Romanticism: Characteristics, Themes, and Key Authors

Romanticism: An Overview

Romanticism is a movement that emerged in Germany in the late eighteenth century and spread throughout Europe during the early nineteenth century. It prioritized imagination and sensibility over reason, emphasizing self-exaltation, restless excitement, and the flow of passions. Romanticism invites evasion through the fantastic, irrational, mysterious, or frightening, while also engaging with the political realities of its time.

General Characteristics

1. Individualism and Subjectivism: The importance of the self is emphasized, claiming originality as the concept of the modern artist. It often flees to the values of the Middle Ages, exploring themes of society, the night, and exotic elements.
2. Revaluation of the Middle Ages: This includes a rating of spiritual values, a revaluation of popular culture, and the importance of vernacular languages.
3. Freedom from Rules: Romanticism values freedom, contrasting with the rules of Neoclassicism.

Key Themes

• Sleep and Fantasy: Sleep is a recurring theme, often used to explore fantasy and capture the essence of nature.
• Nature: Nature is a significant element, attracting authors with its sharp and smooth qualities.
• Dissatisfaction and Rebellion: The attitude of clashing with reality leads to a flight from reality in both space and time.
• Romantic Landscapes: Common themes include desolate characters, ruined landscapes, and cemeteries.
• Philosophical Concerns: Wonder about the meaning of being human, life, and death.
• Linkage with Indigenous Culture: This includes popular legends, folk poems, and other cultural elements.

Key Authors

Germany

• Goethe: The initiator of Romanticism. Notable works include The Sorrows of Young Werther, which explores a character unable to find his place in society, and Faust, which deals with the theme of selling one's soul to the devil for eternal life.
• Schiller: Known for Wilhelm Tell, which relates to historical events of 1804.
• Höldein: Explored classical periods in works like The Archipelago.
• Novalis: Author of Hymns to the Night, inspired by the death of his young fiancée.
• Heine: Known for ballads that influenced other authors, transforming popular themes.

England

• Lord Byron: Exemplified the typical dandy figure, a militant character who lived outside the rules.
• Shelley
• Keats
• Walter Scott: A prominent historical novelist.

France

• Victor Hugo: A major figure in French literature. Notable works include Cromwell, Les Misérables, and Notre Dame de Paris.

Italy

• Leopardi: Known for Canti (Songs), which explore the idea of dissolving into a landscape.