Romantic Era Began in the Late Eighteenth

¶ … Romantic era began in the late eighteenth century as a reaction against the Age of Enlightenment and was a period of great change and emancipation. The movement started as an artistic and intellectual reaction against aristocratic social and political norms of the Enlightenment and against the scientific rationalization of nature. During the Enlightenment literature and art were primarily created for the elite, upper classes and educated, and the language incorporated in these works was highly poetic, completely different from that spoken by the masses. Artists of the Romantic era accessed the ballads and folklore that was familiar to commoners, rather than from the literary works popular with the aristocracy. This shift in emphasis was most strongly manifested in the visual arts, music, and literature. This was the beginning of a period of artistic freedom, experimentation, and creativity. The movement stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from classical correctness in art forms, and rebellion against social conventions.

Certain characteristics or themes of Romanticism can be found in all the artistic fields of that period. The Romantics greatly emphasized the importance of nature. One of the main characteristics of Romanticism in poetry is the beauty of nature found in the country life. Many attribute this to the industrial revolution, which had created large urban centers relocating large numbers of people from the country life and natural settings. Nature was not only appreciated for its physical beauty by the Romantics, but also for its ability to help the urban man find his true identity (Kartha, 2010).

Romanticism placed human emotions, feelings, instinct, and intuition above rationality and intellect. The poets in the neoclassic era adhered to artistic rules and conventions while selecting a subject and writing about it. The Romantic writers trusted their emotions and feelings to create poetry. This sentiment can be confirmed from the definition of poetry by William Wordsworth, "poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." The emphasis on emotions was also influential in the music created during the Romantic period, and can be seen in the compositions of Weber, Beethoven, Schumann and their peers.

Example of Romantic Poetry

Nature and love were major themes of Romantic poets such as Byron, Shelley and Keats. Here is an example of Shelly's poem The Question (1820).

"I dreamed that, as I wandered by the way,

Bare Winter suddenly was changed to Spring,

And gentle odours led my steps astray,

Mixed with a sound of waters murmuring"

There works emphasized personal experiences. The Romantic period's emphasis on emotions elevated the status of artists and poets. Until this era the artist was seen as someone who imitated the external world through his work. Romanticism changed this perception, the poet or artist was seen as the creator of a piece of work, reflecting his or her individuality and inner mind. This was the first time that the poems written in the first person were accepted, as the poetic persona became one with the voice of the poet.

Example of Romantic Dance

Another characteristic of Romanticism is the belief in the supernatural. This theme was incorporated into many of the works of art of the period. Romantic Ballet has a light floating quality, with the idea of creating the illusion that the dancers are floating or hovering above the stage like unearthly creatures. Dominate themes of this period deal with fantasy such as ghosts, fairies and nymphs to facilitate an escape from reality. La Sylphide (Nourrit, 1832) is a good example from the period. The story deals with a Scottish farmer, James, who on his wedding day falls in love with a vision of a magical sylph or spirit. An old witch appears and predicts James will betray his fiancee. As James is putting the ring on his fiancee's finger the sylph appears, snatches the ring, and runs into the woods. James chases her and finds the witch who offers him a magical scarf that will bind the sylph's wings so he can catch her. However, when does the sylph's wings fall off and she dies. James is left alone and heartbroken as his fiancee marries his best friend.