Romanticism and Symbolism: Artistic Movements and Literary Concepts

Romanticism is a cultural and political movement that originated in Germany and the UK in the late eighteenth century. It emerged as a revolutionary reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and Classicism, prioritizing feelings. Its key feature is the break with classical tradition, which was based on a stereotypical set of rules.

Symbolism: An Artistic Movement

Symbolism was one of the most important artistic movements of the late nineteenth century, originating in France and Belgium. In a literary manifesto published in 1886, Jean defined this new style as "enemy of education, recitation, false sensitivity and objective description." A symbol is a visible representation of an idea, with features associated with a socially accepted convention. It is a sign with no resemblance or contiguity, possessing only a conventional link between its signifier and signified, and is deliberately chosen for a specific class.

Literary Concepts and Terms

Tempus fugit is a term from Latin meaning 'Time flies,' inviting us not to waste it. The term first appears in the writings of the Georgics, a poem written by the Roman poet Virgil. The exact phrase is "Sed tempus fugit interea irreparabile fugit." A literary topic is a short phrase within the rhetorical tradition and literary history, linked with fixed semantic content and formal expressions.

Dramatic Forms: Tragedy and Comedy

The tragedy is a dramatic form where main characters face mysterious, unassailable, and unavoidable conflicts against fate or the gods. These often lead to a fatal outcome, driven by a blind force, fate, or fatum, typically announced by oracles. (Remember the "Oresteia" of Aeschylus, which ends in reconciliation.)

Comedy drama is characterized by main characters facing difficulties in everyday life, motivated by their own flaws, leading to happy endings that mock human weakness. Comedy originated in the Greek world but was developed through the medieval and modern age, continuing to the present day.

Modernism and Avant-garde

The term modernism comes from the French word avant-garde, a military term referring to the most advanced part of an army, confronting the "first line" of exploration and combat. In art, the historical avant-garde refers to numerous artistic movements that developed in the early XX century.

Ancient Literary Traditions

Ancient civilizations developed enduring literary traditions. Traditions originating in the Middle East—Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hebrew, and Arabic—have significantly influenced Western culture.