Major Themes of the Romantic Period
Passion
Another influential characteristic of the Romantic poets, artists, and intellectuals was their frequent evocation of strong, irrational emotions, particularly that of "passion." A number of Romantics contended that true artistic and philosophical authenticity could be demonstrated through strong emotional responses to events. Romantic writers generally favored strong sentiments of affection, sorrow, grief, and romantic longing over the rational and logical. Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Blake, strongly believed that true poetic wonder and artistry sprung forth from the imagination as, in the words of Wordsworth, "emotion recollected in tranquility," or through the remembrance and reflection upon moments of heightened emotion, particularly passion, throughout the writer, artist, or intellectual's life.
Key Concepts: Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Romantic Period
Cultural exchange and diversity during the Romantic Period stemmed from the European interest in exoticism, the glorification of cultural aspects from nonwestern civilizations. Due to improvements in transportation technology, Romantic writers, artists, and musicians traveled through the East in search of new inspiration In France, artists such as Antoine Jean Gros and Théodore Géricault made strong political statements and used exotic figures and locations in their paintings. French artists Eugène Delacroix and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres conjured exotic images drawn from the Middle East and Africa. In England, John Nash designed the Royal Pavilion, which reflected a new exoticism in the use of Mughal and Islamic architectural elements. In America, artists such as George Caleb Bingham and George Catlin depicted cultural aspects of the Native Americans. American composers of hymns and church music looked abroad for inspiration, drawing from the works of the great classical composers of Europe.
Nationalism
Many Romantic poets and intellectuals believed in the possibility of creative folk genius, particularly the idea of creative genius arising not from an elitist education, but instead from direct engagement with the artist's native land and origins. The consequence of the Romantic obsession with the figure of creative folk genius was a sense of nationalism. French Romantic paintings are often full of themes relating to the radical political events of the time and later Romantic music often drew much of its inspiration from national folk songs and melodies. Goethe deliberately places German folkloric themes and images on par with classical ones in Faust, suggesting that the "local" or "folk" could be just as powerful and relevant to readers as the "ancient" and "classical."
Exoticism
Many Romantic writers, artists and intellectuals were interested in the exotic. While a number of Romantics were interested and taken by events and people from the distant past, they were also highly interested in the happenings and images from distant places, particularly such "exotic" and far-away locations as the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. Due to the limitations of travel during the late 18th and early 19th century, virtually any location that was outside of Europe was considered exotic by the Romantics. Romantics often presented exotic locales as being more relaxed and sensual than Europe. As the 19th century progressed and the "project" of European colonialism began to get truly underway thanks to innovations in sea and road travel, a variety of Romantics—particularly the English poet Lord Byron—traveled throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Asia in order to experience different worldly perspectives. Though much of the writing produced by the Romantics was full of racist notions about primitive "natives" and what Europeans perceived as their irrational customs and beliefs, these writers brought the exotic into the homes of countless Europeans who had rarely left the confines of their towns and cities.
Nature
Many of the Romantics found wisdom and solace in the natural world (particularly British poets such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge). Many of the great Romantics felt that they could gather wisdom in and through nature, and they believed that they could separate their own thinking and feelings from the artificial world mankind had constructed around them. In addition, many Romantics pursued the sublime in nature. The sublime is something grand, magnificent, and exalted, triggering an experience that elevates the artist beyond the bounds of the ordinary and commonplace. Many Romantics marveled at the imposing beauty of the natural world, which had the ability to produce strong emotions of awe or even terror that would transport the poet to heights of imaginative feelings. They strove to relay those powerful feelings to their readers.
Key Concepts: Major Themes of Romanticism
Nationalism: Due to key events like European colonialism, the French Revolution, and the establishment of the United States, many Western countries sought to distinguish their identities, leading Romantic artists to express their national identities with pride through their works. Exoticism: As cross-continental transportation became easier and colonialism became more widespread, Europeans became more exposed to nonwestern cultures that fascinated them. Exoticism was the artistic expression of that fascination, though often Europeans misrepresented the foreign and suppressed cultures they enjoyed. Revolution: Romantics generally supported revolution against tradition, political reform that would grant rights to oppressed groups and equality for all. Heroism: The Byronic or Romantic hero was an embodiment of the revolutionary thought and introspective concerns that Romantics faced in this era. Such heroes were gifted loners who challenged traditions and brooded on personal passions. Passion: Romantic artists explored the full spectrum of uninhibited human emotion and generally favored the strong sentiments of affection, sorrow, and romantic longing over the rational and logical. Individualism: Romantics celebrated and promoted the righteousness of human individuality and developed a newfound respect for the figure of the imaginative genius. Nature: Many Romantics found wisdom and solace in the natural world and sought to represent the strange emotions that occur when encountering the sublime.
Major Themes of the Romantic Period
Of all of the intellectual and artistic movements that came out of the 19th century, Romanticism is perhaps the one that influenced the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries to the greatest extent. Many scholars and historians argue that the "Romantic" attitudes and ideas practiced and celebrated by artists, writers, and philosophers during the Romantic Era gave rise to the innovation of psychology, radical politics, ecology, and experimental visual and literary art forms. The Romantic movement's burst of expression in the arts encompassed numerous themes that were not shackled to the dichotomy of religious faith and rational science. Some Romantics embraced more political themes like nationalism, showcasing a love and devotion for one's heritage and birthplace rather than one's personal beliefs. National identity became a major focus of many Western countries during this time period. For instance, some countries, particularly England, were aggressively expanding their influence through the colonization of India and numerous countries in Africa. The rapid advances in technology were also leading up to a dramatic shift of productivity in England, which was later called the Industrial Revolution. At the same time, the French Revolution was putting France through radical political and social changes. Meanwhile, after winning the Revolutionary War, the newly created United States of America was attempting to forge an identity that was distinct from Europe. You will read more about these events later in the module, but these broad shifts led to Romantic works that reflected the reaction and mood of the artist's country. The prevalence of colonialism during this era caused many Romantics to look to other countries for inspiration as well. They viewed nonwestern cultures as "exotic" places with alluring practices and people, and Europeans began to have a fascination with what they viewed as new and unusual—a trend that became known as exoticism. As transportation technology allowed for greater ease of travel, exposure to these cultures captured the imaginations of European artists. Just as European countries were making outward changes, they also underwent important internal changes. Revolution and political reform continued to be concerns during the Romantic Era, as Romantics rallied around the cause for freedom from tyranny and oppression. Romantic expression of revolution was centralized more on individual righteousness than on grander political theory, but it was nevertheless just as important in the Romantic Era as it was during the Enlightenment. Inspired by these changes, especially the monumental French Revolution, a new brand of literary heroism emerged during this period. Heroes are a universal theme throughout the ages, but the Romantic hero took on a very different shape from the epic hero. The Romantic hero was often talented but non-traditional, used as a vessel to challenge deeply rooted customs and beliefs—just as the revolutionaries in France were challenging their traditions. At the same time, the startling violence of the French Revolution prompted Romantics to become introspective about society, humanity, and individuality, so their literary heroes often embodied those internal concerns. Therefore, Romantic heroism was less about accomplishing impressive deeds and more about using intellect and talent to make a statement about society. Regardless of the subject of the artistic piece, Romantics created their works with demonstrated passion. Perhaps the most signifying aspect of a typical Romantic piece was its emotional expression; emotions like love and sadness became matters of life and death. Romantics allowed themselves to burst out of the confinements of reason, logic, and Realism that those of Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment valued. Instead, they explored the full spectrum of uninhibited human emotion. The cultivation of the Romantic hero and the focus on human passion indicated that Romantic artists valued individualism, or what it means to be an individual. Unlike their predecessors of the Enlightenment and Neoclassical movement, Romantics were less concerned with how the world worked and more concerned with how the world affected the development of an individual human. As noted above, there was an enormous amount of change, which makes it understandable that Romantics wanted to represent that revolutionary spirit. Ultimately, Romantics examined how nationalism, exoticism, heroism, and passion played out on a canvas of individuality. Another significant Romantic movement was naturalism, which saw a renewed interest in nature and in representing nature in the arts. Thinkers of the Enlightenment focused on how nature worked, but for the Romantics, there was more of an emphasis on how emotionally evocative and sublime nature could be, rather than on understanding the complicated science behind it. Romantics were awestruck and inspired by the majesty of nature and sought to capture its effortless wisdom in their works..
Revolution
Prominent figures such as political philosopher William Godwin and the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, inspired Romantic revolutionaries by calling for an end to tyranny, oppressive social and cultural conditions, and for the equal rights of all people. The revolutionary ferment of the late 18th and early 19th century found expression in Romantic art and literature. The July Revolution of 1830 in France was celebrated by Eugène Delacroix, as were other popular uprisings such as the Greek War of Independence against the Turks.
Individualism
The Romantics, by and large, went against many of the fundamental principles of the Neoclassical Period that preceded them because they saw those principles as being outmoded and disconnected from the present day and the plights and experiences of common people. The European Romantics, for the most part, celebrated and promoted the righteousness of human individuality. Byron in literature and Beethoven in music are both extreme examples of Romantic individualism. But the most individualistic figure of the 19th century was not a poet, artist or traditional intellectual but a military man: Napoleon Bonaparte. The European Romantics, enthralled by the possibilities of individual freedom, Byronic heroism, nationalism and exposure to the exotic, developed a newfound respect for the figure of the imaginative genius, particularly the poet and the artist, as an agent of political, social and individual change. This belief was perhaps put best by the Romantic English poet Percy Shelley, who famously declared that "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world," by which he meant that it was artists and visionary geniuses that truly had the ability to quickly and radically change the world.
Heroism
The dashing English poet and adventurer, Lord Byron, provided a living model for Romantic heroism. The Byronic hero was an exceptional and gifted loner, perhaps misunderstood, who was driven to follow personal passion rather than traditional societal expectations. The Byronic hero, as fashioned by Lord Byron and his legions of followers, was presented as something of an anti-hero who openly and flagrantly questioned the norms and traditions of their time. The Romantic celebration of heroism and Byron's invention and popularization of the dark and brooding figure of the Romantic hero is a legacy of Romanticism that has carried across the centuries into today's popular and literary cultures throughout the world.
Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Romantic Period
The writers, artists, musicians, and philosophers of the Romantic Period faced the political changes in their respective countries with a sense of nationalistic pride. At the same time, however, many Romantics began to shift their focus away from their home countries when seeking inspiration for their works. In particular, Europeans became fascinated with the "exotic" cultures of the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa. Improvements in transportation technology allowed for greater ease of travel, and prominent Romantic figures like Lord Byron traveled through the East in search of new worldly perspectives. While exoticism certainly produced more diverse works during this time, it also emphasized the Eurocentric worldview that looked down upon Eastern cultures. Cultural exchange played an important role in the music of the Romantic Period. In America, the same sense of nationalism that infected Europeans began to surface, and composers like Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) wrote pieces that celebrated the American landscape. Hymns and church music also drew their inspiration from the works of European Classical composers—such as Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and George Frideric Handel. Cultural exchange and diversity were especially prevalent in the visual art of the Romantic Period.
