What is Romanticism?
It emphasizes the fervor but not the rationale; the imagination and perception but not common sense; emotion expression but not self-discipline. The German poet Friedrich Schlegel, defined it as “literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form”, emphasized the term romantic in describing literature. Victor Hugo's phrase "liberalism in literature" is likely. For me, Romanticism can be defined as freedom from rules, love of nature, and a style of art and literature. It is clear that the term “Romanticism" has been used in varying contexts and has come to mean different things to different people. Romanticism can be classified into four categories--literature, politics, culture, and arts.
Romanticism is European and American movement extending from 1814 to 1870, but the timeline of Romantic Movement usually referred to the period from late 1700's to the mid-1800’s. By the late 18th-century in France and Germany, literary began to evolve from classical to neoclassical conventions. Compared to England and Germany,
Romanticism in France was considered developing belatedly due to the wars and revolution. People faced stress, death and disorder, so that Romanticism was born. The word “romantic” first became present in 18th-century English and originally meant “romance-like”, similar to the imaginary character of medieval romances. The period of Romanticism was developed as an upheaval against Classicism. The disruption of French revolution was escorted with new full-expression romantic of artists and writers demonstrated their tendency to Romanticism. In addition, Romanticism was influenced by French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau and German writer Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.
During the time of Revolution, France produced very little literature. Poetry was the most important literary form among medieval French writers. During the Romantic Movement, romanticism prospered in France because French literature involved the genre of romantic love. French literature has stalwartly influenced writers from other countries. Romantics possess great passion that touches million of hearts. The principles of French romanticism were set forward by Victor Hugo in the prologue to his drama Cromwell (1828) and in his play Hernani (1830). Hugo stated the freedom of the artist in both choice and treatment of a subject. He proclaimed:
"Every man who writes, writes a book; this book is himself. Whether he knows it or not, whether he wishes it or not, it is true. From every body of work, whatever it may be, wretched or illustrious, there emerges a persona, that of the writer. It is his punishment, if he is petty; it is his reward, if he is great". --Victor Hugo (translated by Shroder)
Victor Hugo was a poet, a philosopher, a politician, and a writer. In his touching writing, he reflected his ideology and story with examples of events that he experienced. Beside Hugo, the French romantics included Chateaubriand, Alexandre Dumas père, Alphonse de Lamartine , Alfred de Vigny , and Alfred de Musset . Additionally, Honoré de Balzac, Stendhal, and George Sand were also outstanding Romantic novelists; however, their work was more realistic than other Romantic novelist.
In 1792, during the French Revolution, France became one of the first nations to cause the downfall of its king and set up a republic. A few years later, Napoleon Bonaparte seized power. After Napoleon, Romantics was linked with political reaction. Coleridge’s reaction and his political thought were influential. At the time of fall of the Bastille, he was a young poet, seventeen years old, and he celebrated the new era in his poem. Coleridge wrote:
I see, I see! glad Liberty succeed
With every patriot virtue in her train!
And mark yon peasant's raptured eyes;
Secure he views the harvests rise;
No fetter vile the mind shall know,
And Eloquence shall fearless glow.
Yes' Liberty the soul of life shall reign,
Shall throb in every pulse, shall flow thro' every vein.
(The Destruction of the Bastille, 1789)
In the period from 1789 to 1794, from the fall of Bastille to establishment of the Directorate after the reign of Terror, was the time Romanticism flourished based on
their emotions, passion and imaginations. Nevertheless, it is important that there was a great changes in social, economics, population growth, urbanization, industrialization, and politics. Were men equal in terms of material wealth, Coleridge argued that egalitarian system could be arisen. Coleridge began to devise a political philosophy system that could not be based on reason and must appeal to the man’s nature, the polity must be pleased about man’s feelings, regards and customs. In his older age, Coleridge’s political philosophy becomes gradually more like the conservatism of Burke. Burke believed that human equality diluted the social order and argued that government should be fixed in tradition. William Wordsworth, a wrier traveled in his life, wrote The Predule. This book illustrated his life and poetry and revised by later scholars. In 1798, Wordsworth envisioned the idea of writing a history of the growth of his own mind because of the suggestion of Coleridge. Therefore, he composed a great philosophic poem to be entitled The Recluse, or Views on Man, Nature, and Society. The original version published in 1850 and it developed with the reveal of the poet’s mind, experienced, and art. He changed his ideas and he wrote his tenth book when he encountered the revolution in France. (Wordsworth, 1) In his tenth book, he wrote:
IT was a beautiful and silent day
That overspread the countenance of earth,
Then fading with unusual quietness,--
A day as beautiful as e'er was given
To soothe regret, though deepening what it soothed, 5
When by the gliding Loire I paused, and cast
Upon his rich domains, vineyard and tilth,
Green meadow-ground, and many-coloured woods,
Again, and yet again, a farewell look;
Then from the quiet of that scene passed on, 10
Bound to the fierce Metropolis. From his throne
The King had fallen, and that invading host--
Presumptuous cloud, on whose black front was written
The tender mercies of the dismal wind
That bore it--on the plains of Liberty 15
Had burst innocuous. Say in bolder words,
They--who had come elate as eastern hunters
Banded beneath the Great Mogul, when he
Erewhile went forth from Agra or Lahore,
Rajahs and Omrahs in his train, intent 20
To drive their prey enclosed within a ring
Wide as a province, but, the signal given,
Before the point of the life-threatening spear
Narrowing itself by moments--they, rash men,
Had seen the anticipated quarry turned 25
Into avengers, from whose wrath they fled
In terror. Disappointment and dismay
Remained for all whose fancies had run wild
With evil expectations; confidence
And perfect triumph for the better cause. (Wordsworth 1926, 361)
Besides, Romanticism stresses entity freedom and ruins the political rule. The Romantic hero, for example, is often rebel against the social conventions, artificial ideas and unreasonable political rule.
Romantics also linked with popular culture. Most romantics stressed religion in society and broke the rules of intellectual form and technique. In the case of Victor Hugo’s innovative play Hernani, where the first performance degenerated into fistfights. But when the dust settles, Hugo’s romantic ideas dictate the French drama. Romanticism also created education. The most important cultural school develop from early 19th-century Europe was Romanticism. Education began to play a larger role in social status. Jean Jacques Rousseau, the French philosopher, taught that people are naturally good but have been ruined by the tradition of civilization. He argued that children would grow up direct and open in a moral society. Influenced by his ideas, many Romantics disparate political dictatorship and took part in liberal and revolutionary activities. Many of his philosophy influenced educational theory and practice. Popular culture
was changed considerably by industrialization. People tend to seek leisure needs. It was more efficient for workers to get their work done by using machines. The economy in France started become significant. Moreover, people have time to enjoy listening music and drawing.
One great achievement in France is art categorized in music and painting. You can hear music playing every corner in the world. People nowadays like music so much compared with people in the past if we compare the percentages of the people who like music. However, people now prefer jazz or rock music rather than romantic music. Of course, some of them still know how to get pleasure from romantic music. Romantic music gives us the feeling of love and imagination.
…Hugo Preface to Cromwell, with its romantic ultimatum, and of the first performances of his Ernani and of Vigny Chatterton, when, indeed, the storm of the romantic revolt burst with a fury which presaged the end, that the Fantastic Symphony of Berlioz gave French music as prominent a place in the romantic movement as French literature and painting. The works of Berlioz represent French musical romanticism in its most complete form. The romantic features of his music were not mere reflections from literature and the other arts, for Berlioz was as independent a factor in the romantic revolt as Hugo or Delacroix. His music was a direct and original expression of the general forces which gave birth to the Romantic Movement, and it showed most of the symptoms of "the disease of the age.” (Locke, 1)
In addition, most of the romantic musicians modified classical music by using folk themes. Generally, Romantic painting is characterized imaginative, abstractive, subjective, emotional, and spiritual. “Romantic painters often used bold lighting effects and deep shadow to cast a visionary gleam over their subjects.” (Lawrence, 2) The
dramatic scenes of nature and landscape were popular at that time. Paintings of the natural world involve a natural mysterious.
In conclusion, France is one of the world's leading nations which emphasize Romantic. The impression of Paris in France is romantic. There is one evident that I can show is most of the couples in my country prefer traveling to France for their honeymoon. Romantic in literature illustrated in words. Writers power in words and artists make the painting alive. It also has an important role in politics. Romanticism is widespread around the world. This principle affects millions of people in other countries.
References
1. Locke, Arthur Ware. Music and the Romantic Movement in France, ed. A. Eaglefield Hull. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., 1920.
2. Wordsworth, William. The Prelude: Or Growth of a Poet's Mind, ed. Ernest De Selincourt. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1926.
3. H. T. Dickinson, Britain and the French Revolution. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989.
4. A. Richard, The Portable Coleridge. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1977.
5. R. W. Harris, Romanticism and the Social Order. London: Blandford Press, 1969.
6. Cuddon,J. A. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Third Ed. London: Penguin Books, 1991.