Romanticism and Moral Heroism in Young Goodman Brown

The Rise of Romanticism from Classical Convention

In collective perception, art is one facet of life governed more by individual thought and emotional predisposition than by institutional prejudices. It seems a natural disposition of the artist to look within himself for expression, rather than toward the established conventions from which he may seek asylum. Likewise, it stands to reason that an artist makes his primary appeal to his own imagination rather than to millennia of intellectual rules. This, however, is a relatively new perspective in the age of humanity. From the Enlightenment through the mid-eighteenth century, classical rules intended to preserve the integrity and exclusivity of artistic expression were the prime determinant of societal artistic output. However, a surge in the population of the bourgeoisie — an overall expansion of the international middle class — opened up the possibility for artistry without the condition of aristocracy.

Many of the formalities and superficialities of literary expression were subverted, and thus began the original age of Romanticism. There is much evidence to suggest that Romanticism, of all artistic movements, has been the most influential, perpetuated most significantly in today's varied fields of artistic expression. Where prior approaches to literature promoted form and function above all else, the inception of Romanticism sparked a form of writing whose key identifiers centered on man's struggle with morality and his capacity for heroism. This novel approach is evidenced by the protagonist of "Young Goodman Brown," a representative work of the genre by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

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