One of Romanticism's key ideas and most

enduring legacies is the assertion of
nationalism, which became a central
theme of Romantic art and political
philosophy. From the earliest parts of the
movement, with their focus on
development of national languages and
folklore,
and the importance of local customs
and traditions, to the movements
which would redraw the map of
Europe and lead to calls for self-
determination of nationalities,
nationalism was one of the key
vehicles of Romanticism, its role,
expression and meaning.
 Romanticism in Music
Romanticism in music was characterized
by an emphasis on emotion and great
freedom of form. It attained its fullest
development in the works of German
composers. Although elements of
romanticism are present in the music of
Beethoven, Weber,
and Schubert it reached its zenith in the
works of Berlioz, Mendelssohn,
Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, and Wagner.
Less totally romantic composers usually
placed in the middle period of
romanticism are Brahms, Tchaikovsky,
and Grieg; those grouped in the last phase
include Elgar, Puccini, Mahler, Richard
Strauss, and Sibelius.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Frédéric Chopin
 Romantic music
The era of Romantic music is defined
as the period of European classical
music that runs roughly from 1820 to
1900, as well as music written
according to the norms and styles of
that period.
The Romantic period was preceded by
the classical period and the late
classical period of which most music
is by Beethoven, and was followed
by the modernist period.
More about The Romanticism

Romanticism had 4 basic principles:

“the original unity of man and nature
in a Golden Age; the subsequent
separation of man from nature and
the fragmentation of human faculties;
the interpretability of the history of
the universe in human, spiritual
terms; and the possibility of
salvation through the
contemplation of nature.”
The above-mentioned Golden Age is a
reference to the time in the Garden of
Eden, before the Fall of Man, when it
was believed that man was wholly
united with nature.
 After the Fall, man was
disconnected with nature, and so
Romantic thinkers sought to
reunite man with nature and
therefore his natural state.
 By respectfully studying nature,
humans could hope to understand
their world and themselves and
therefore gain entry back into
Paradise, the epitome of natural
perfection and harmony amongst all
species,
including man; this was their salvation.
Romantics also attributed the Fall
from grace to the “culmination of the
analytic and judgmental approach”
that marked Enlightenment thinking
 Resources
http://www.bartleby.com/65/ro/romantic.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism#Characteristics

www.tacomacc.edu/HOME/searle/Romanticism%20lecture.doc