#1 The Romantic Era

• The Romantic Era was an artistic and intellectual movement in Europe after the Industrial Revolution and Enlightenment which was present late 18th century and mid 19th century

• Response to Enlightenment ideas of logic and order and focused on emotional aspects.

• Events during the time include the French Revolution which influenced many Romantic writers by the ideals of freedom and societal transformation which inspired some of their work.

• Put emphasis on themes such as nature, individualism, exoticism, and emotion.

• Many consider the “pioneer” of the Romantic Movement to be Robert Burns with his strong lyricism and sincerity, he was pledged an early Romantic writer.

• Celebrated the supernatural and mystical drawing on folklore and mythology with lllauthors like Edgar Allan Poe and Caspar David Friedrich 
  

#3 Rise of Nationalism in the 19th Century

• Nationalism: “exaltation of the state”, and a sense of pride towards a Territory with a shared language and culture

• People of Europe felt they did not want other countries controlling their nation; they identified the their sovereignty with the nation instead of just the ruler

• Germany formed after many German speaking states in Europe joined together

• Italy also formed due to a nationalistic drive from smaller states

• Wealthy countries like England, France, Belgium, Germany and USA strengthened their militaries, economies, and political strength

• Love of nation and liberty was a key theme that becomes more prevalent

• Napoleon spread ideas of liberty, fraternity, and equality throughout the empire

  • Napoleon Bonaparte, who helped inspire feelings of nationalism in France in the early 19th century

#4 Romanticism as an Artistic Style

• Romanticism as an artistic style was originally a reaction against the neoclassical quest for order and intellectual control. Instead of these values, Romantics valued free expression and emotion. They believed emotions obtained the same amount of importance as the human experience.

• Art of the romantic style typically provoked a variety of contradictory ideas concerning the fragile relationship between men and women; embodied European life and culture.

• Sand was an artist of the romantic period who defied society not only by adopting a life of bohemianism and free love but also by her notorious habit of wearing men's clothing as a radical form of self expression.

• Many romantic era painters had feelings so intense, their desire to express it and to capture the intensity of what they were feeling often drove them to frustration, sadness, and sometimes early death due to stress.

• “As I continue to live, I cannot help realizing that youthful exclusive passion of love and its eternal rights are false, even fatal.” - Lélia

#5 Romantic View of Nature

For the Romantics of the 19th century, nature was the escapism they sought amidst the industrialized factories and machinery. 

The romantics revered nature, and perceived it to be the medium that bonded God with the human soul. They romanticized the rhythms and patterns of rural nature. Nature was the source of their self-determination and solace. In contrast to the pollutions of the industrialized world, they felt unspoiled nature was the true divinity, and the “language of God.”

To most philosophers such as Locke, Pope, and Jefferson, nature was universal order, but to romantics, nature was the wellspring of all truth, and these pantheist beliefs were widely reflected in the writings of European and American romantics. 

A renowned romantic poet is Wordsworth. His belief in the ability of nature to return mankind to their untainted, childhood wonders is reflected in his lyric poetry.

#6 The Romantic Hero

• Heroes (mortal or semi divine) traditionally symbolize humanity at its best, most powerful, and most godlike

• A romantic hero was a figure of superhuman ambitions and extraordinary achievements

• Romantic heroes challenge the social and moral values of their time compared to traditional literary heroes that follow those values

#7: The Promethean Hero

Prometheus, a primordial deity of Greek mythology

Prometheus = forethought

Legend 1:

1. Prometheus challenged the other Greek gods by stealing the sacred fire from Mount Olympus and gifted it to mankind

2. Sacred Fire: source of divine wisdom & creative inspiration

3. Punishment: was chained to a rock where an eagle fed on his liver which was restored every night

Legend 2:

• Prometheus fashioned human beings out of clay and brought them to life

Writers viewed Prometheus as a figure that symbolized the quest to exceed human limits of knowledge, experience, and power and as a metaphor for the creative and daring spirit. 

In the United States, Douglass viewed the “Promethean will” as a challenge to authority and to defend the cause of human liberty.

Prometheus has been featured in many varying works and was the favorite fictional hero of the Romantic Era. Prometheus’ exact character has been illustrated in many works, such as the drama “Prometheus Unbound” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, and elements from his story have been incorporated into Frankenstein (The Modern Prometheus) by Mary Shelley and in works by poet Lord Byron. 

#8 Romantic Idea of Love and Relationships

The romantic era was filled with intense energy and passion. A major theme in literature during this period was unrequited or unfulfilled love and the reunion of two lovers. The most common example of this theme was in Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther (1774). It told the story of a lovesick man whose passion for a married woman was so strong, he ended up committing suicide because he couldn’t have her. Passion in love was a major theme and this era explored the power of true love and the effect it has on us as humans.

#9 Romantic Era Writers

Emily Dickinson:

• Style:  Extensive dashes, dots, and unconventional capitalization, in addition to vivid imagery and idiosyncratic vocabulary

• Notable works: Because I Could Not Stop For Death, Hope Is The Thing With Feathers.

Edgar Allan Poe: 

• Style: Gothic tales often involving circumstances of mystery and horror

Notable works: The Raven, The Tell Tale Heart

Charles Dickens: 

• Style: Linguistically creative. He is known for his regular use of satire, which he employed in order to make his sharp social commentary.

• Notable works: A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist

#10 The Female Voice in the Romantic Era

Famous female voices of the Romantic era:

Emily Bronte- Wuthering Heights

Charlotte Bronte- Jane Eyre

Jane Austen- Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice

Amadine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin “George Sand”- Lélia

Jane Austen and George Sand challenged male dominance in the nineteenth century through their literature. Austen critiqued societal expectations in Pride and Prejudice, portraying women with agency. By publishing independently, she asserted her voice in a male-dominated field. Sand, writing under a male pseudonym, explored complex female desires, featuring heroines who sought love beyond societal norms. Together, they expanded women's representation in literature and challenged traditional gender roles.

Though the female voice in literature was exponentially grown during the Romantic Era, a vast portion of the works written by women only perpetuated the male superiority agenda of the time period. Works like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights still have some elements of women being the weaker sex in society.

#11 The Life and Times of Mary Shelley (see posted link)

Shelley was born in London on August 30, 1797. Her childhood was filled with misfortunes, from her mother’s early death and her poor relationship with her step mother. 

Early on, Shelley had a passion for literature. Through her father’s company, she began publishing poems in 1807.

In 1814, she began a relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley. Later that year, Percy and Mary fled to England together despite Percy still being married to his first wife. After Percy’s wife committed suicide, Mary and Percy got married in December 1816. 

When visiting Switzerland with her friends and neighbors, they all began writing their own horror stories. This is when she began to start her famous novel, “Frankenstein” or “The Modern Prometheus”, which finally debuted in 1818 as a huge success.

Tragedy still struck Shelley however. Only one of handful her children managed to live to adulthood. Furthermore, her husband later drowned on an Italian sailing trip in 1822. Even so, the young widow still kept writing, releasing several novels, as well as promoting her late husband’s work, before her death in 1851.