module 5 part 1

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 French Revolution:

A revolutionary movement that gained momentum with the storming of the Bastille in Paris in the summer of 1789. The French Revolution was a heated, bloody call for political change and an end to high taxes, food shortages, and the rising cost of bread.

The Industrial Revolution:

A time of tremendous industrial growth in Europe signaling a dramatic shift from an agriculture-based economy to one centered around industrialization, mechanized labor, and urbanization.

The French Revolution The French Revolution, which began with the storming of the

Bastille in Paris in the summer of 1789, was a heated, bloody call for political change and an end to high taxes, food shortages, and the rising cost of bread. s).

The revolutionary ferment of the late 18th and early 19th century found expression in Romantic art and literature. French painter Louis-Léopold Boilly's Portrait of a sans-culotte cast the common man as a muscular, heroic (and nationalistic) figure. The July Revolution of 1830 in France was also celebrated by

Eugène Delacroix, as well as other popular uprisings (such as the Greek War of Independence against the Turk

Colonialism had which of the following effects during the Romantic Period? a. It led to exoticism, a fascination with the different cultures Europeans were encountering. b. It led to advances in technologies for navigating the globe. c. It led to medical advances as Europeans were able to study different groups of people.

It led to exoticism, a fascination with the different cultures Europeans were encountering. Correct. Exoticism celebrated the cultures and people Europeans were exploiting through colonialism.

romanticism represented

It represented a break from classical perspectives in music and art and a shift to a more expressive mode.

Two leading composers of the period were

Italian Giuseppe Verdi and the German Richard Wagner.

In literature, Romantic writers embraced the imagination and emotion. Famous authors included

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, known for his drama, Faust, and a number of English poets including William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats.

. Which of the following refers to the dramatic growth of industrialization, mechanized labor, and urbanization during the 18th and 19th centuries. a. The French Revolution b. The Industrial Revolution c. The American Revolution

The Industrial Revolution Correct. The dramatic growth of industrialization, mechanized labor, and urbanization during the 18th and 19th centuries is referred to as the Industrial Revolution.

Starving middle- and lower-class citizens were tired of watching the wealthy, royal family live garishly and lavishly with no regard for the struggling masses. In many ways, the philosophies of the Enlightenment empowered the

citizens of France to organize the revolution and defend their basic human rights.

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.

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.

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.

Other artists explored nature. In England, J. M. W. Turner increasingly used watercolor techniques with oil paints to achieve

large washes of light in order to render the sublime vastness of the sea or land. Although the effect of these washes in Turner's work seems similar to the later movement of Impressionism, Turner was less interested in human perception and more in capturing a kind of spirituality in nature.

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.

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.

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.

French poet Charles Baudelaire captured the essence of Romanticism when he wrote in 1846,

"Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor in exact truth, but in a way of feeling."

Review the following timeline to get a sense of the progression of the Romantic Period. You will learn more about the historical, political, and social contexts behind these works, and many others, as you move through the module.

Art is green music is purple history is pink literature is blue

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.

Another important figure for Romantics was the

Byronic hero*. Combining the themes of freedom, individualism, imagination, and genius, English poet and adventurer Lord Byron provided a living model for Romantic heroism.

A central figure in the Romantic Period is the

Byronic hero; an exceptional and gifted loner, perhaps misunderstood, driven to follow personal passion rather than traditional societal expectations.

Which of the following traits best describes the Byronic Hero of the Romantic Era? a. Driven to obey traditional societal expectations b. Extroverted c. Driven to follow personal passion

Driven to follow personal passion Correct. The Byronic Hero of the Romantic Era was an exceptional and gifted loner, who was driven to follow personal passion rather than traditional societal expectations.

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.

This era also produced the first ____________ literature, which emphasized the flawed nature of man and his potential for destruction.

Gothic

Major events that dramatically impacted the ideals and influenced the art of this time period were the

Industrial Revolution and the residual impact of the American and French Revolutions and the American Civil War.

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.

Three major events that took place during the Romantic Period were the

Industrial Revolution, the American Revolution and the French Revolution:

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.

Nature:

Many Romantics found wisdom and solace in the natural world and sought to represent the strange emotions that occur when encountering the sublime.

Female writers came to fore, including

Mary Shelley and the Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne.

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.

Why did Romantics embrace the Greek figure Prometheus? a. The story of Prometheus exemplified industrial growth and urbanization. b. Prometheus symbolized freedom and autonomy. c. Prometheus protected the natural world.

Prometheus symbolized freedom and autonomy. Correct. Because political change was pervasive during this time period, many of the Romantics embraced Prometheus, a figure from Greek mythology who defied the gods to give fire to humanity. For Romantic artists and writers, Prometheus was a symbol of freedom and autonomy.

Because political change was pervasive during this time period, many of the Romantics embraced

Prometheus, a figure from Greek mythology who defied the gods to give fire to humanity.

Romantic Heroes Because political change was pervasive during this time period, many of the Romantics embraced

Prometheus, a figure from Greek mythology who defied the gods to give fire to humanity. For Romantic artists and writers, Prometheus was a symbol of freedom and autonomy.

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.

Heroism The dashing English poet and adventurer, Lord Byron, provided a living model for

Romantic heroism.

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.

Henri Fuseli's The Nightmare, painted in 1781, is one of the first and most famous

Romantic works, capturing, as it does, a mixture of sensuality and fear as it explores the irrational and grotesque. Critics were initially shocked by the overt sexuality of the scene. Some literary scholars believe that it influenced Mary Shelley in writing her famous novel Frankenstein.

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.

Romanticism

Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement in Europe from the late 18th century to the middle of the 19th century.

Individualism:

Romantics celebrated and promoted the righteousness of human individuality and developed a newfound respect for the figure of the imaginative genius.

Revolution:

Romantics generally supported revolution against tradition, political reform that would grant rights to oppressed groups and equality for all.

The American Revolution:

The American Revolution, encompassing the American Revolutionary War, resulted in the Declaration of Independence and established the United States as its own country.

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.

Countering the intense rationality and reason of the Enlightenment, Romanticism* represented a

break from classical perspectives in music and art and a shift to an emphasis on the senses.

Romantic painters sometimes addressed political matters in their work. True or False?

True Correct. For example, Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People expressed openly his support for republican causes.

The Hudson River School in America focused on the overwhelming features of nature, thereby dwarfing the human figure. True or False?

True Correct. Romantic artists often focused on the power of nature, celebrating the limitations of human reason and control.

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 Industrial Revolution signaled a dramatic shift from an

agriculture-based economy to one centered around industrialization, mechanized labor, and urbanization.

Like Prometheus, the Byronic hero defies

authority, rebelling against social constraints in pursuit of individual interests.

The Romantic Period emphasized the

boldly heroic, the individual, the imaginative, and the irrational, believing that aesthetic authenticity could be found in strong emotional response.

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.

As you learned in Module 4, the core principles at the heart of the Declaration of Independence—

equality, individualism, and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—can be directly traced to the philosophies of Enlightenment thinkers. These carried through in the Romantic Period, emerging as the major themes of nationalism, individualism, and heroism in Romantic art and literature.

Romanticism in the Arts Some critics see Romanticism in the arts as an attempt to

escape from the modern realities of the emerging Industrial Revolution. Others review it as a rejection of the cool rationality of the Age of Enlightenment. The emphasis on the individual, and on an emotional response to life, represent lasting thematic concerns that resonate today whenever artists touch upon the personal.

Inspired by the rationality, reason, and innovation of the Enlightenment, scientists, merchants, and engineers of the Romantic Period found practical applications

for science, developing steam power, efficient machinery for factories, and new modes of transportation.

For Romantic artists and writers, Prometheus was a symbol of

freedom and autonomy.

Another important figure for Romantics was the Byronic hero. Lord Byron provided a living model for Romantic heroism. The Byronic hero possesses

great talent, passion, and intelligence but is at the same time flawed.

The poet and his characters represented a collection of attributes highly admired at this time. The Byronic hero possesses t.

great talent, passion, and intelligence, but is at the same time flawed. Like Prometheus, the Byronic hero defies authority, rebelling against social constraints in pursuit of individual interests.

Romanticism in music focused on

heroic and nationalistic themes. Composers like Ludwig Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Franz Schubert, Giuseppe Verdi, and Richard Wagner were inspired by these themes and by an appreciation of nature. Symphony orchestras grew in size and a new middle-class audience enjoyed the more emotional and large-scale music of the period.

Romantic artists and writers used both of these personas—Prometheus and the Byronic hero—to explore the more natural, organic, and dark side of

humanity and challenge the rigid rationalism of the Enlightenmen

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.

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.

Romantic writers and artists in the United States focused on

individualism and new, distinctly American modes of expression. The American Revolution had a lasting impact on these writers and artists during this period.

But the most individualistic figure of the 19th century was not a poet, artist or traditional intellectual but a

military man: Napoleon Bonaparte.

Opera emphasized

more elaborate solos.

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 e

motional 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.

key concepts major themes of romanticism

nationalism exoticism revolution heroism passion individualism nature

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*.

Key Concepts: The Romantic Period Romanticism was a break from the intellectual framework of the Enlightenment and was a shift to a more expressive mode that emphasized the boldly heroic, the individual, the imagination, and the irrational. Romantic artists stressed

passion, emotion, and exotic settings with dramatic action.

Romantic artists in all disciplines stressed

passion, emotion, and exotic settings with dramatic action. There was a focus on heroic subject matters.

But while artists were countering the reason and rationality of the Enlightenment by pursuing natural, spontaneous, emotional modes of expression, others were using the

philosophical and scientific groundwork laid by major Enlightenment thinkers to start revolutions and change the course of history.

Romantic painters also addressed

political matters. For example, Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People expressed openly his support for republican causes. Delacroix painted a dramatic narrative celebrating the heroic struggle of common people.

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.

Romantics often presented exotic locales as being more relaxed and sensual than Europe. As the 19th century progressed ande "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.

Passion Another influential characteristic of the Romantic poets, artists, and intellectuals was their frequent evocation of

strong, irrational emotions, particularly that of "passion."

The Hudson School in America, so named for their fondness for the Hudson River Valley, similarly focused on the

sublimity of nature, which overwhelmed and dwarfed the human figure. Romanticism celebrated the limitations to human reason and control.

The Industrial Revolution From the middle of the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century, Europe, and especially Britain, saw tremendous industrial growth as a result of advances in

technology and science.

. As transportation technology allowed for greater ease of travel, exposure to these cultures captured

the imaginations of European artists

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 American Revolution Although the American Revolution preceded the Romantic Period, it is important to remember that the very young United States of America was seeking

to solidify its national identity and to differentiate itself politically, ideologically, and aesthetically from Europe.

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.

Therefore, Romantic heroism was less about accomplishing impressive deeds and more about

using intellect and talent to make a statement about society.