I. What is Romanticism?
Artistic and emotional opposition to the Enlightenment
II. Roots of Romanticism
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Individualism
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Spirituality
Failure of reason and rationality
III. Beginnings of Romanticism
Emerges in opposition to Enlightenment
Artistic movement focusing on different subjects
opposition to neoclassical (Greek & Roman themes)
move to themes designed to evoke emotions
IV. Main Themes
Nature
Mysterious past
Emotion
Religion
V. Romantic Authors & Poets
Johann Goethe (1749-1832)
William Blake (1757-1827)
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
George Byron (Lord Byron) (1788-1824)
VI. Musicians
Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827)
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
VII. Impact of Romanticism
Popular movement stressing emotion
Methodism and John Wesley
Pietism in Germany
Architecture
Popular culture
sentimentalization of family, sensuality of waltz, seances
Attitude towards women
Timeline
1780’s Beginning of activity
1781 Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason
1808 Faust (Part 1) by Goethe
1820’s Schubert composes his most famous works
1830 Death of Sardanapalus by Delacroix
1834 London rebuilt in Gothic style
1850 End of Dominance of Romanticism
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