HISTORY OF IDEAS - Romanticism

Definition: Romanticism is not a historical event like a war, technology, or political occurrence; instead, it is the emergence of a new set of ideas, a mindset, and a way of feeling.
Origins:
- Began in Western Europe in the mid-18th century.
- Initially manifested through the works of artists, poets, and philosophers.
- Later spread globally, influencing millions' perspectives on nature, children, love, sex, money, and work.
Cultural Impact: More or less, contemporary sensibilities incorporate aspects of Romanticism.
Context: Romanticism arose as a reaction to the modern world characterized by:
- Industrialization
- Urbanization
- Secularization
- Consumerism

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Published "Emile" or "On Education".
- Contains critiques of the adult world and praises the natural goodness, spontaneity, and wisdom of children.
- Advocated for breastfeeding, a first of its kind in Western civilization.
- Emphasized the idea of the child as the original rebel, representing purity and creativity, oppositional to rational and bureaucratic adult norms.

Child as Symbol: Depicts children as untainted by adult discipline and the seat of creativity.
Cultural Shift: Romanticism shifted glamour towards natural innocence and freedom from tradition rather than reason and self-control.

Thomas Chatterton
- A 17-year-old poet who committed suicide due to publication rejection and family pressures.
- Became an emblem for the sensitive, artistic romantic hero, often depicted as doomed and misunderstood.
- Connected to future romantic figures such as Byron, Keats, Van Gogh, Jim Morrison, and Amy Winehouse.

Romantic Hero: Represents the secularized Christ-like figure misunderstood by society yet noble in the eyes of a few.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Authored "The Sorrows of Young Werther", a quintessential romantic novel.
- Story revolves around Werther, a passionate poet in love with Charlotte, who is married; reflects the impractical nature of romantic love.
- Werther's suicide is framed sympathetically, showcasing a romantic inclination towards passion over practicality.

Cultural Valuation of Love: The novel shifted perceptions of love towards valuing emotional expression over rational considerations such as social class and material wealth.
Popularity: Three million copies sold; endorsed by Napoleon as the greatest European literary work.

Francisco Goya
- Created "The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters".
- Artwork symbolizes the romantic perspective on the limitations of reason and the dominance of irrationality in the human psyche.
Conceptual Reflection: Romanticism encourages empathy towards madness, challenging the superiority of rationality and logic.

William Wordsworth
- Along with his sister Dorothy, moves to Dove Cottage in Grasmere where he would live for nearly a decade.
- Wordsworth's poetry focuses on celebrating the natural world and emotions greatly affected by the industrial age.

Nature vs. Industrialization: Wordsworth promotes nature as superior to industrial, mechanical constructs (e.g. prefers "daffodils to a viaduct").
Protests: Fought against the establishment of railways in the Lake District, a symbol of the industrial era he detested.

Thomas Cole
- Painted scenes of Niagara Falls, emphasizing sublime depictions of nature.
- Highlights a romantic attitude portraying mankind as small against the backdrop of majestic landscapes.

Emotional Validity: Romanticism finds emotional resonance in nature akin to religious feelings, presenting nature as a remedy for urban pressures.

Augustus Pugin
- Designed the new British Parliament building, crafted to appear medieval, adorned with elements reflecting a pre-industrial aesthetic.
- Advocated for a return to the nobility represented in medieval society, critiquing the material obsessions of modernity.

Charles Baudelaire
- Wrote a prose poem about the flâneur, an observer of urban life, embodying the romantic spirit of leisurely exploration and reflection amidst the bustle of modernity.

Celebration of Leisure: Contrasts against the urgency of the capitalist worker, elevating the flâneur to an almost regal status in society.

Paul Gauguin
- Sought refuge in Tahiti as a critique of civilized life, portraying Polynesian women in their natural states.
- Represents a romantic ideal against the artificiality of civilization.

Cultural Shift: The movement has permanently altered sensibilities amidst increasing rational and technological paradigms, advocating for the irrational, naive, and childlike qualities.
Critique of Modernity: While Romanticism may bear adolescent traits, it also serves as a counterbalance to the coldness and rigidity of modernity.
Vision for the Future: Hopes for a synthesis of Romantic ideals to soften the harsher aspects of modernity, proposing an "age of maturity".