The Age of Romanticism

1. The Age of Romanticism “We have all of us one human heart.” –William Wordsworth

2. In A Nutshell: • Rejected science and reason, instead embraced: • Nature • Emotion • Power of individuality and personal experience • Championed the rights of “common” people • Revolutionary spirit of Romanticism inspired a struggle for reform and freedom

3. Hallmarks of Romanticism • Enlightened ideas • Rebellion and social revolution • Idealized concept of nature and environment • Revolutionary fervor (French Revolution) • Nationalism • Devotion to one’s nation, not the nation’s ruler

4. Historical Highlights • “The Enlightenment” – 18th Century • Championed science and reason • Everyone has equal powers of reason • All are equal, all have worth • John Locke said that all have rights to life, liberty and happiness • Foreshadowing Romanticism: focus on the value and experience of the individual

5. Industrial Revolution • Rulers in Great Britain tried to avoid the upheaval they saw in France, so… • They fought to suppress their people’s desires for freedom and liberty • I.R. changed British economy from agrarian to industrial in 18th-19th century • Rapid pace of this change led to problems such as poverty, exploitation, and sickness

6. Arts and Culture • Philosophy: movement towards recognition of the power of the individual and imagination • Humans experience the world through their senses, not as it is • Inspiration for Romantic artists, who strove to present their own ideas about the world through their art • Painting: dramatic, imaginative, landscapes, energy of the natural world, mood and mystery • Focus on beauty, harmony, and personal interpretation

7. Arts and Culture cont’d • Literature: Lyrical Ballads, focus on complexities of authors’ emotions • Music: Emphasis on originality, individuality, and emotion • Beethoven: classical forms, intense passion • B. celebrated Napoleon in symphony, but tore it up when he learned that N. had declared himself Emperor of France

8. Romanticism in Literature • Revolutionary ideas regarding artistic form and creation • Developed from the “neoclassical” movement, which stressed qualities and ideas like reason, order, tradition, ruling class concerns, and objectivity • German/French/English Romanticism

9. Strategies for Reading • Notice the subject of the writing: life, love, death, nature… • Look for clever and “romantic” use of sound devices like alliteration and onomatopoeia • Visualize by way of the figurative language used • Watch for elements of the exotic and supernatural, think of them as symbolic

10. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe • “Giant” of World Literature • German poet, playwright and novelist • Changed from lawyer training to writing • Interested in magic and the occult • Minister of State for ten years at Weimar • Fascinated with the Faust Legend, began in childhood when he saw a magician’s show

11. Faust! • German legend based on Johann Faust, an astrologer and magician • It was believed that he gained the power to perform his tricks by making a deal with the devil—your power for my soul • Most portrayals presented Faust as a flawed character who deserved damnation for his “deal” • Goethe portrayed Faust in the Romantic tradition, emphasizing his humanity and tormented soul—it ends with Faust’s salvation

12. Bono as “MacPhisto”