Romanticism is the celebration of the individual and the glorification of nature. Romanticism was a revolt against the aristocratic social and political ‘norms’ of the Age of Enlightenment (the age of reason), which promoted reasonable and sensible decisions. It went against this, because romanticism promoted making decisions based on your emotions and not reason. Romanticism legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority, which permitted freedom from classical notions of form in art. An example of art that used the ideas of romanticism was the sorrows of young Werther, which was written by Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1774. It was a story about a young man called Werther, who was in love with a women named Charlotte. However, Charlotte was already married to another, so he could not have her. This then caused him to end his life. This supports the movement of romanticism, because it is him following his emotions, no matter how unreasonable his decision may have been.

Romanticism also focuses on nature and how that ignites emotions in individuals as well, because nature can be admired, but also feared, as it is so powerful. Romanticism supports being in awe of nature. Romanticism embraces the uniqueness of the human spirit, which Romantics feel is reflected in and deeply connected to the untamed wildness of nature.

When did Romanticism come about? What was going on at the time?

Romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century. The effects of the French revolution, which was industrialisation created the context from which the romantics emerged, because they did not like how nature was being demolished and turned into factories and buildings. The French revolution influenced Romanticism, which was in part about escaping from modern realities.

 As the revolution began to play out the French monarchy that had been in power for centuries had collapsed in just three years. This resulted in a complete transformation of society. A majority of the population was greatly in favour of this as the working class had been suffering oppression for many years. According to Albert Hancock, in his book ‘The French Revolution and the English Poets’: a study in historical criticism,

“The French Revolution came, bringing with it the promise of a brighter day, the promise of regenerated man and regenerated earth. It was hailed with joy and acclamation by the oppressed, by the ardent lovers of humanity, by the poets, whose task it is to voice the human spirit.”

“Writers and artists rejected the notion of the Enlightenment, which had sucked emotion from writing, politics, art, etc. and focused too much on Science, logic and reason. Writers and artists in the Romantic period favoured depicting emotions such as trepidation, horror, and wild untamed nature.”

“The ideals of these two intellectual movements were very different from one another. The Enlightenment thinkers believed very strongly in rationality and science, but the Romantics rejected the whole idea of reason and science. They felt that a scientific worldview was cold and sterile.”

What are some characteristics of Romanticism?

• Emotion and passion
• The critique of progress
• A return to the past
• An awe of nature
• The idealization of women
• The purity of childhood
• The search for subjective truth
• The celebration of the individual

An import characteristic of romanticism is emotions, such as fear, terror awe etc. Romanticists valued emotions and passion over reason and believed that people should make decisions based of their emotions and passions, no matter how unreasonable they are. This went against the age of reason. Romanticists believed passion was strong and one should do anything for the one they love. Eg the sorrows of young werther.

Romanticism was the critique of progress, because Romanticists critiques and went against industrialisation, as well as aristocratic social and political norms. They went against industrialisation, because it was destroying the nature of the world and they thought that the nature was more beautiful and should deserve more attention and admiration. They went against the aristocratic and social norms, because they believed people should marry for love, not for wealth or status, and should do anything for their emotions and passion, no matter how unreasonable it may be.

Romanticism tended to want to ‘return to the past’, before the French Revolution, and wanted to return to the Middle ages and medieval period, because they cherished the preoccupation with religion.

Romanticism was in awe with nature, because romanticists believed that nature was a source of beauty and truth. They believed nature was transfigured into a living force and held together as a unity by the breath of the divine spirit. This made them believe that nature should be admired by all and not destroyed by the French Revolution and industrialisation. They also thought that nature should be feared and create a feeling of terror, because of its strength and force compared to the human.

Romanticism idealised women, because women were seen as innocent and pure creators, who should be admired and respected. Many Romantic poets and novelists centred their narratives around celebrating the purity and beauty of a woman.

The child became a symbol of Romanticism, because the purity of childhood was admired by Romantics, because they saw children as innocent and free, with no worries and reason, which is what romanticism represents. The child is also seen as naturalness and proximity to nature, innocent, and sacred.

Romanticists believed that truth could be discovered in nature and imagination. They shunned the objective truths of science in favour of the more subjective truths of art.

The celebration of the individual, for the Romantics, goes hand-in-hand with the celebration of isolation. From their perspective, only when the individual is alone and, ideally, surrounded by nature, can he or she truly be free.

What is meant by the ‘sublime’?

The sublime applies to nature in Romanticism and means that while the nature is beautiful and can be admired, it should also be feared and create a sense of terror and darkness, because of how strong and powerful it is compared to humans. Different types of nature can create a sublime, such as storms, earthquakes, tornados, tsunami etc. All these events in nature are stronger and more powerful than any individual and are feared, but the individual will also feel a sense of awe, due to the vastness of the scene.

The sublime has five different principles, which are:

• great thoughts
• strong emotions
• certain figures of thought and speech
• noble diction
• Dignified word arrangement

The sublime was important to Romanticism, because they were obsessed with the idea of transcendence (going beyond normal expectations), with possible crossings between the self and nature, with the boundlessness of the universe.

What did Edmund Burke think was the ruling principle of the sublime?

Edmund Burke thought the ruling principle of the sublime was the feelings of awe, terror and danger. Anything could be sublime, as long as it excited emotions of pain and danger eg. a storm.

Burke claimed The Sublime was:

‘The strongest passion.’

‘Whatever therefore is terrible, with regard to sight, is sublime too, whether this cause of terror be endued with greatness of dimensions or not; for it is impossible to look on anything as trifling, or contemptible, that may be dangerous.’

Edmund Burke’s Philosophical Enquiry 1757, connected the sublime with expressions of awe, terror and danger. Burke saw nature as the most sublime object, because it was capable of creating the strongest sensations in its beholders. The romantic conception of the sublime proved influential for several generations of artists.