¶ … Romanticism
No other period in English literature displays more variety in style, theme, and content than the Romantic Movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Furthermore, no period has been the topic of so much disagreement and confusion over its defining principles and aesthetics. Romanticism is often described as a large network of sometimes competing philosophies, agendas, and points of interest. These philosophies are often very contentious and controversial, as is the case with Walt Whitman. In England, Romanticism had its greatest influence from the end of the eighteenth century up through about 1870. Its primary vehicle of expression was in poetry, although novelists adopted many of the same themes. In America, the Romantic Movement was slightly delayed and modulated. Contrary to the English example, American literature championed the novel as the most fitting genre for Romanticism's exposition. Walt Whitman however, extensively used poetry to express sexual themes and controversial notions. Such notions as homosexuality and prostitution frequently made it into Whitman's works. Through Leaves of Grass Whitman extensively used pornographic or obscene imagery. In a broader sense however, Romanticism can be conceived a broad concept which can be applied to almost any time period. In spite of such general disagreements over usage, there are some definitive and universal statements one can make regarding the nature of the Romantic Movement in America (Reynolds, 1995)
Whitman and the Romanticism Movement
For the poet, Christianity must be devoid of the cultures of corruption and hypocrisy that prevailed during his time. Ideally, a religion, in order to be respected and followed by the people, must maintain a clean image -- that is, an image that reflects the truth of its teachings, wherein its religious principles are embodied by the people who make up the Church. It is also through "Canterbury" that Chaucer
Romantic Era The Romantic period and the attendant rise of the novel in England as the preeminent literary form saw the emergence of the first truly popular literature, and with it denunciations of the degradation of culture at the hands of frivolous entertainments and occupations. Fretting critics lamented the idea that the fashion for new and exciting works of literature was crowding out more "important" texts, and the fashionability of knowledge
Romanticism a Fair Term? The period between the French Revolution (1789) and the first two decades of the 1800s has been called the "Age of Romanticism." The mature work, specifically of English Romantic authors, covers the years of 1789 through 1823. By its' nature using an "ism" to classify a group of work by a number of authors limits discussion. An "ism" also implies that all of the authors fit
"O Sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro' the woods, / How often has my spirit turned to thee!" (http://www.uoregon.edu/~rbear/ballads.html) Now, the poet wishes to "transfer" the healing powers of nature that he himself has experienced to his sister. By stating."..Nature never did betray / the heart that loved her" (http://www.uoregon.edu/~rbear/ballads.html) Wordsworth assures his sister that she will also find peace in the middle of nature if she believes in the
He accomplishes similar sentiments in "The Stars are Mansions Built by Nature's Hands," where the vivid details pull the reader into the poem and you feel at one with nature. John Constable showed the same type of attention to detail to gather the appreciation for nature and its beauty. In the "Hay Wain" painting, Constable gives a stark detail of what the area really looked like and instilled great detail
Frankenstein & Romanticism How Romanticism is Demonstrated in Frankenstein In less than six years, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will be 200 years old. This novel, indicative of the romantic period, is a compelling narrative with numerous themes and vivid imagery to consider. In the context of romanticism, Frankenstein is a worthwhile piece of literature to examine. Literature and art of the romantic period is characterized with an emphasis on intense emotional reactions, specifically
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