The Romantic Movement began in the late eighteenth century and was a philosophical revolt against rationalism, which became a worldwide phenomenon. Unlike the Enlightenment which was an appeal to the use of reason, romanticism encouraged society to follow their heart and rediscover their feelings when expressing themselves. This basic aim of romanticism resulted in a return to nature, the revival of the artist and the development of nationalistic and religious pride. The Romantic era grew alongside the Enlightenment, but the ideologies of Romanticism were a sharp contrast from the ideas of knowledge and rationale formed during the Enlightenment. Like the Enlightenment, Romanticism was a rebellion against tradition and allowed society to escape the constricted, rational views of life and to instead concentrate on the emotional side of humanity. It appealed mostly to young people and together they attempted to change society so they were not repeating the mistakes of their elders.
To do this, the Romantics had to undertake a journey that intended to seek individualism. From this arose the growth novel, in which the central character experiences self-discovery by rediscovering his hidden feelings. The “Bildungsroman” taught inner growth and the acceptance of one’s self. In modern times, the main goal of the “growth novel” has remained the same but has evolved into a travelling adventure. This involves the central character solitarily exploring the world and embarking on new experiences in foreign countries. The main purpose of the trip is to get in touch with one’s inner being.
The Essay on Enlightenment and Romantic Views on Nature
The Enlightenment and Romantic periods had different views on nature through writings and paintings; however they also sought to recognize the limits in human knowledge through the study of nature. The Enlightenment was a period where it tried to explain and study the true nature of mankind and how it progressed. Natural history was the science of Earth’s development. G. L Buffon was the foremost ...
This concept is discussed in Paul Fussell’s article “Travel, Tourism and International Understanding.” He establishes the truthful theory that contemporary societies no longer recognise the difference between travel and tourism. The article clearly states to the reader that tourism is a result of globalisation and is an un-adventurous and orderly sight see of a country. In short, the concept of tourism does not support the Romantics notion of experiencing self-discovery. Romanticism was a reactionary period of history which spread into poetry, artwork and literature.
The typical romantic figure became the poet and Romantics began to turn away from the scientist and instead towards the poet. They believed that the orderly and systematic beliefs that science relied on was too narrow-minded and lacked feeling and emotional thought. German poet Goethe wrote “The Sorrows of Young Weather” which became known as the epitome of the Romantic Movement. His central character expressed feelings from the heart and encouraged a manner of expressing emotions. This trend caused a resurrection of Shakespearean drama in nineteenth century England. Many Romantics believed that Shakespeare had been downplayed and unappreciated during the eighteenth century due to the Enlightenment’s suppression of drama.
Shakespearean drama reached the height of popularity as it supported the themes of romanticism as his characters embraced their human soul. Today, Shakespeare still continues to be performed around the world and adapted into box-office films. Why is this so? It is because audiences are still attracted to the romantic notion of following their heart. Some may think that romanticism has died out, when in fact it still exists among us today.
