Romanticism, Heroism, and the Human Condition in the 19th Century
This essay examines Romanticism as a philosophical and artistic movement rooted in idealism, nature, and self-assertion. It traces how British Romantic poets — including Keats, Shelley, and Coleridge — celebrated the sublime aspects of the natural world as a refuge from industrialization and urbanization. The essay then turns to the concept of the Romantic hero, analyzing Napoleon Bonaparte as an embodiment of heroic self-assertion and martial ambition, before exploring Goethe's Faust as a parallel figure whose heroism is expressed through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Together, these figures illustrate the Romantic movement's celebration of individuals who transcend conventional boundaries.
- Romanticism and the Human Condition: Defines Romanticism as idealism rooted in nature
- Nature and the British Romantic Poets: British poets celebrate nature's sublime qualities
- Napoleon as a Romantic Hero: Napoleon embodies Romantic heroism through self-assertion
- Faust and the Heroism of Knowledge: Faust pursues knowledge beyond all human limits
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay builds a clear conceptual framework in its opening section — defining Romanticism as idealism rooted in nature — and applies that framework consistently to subsequent examples.
- It draws a strong parallel between Napoleon and Faust, showing how the same Romantic values of self-assertion and limitless aspiration manifest differently across political and intellectual domains.
- The paper moves from broad concept to specific examples in a logical sequence, making abstract ideas about Romanticism concrete through literary and historical figures.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative analysis: it identifies a shared set of Romantic criteria (subjectivity, self-assertion, limitless aspiration) and applies them to two distinct figures — Napoleon and Faust — to show how the same ideals can take radically different forms. This technique strengthens the argument by proving the framework's versatility rather than relying on a single example.
Structure breakdown
The essay is organized into three thematic movements: (1) a definition of Romanticism and its relationship to nature and the human condition; (2) Napoleon as a Romantic hero embodying martial and political self-assertion; and (3) Goethe's Faust as a Romantic hero driven by intellectual ambition. Each section applies the same evaluative criteria, creating a unified and coherent argument across all three paragraphs.
Romanticism and the Human Condition
Romanticism is many things. It is a concept, a notion, a way of looking at the world and everything in it that strives for ideals and certain values. Many of those values are based on nature and things that are beyond the creation of man. Nature was able to provide a means of shelter for humanity during the 19th century as the world itself was changing dramatically in the wake of industrialization and urbanization. Romanticism, then, is an idealism not necessarily linked to God but which celebrates the organic aspects of God's creations — such as nature. The human condition of Romanticism, therefore, is an attunement to nature and an idealization of it.
Nature and the British Romantic Poets
The human condition of Romanticism is found in a number of distinguished poets of the British Romantic movement, including John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, to name a few. These poets celebrate nature and its sublime aspects, which are consistently valued by the poets and the speakers of their poems. This sort of Romantic sensibility endured well beyond the 19th century.
Napoleon as a Romantic Hero
Considering nationalism, Napoleon is regarded as a Romantic hero for a number of reasons. The basis of this notion lies within the conception of what a hero was during the Age of Romanticism. Chief among the defining qualities for a hero was his or her subjectivity and the ability to expand that subjectivity. Quite simply, it was considered heroic to assert oneself against one's surroundings and to express oneself in a way that many would consider larger than life. Those who were able to make their presence felt upon their surroundings — both in society and in nature — were considered heroic because they symbolized the expansion of humanity.
There was a degree of tension between this celebration of human expansion and the urbanization and machinery that typified the Industrial Revolution. The prowess of man was considered heroic, somewhat in the way that the legend of John Henry and his competition with the steam engine was. Napoleon, however, typified this heroism through his martial and political pursuits. That he was able to conquer so much of Europe and parts of other continents was widely considered exemplary of the kind of self-assertion and virtue a human being could possess. The intensity he summoned in doing so was what was most revered about him in accordance with the notion of the Romantic hero. There was no limit to his aspirations or his imagination — two traits consistently ascribed to Romantic heroes.
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