Countercultures In The Romantic Movement

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Throughout history, countercultures have been present wherever social norms or political actions are conceived as unjust by a group of people. In the spirit of advancement, these groups take stances of resistance and rebellion and oftentimes, heavily rely on the arts to express their opinions and protest the wrongs of society. Through comparison of various counterculture timelines, it can be seen that the development, impact, and resolution of most countercultures occur in similar patterns. It starts with the congregation and organization of like-minded “oppositionists” seeking improvement or justice in an aspect of their present culture. With time, this union either fails to blossom as a result of insufficient support and momentum or grows …show more content…

In his solo career, Coleridge explored the metaphysical world, simultaneously searching for and telling the meaning of life through highly personified poetry. He also enjoyed creating under the influence of mind-altering drugs, a recurring theme throughout countercultures to come (Weber). Through their literature, Romantic writers expressed their views on abstract realms to find truth in themselves and the world.
One of the most renowned features of the Romantic Movement was the visual art. Among the foremost pioneers of Romantic art was William Blake, both a poet and an artist. His works like The Ancient of Days from his 1794 book Europe a Prophecy, which revealed his vision of the divine creator Urizen, expressed his reluctance towards and doubt in conventional christianity. Other paintings from the same collection showed his discontent with an “incomplete” French Revolution and how he perceived widespread suffering as a result (Seiferle, “Important …show more content…

Bohemianism could be summed up as “the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits” (“Bohemianism”). The common factor among all bohemians was a strong opposition to the principles put forth by the French middle class, or bourgeois. Bohemian ideals included minimal property ownership, a lack of moral codes, and refusal to participate in the competition for wealth and status. Living through these ideals, bohemians lived in and moved between various public areas and communal living spaces, never staying put or attempting to settle down. This constant relocation allowed very few tangibles to be kept, displaying the disdain bohemians held for material items. The absence of ethics was also obvious; staples of the bohemian lifestyle included frequent alcohol consumption and drug usage, as well as sexual permissiveness. Further, without involvement in the constant race for wealth and power, bohemians had plenty of time for work in the arts, where the end goal was simply to improve the quality of the art. They had no desire for wealth or material items, and so were content with an idle existence in glorious poverty (Hopf et al.,

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