The Pre-romantic Movement

Second Part of the XVIII Century

Towards a Definition
During the second part of the XVIII
century, the Pre-romantic movement
begins in Europe.
It shares some characteristics with the
romantic movement during the XIX.
Pre-romanticism can be defined as:
“literary manifestations that took place
before the Romantic Movement properly
speaking.”
Towards a Definition
The term Pre romantic defines the
sensibilities and spiritual states, trends,
ideas and forms that developed at the end
of the Neoclassical Period.”
The Pre romantics did not constitute a
school of thought. They were a group of
writers that were influenced by the new
trends, feelings, of the end of the century.
Towards a definition
The Pre romantic writers fight against the
neoclassical dogmas and prepare the
coming of the Romantic Poets that
appears at the end of the XVIII century in
Germany, England, and then in France.
The rationalism, characteristic of the
Neoclassical period, will be changed by
the emphasis of feeling and emotion.
Towards a Definition
The Neoclassical ideas inherited by
Renaissance humanism such as respect for
rules and conventionalities; separation of
genres, dominion of reason over feeling,
social and moral character of literature.
Neoclassical literature that intends to
study the man in abstract with the
objective to perfect him will be changed
by feeling and emotion.
The Pre-romantics
The pre-romantics looked for a change in
the conventionalities.
The didactic poem, so much used by the
Neoclassical writer, will be changed by
the expression of feeling and emotions.
To write with this new concept in mind,
writers needed to explore other ways of
writing. Literature had to abandon its
social projection and acquire a more
intimate tone.
Characteristics
The exaltation of personal feeling and
sensitivities
*The Neoclassical writer was concerned
with the rational, the social and
educational.
*Reason is more than feeling.
*The pre-romantics fight against this
tendency and try to express feelings
through their poetry. A sensitive man is
virtuous for the Pre-romantics.
Characteristics
The vision of Nature
*Pre-romantics will write about the poetic
feelings Nature makes them feel.
*In Nature human beings can feel beauty,
tenderness and melancholy.
*The Pre-romantic despise the artificial
life of the cities and they would rather
retire to the country side.
*Nature is a reflection of the feelings of
the poet.
Characteristics
Moral and intellectual freedom
*Neoclassical writers strictly followed the
tradition.
*The main characters do not express their
dissatisfaction with society. (They don’t
cry because they are poor for example, or
because they are unhappy in their
marriages, etc.)
Characteristics
Melancholy
*Nature and reflection produce
melancholy feelings based on the ideas
that life moves towards death, that
happiness is unattainable, love is unstable.
*Melancholy reminds human beings that
their life has an end.
Characteristics
The predilection for darkness and
sepulchres (the gothic)
*It is a way to acquire a mire intimate
feeling, that shows the states of the soul.
*This sort of literature goes back to the
Middle ages, and it is going to portray
sepulchres, abbeys, monks, strange
events)
England
The Pre-romantic Movement becomes
very popular in England.

The English pre-romantics search for a

new sort of poetry that does not take into
account the classical patterns.
Horace Walpole
The “father” of the gothic novel (the
novel of mystery and terror).
The castle of Otranto, his most famous
novel is set in the Middle ages.
There is much paraphernalia of terror and
villainy in it, but it was important for the
development of pre-romantic movement.
The Castle of Otranto
The unexplained death of Prince Conrad
who dies the eve of his marriage with
Isabella.
Manfred, Conrad’s father decides to
marry the girl himself, but first he will
have to divorce.
Isabella then manages to escape from
Manfred with the aid of a peasant.
Mrs. Radcliff
Mrs. Radcliff continued the tradition
started by Walpole.
She’s the author of the famous novel
“The Mysteries of Udolpho” (1794), a
book about mysterious passages,
disappearing walls, shrouded figures,
unexplained groans, clanking of chains.