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Romanticism Research

1770-1850

Paradigms

'a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.'

Philosophical Artistic

The Imagination (Reason and Emotion)

Social

Philosophical - Idealism

  • Imagination - an action of forming new ideas, images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses
  • Believed to be able to unify opposites and apprehend the sublime
  • William Blake believed 'the world of imagination is the World of Eternity it is the Divine bosom into which we shall go after the death of the Vegetated body.'

Shift from the objective to the subjective

Melancholy

Philosophical/ Spiritual

The Sublime

  • Using melancholy as a emotive sense, defined as a state of consiousness that enhanced one's creative potential.
  • Writers downgraded the importance of reason as a reaction against the Enlightenment mode of thinking.

--> the belief that the "external world" is created by ones own mind.

--> Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher during the Romantic period noted we cannot "see things in themselves". In this way we understand the world through our own point-of-view. [TRANSEDENTAL IDEALISM]

--> This form of idealism was further developed by other German idealism philosphoers.

--> Importantly, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel who created ABSOLUTE IDEALISM where each persons individual mind or consciousness is part of the Absolute Mind.

--> 'Romantic Idealism: Many Romantics believed that when human nature is corrupted (removed from the negative influences of industrialised society), human history and societies are able to progress towards a perfect state.'

Edmund Burke saw the sublime as an object that generated strong emotions, such as awe, terror and danger, in its beholders. For Burke, emotions like terror, allow people to transcend the 'mortal realm' more than other emotions such as love. The former emotions also are more action provoking.

Nature was seen as the most sublime object, able to create a variety of emotions at once in a person.

For most Romantics, the Sublime was, specifically the meeting between the internal and external worlds.

Philosophical - Nature

Religious/ Spiritual - The Supernatural

Romanticism philosophy of nature can be seen in two different and opposing notions.

1. linked with 'oppressive and totalitarian political dispositions'

(can be seen in Luc Ferry's 'The New Ecological Order')

2. 'simplistic nostalgia for a lost unity with nature' or estatic celebration of the beauty and greatness of nature.

(in reply to Ferry, Val Plumwood in Environmental Culture reminds us that "While it is important to note the role of those forms of Romanticism corrupted by the desire for unity and other oppressive forces, any analysis which puts all its stress on this factor ignores the diversity and liberatory aspects of some forms of Romanticism. . . . " (208))

  • The author's draw upon the unknown to incite fear or facination from their audience
  • Melville creates a sense of supernatural involvement in Moby Dick
  • Hawthorne's character in The Scarlet Letter also draws an idea of the supernatural being involved in her condition

Contexts

Romanticism's Relationship to the Past

Socio-Economic

Political Context

The industrial Revolution and Imperialism/Colonialism

French and American Revolutions

Philosophy - Enlightenment

Religious/Spiritual - Questioning Orthodox Religion Seeking

There were two industrial revolutions. One, starting during the 1700's was the introduction of machinery to replace animal labor in rural areas.

The second was from 1760 to 1914 and is characterized by both the mass production of goods, but also the introduction of steal, railroads, chemical and electricity.

Because of the Industrial Revolutions English Society went through severe shifts. A new class, the working class was formed, as before there was just the nobility, peasantry and a small, miniscule, middle class.

These changes also gave rise to the Romantic Spirit. The

Romanticist movement developed during and in the

wake of the Industrial Revolutions. Many

Romanticists spoke against the effects

of Industrialism.

The American Revolution was from 1775 to 1783. It was started because the americans refused to pay taxes and rebelled against England to become their own country.

The French revolution started 1789 and finished 1799. It was caused by the repression and the increase of taxes of those not of noble class or stature.

Both of these revolution inspired Romanticism

with how they were both rebelling against

authority and the rights of the

individuals

  • Decrease in church attendance
  • General belief that church is out of touch with common person
  • Perception of hypocritical religious leaders
  • Forming of new religions; namely Methodists
  • Orthodox perception of Jesus is one we can seek truth and the deeper meaning of life in

Artistic - Neo-Classicism

The enlightenment stretched from mid 17th century through the 18th century.

People during the enlightenment period believed in a variety of philosophies, including

  • The almightyness of human knowledge
  • Faith in reason and rationality

During the enlightenment age there was a group of people called the philosophes, who were radically against church philosophies, as the church purveyed themselves as the all knowing and that its philosophies were the only true ones.

As the enlightenment was about thinking for oneself, which the church was said to be against, the philosophes were at odds with the church.

Romantics reacted against the 'order and symmetry' of neo-classical art, however, Romanticism followed and flowed on from the Neo-Classicism

--> concerned with and inspired by ancient Greek and Roman cultures

--> structural order and harmony, carefully maintained boundaries

--> perfection and completeness

Scientific

Socio-economic:

--> 'Heroic element' from neo-classicism continued into Romanticism

--> Neo-Classical art = 'art as imitation'

--> Romantic art = 'art as expression'

Improved literacy/ Textual production and distribution

Romantic scientists believed that the knowledge of nature "should not be obtained by force". They thought this would not only benefit nature but also mankind. They believed that enlightenment scientists abused nature to obtained knowledge.

  • anti-reductionist
  • chemistry - discovery of the separation and identification of gases and the nature of electricity. 'First time quantitative methods, and brought strict and accurate measurements to chemistry'
  • physics - discovery of Law of Inverse Squares, vital conceptions: potential and specific inductive capacity (however, not public until next century)
  • Public wonder of electricity

Children were increasingly learning to read during this period then by the end of the 18th century children's literature began to develop.

General improvement of literacy.

Development of modern novel.

Elements which would later be developed as science fiction.

'Romantic literature encompasses not just the poems of canonical male writers but also children's books, domestic novels, religious tracts and popular tales,'

Women were becoming more established in the authoring of books and publications.

Social

Women's Rights

Invention of a continuous paper making machine, based on a specially woven bronze mesh conveyor belt called ‘the wire’. An improved version is developed and Fourdrinier Machines become operational from 1803 onwards. Modern papermaking machines are still based on this concept.'

Further developments were made to the print production as demand increased.

  • Women were treated as second class citizens
  • Did not have the right to own property or vote
  • Once married we're essentially the property of their husbands

Path to Abolition of Slavery

  • William Wilberforce
  • The Underground Railroad
  • In Britain
  • 1783 Abolition of Slavery Movement started
  • 1808 Slave Trade Act passed by Parliament
  • 1833 Slavery Abolition Act

The rise of individualism (Romantic Hero)/ Medievalism/ Exoticism

  • William Blake 'I must create my own system or be enslaved by another mans.'
  • Importance of subjective experience, spontaneity, and individualism remain key tenets of Romanticist thinking.
  • Celebrate talent rather than birthright
  • Heroic deeds valued highly
  • Personal viewpoints valued highly
  • Value for new or foreign ideas

Children and Education (Innocence)

The romantics were very idealistic in their views of children, they believed in the innocence of childhood. Romantics loved how children have a sense of wonder about the world, and an everlasting creativity while they are young. Orphans, in particular, became a large part of Romanticism in literature and politics.

Include :

  • Political
  • Socio-economic
  • Religious/Spiritual
  • Scientific
  • Social
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