Some Brief Notes on Romanticism

Romanticism

What do you mean by Romanticism?

Ans. Romanticism is a literary and cultural movement that took place in the first half of the 19^th century in Europe. It rejected the enlightenment values of materialism, empiricism and classicism as mechanical, impersonal and artificial and turned to the emotional directness of personal experience, freedom of individual imagination and above all originality and spontaneity of expression.

Difference between Romanticism and Neoclassicism:  

Firstly, Romanticism (Romanticism consists in a revolting spirit that strives to violate the literary norms and rules.) favours innovation over traditionalism in the material forms and style of literature. But Neoclassicism exhibits a strong traditionalism and a distrust of radical innovation

   
      Secondly, Romanticism stresses on the emotional directness of experience, freedom of individual imagination and above all originality and spontaneity of expression. Neoclassicism, on the other hand, always favours rationalism over easy emotionalism, reality over imagination and impersonal over personal. Instead of spontaneous and originality of expression, it relies upon careful and studied way of writing which should be modelled upon the great works of classical writers.

      

      Difference between Romance and Romanticism: The term ‘Romance’ refers to a particular kind of literary genre. It tells a fictional story in verse or prose that relates improbable adventures of idealised characters in some remote or enchanted setting. There are popular romances written in England in the Middle ages. Romance may contain the elements of romantic literature.

Romanticism is a literary and cultural movement that grew as a reaction against                           Neoclassicism and emphasised the importance of individual imagination and emotion                      and the spontaneity of expression.

 Major aspects of Romanticism: Romanticism, as a literary and cultural movement, is characterised by its emphasis upon the emotional directness of personal experience, freedom of individual imagination and originality and spontaneity of expression. It is also characterised by a renewed interest in nature, absconding tendency of mind and feelings of transience of human existence often dominate romantic literature.

Major Proponents of Romantic Movement in England with dominant aspects of Romanticism :

·         Samuel Taylor  Coleridge (Supernaturalism, Medievalism)

·         Percy Bysshe Shelley (revolting anti-institutional spirit and love of nature)

·         William Wordsworth (love and spiritualization of nature)

·          John Keats (love of beauties of nature, sensuality, Hellenism and medievalism)

·         George Gordon Byron (revolting spirit).