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Influence of the romantic movement
Importance of romanticism in English literature
Importance of romanticism in English literature
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Recommended: Influence of the romantic movement
During the Romantic Movement in the 1700’s various writers were inspired to write poems or novels that include romantic qualities. What is Romanticism? Well it can be defined as a movement emphasizing self-expression and reason over logic. During this period, emphasis shifted from tradition of the church who gave people their experience to the importance of the individual's experience. The aspect most stressed in France is echoed in Victor Hugo's expression "liberalism in literature," meaning the freeing the writer of restrains and rules marked by the inspiration of radical political ideas. The novel “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo indeed demonstrates romantic qualities such as spiritual growth, emotion/sympathy and Nature.
Jean Valjean is an exceptional character who demonstrates spiritual growth because he feels lost and nothing can change his life he has. All changes when he meets a Bishop who says “you no longer belong to evil but to good” (Hugo 34) he offers Valjean unconditional love, trusting the former convict with his life because of this Valjean becomes new man and goes on to become a kind yet humble mayor. The romantics were fascinated “with self-exploration and with the particulars of the individual's experience in the world” (Milne) because of this writers consider the worth of the characters in their work. Years after the encounter with the bishop Valjean begins to grow spiritually by establishing himself as the mayor of a little town. There his love begins to extend to individuals in his care to the citizens of his town, and to the basic principle of a good natured person. Javert, a detective, constantly shows up to remind Jean Valjean of his criminal past and tells Valjean “the real Jean Valjean has been found” (...
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...ave], I live…in the Rue del’ Homme arme, number seven” (Hugo 494). With emphasis on individuality “the romantics valued emotion, intuition, and feeling over logic” (Milne) so in the case of “Les Miserables”, Valjean lets Javert go because of his overall feeling. Logically Valjean should want to kill Javert but because he judges the situation on feeling that he comes to the conclusion to free him. Emotions drive each character to do the things they do.
Works Cited
"Romanticism." Literary Movements for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Literary Movements. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 705-743. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 11 May 2014.
"Les Misérables: Victor Hugo 1862." Epics for Students. Ed. Sara Constantakis. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2011. 377-417. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 11 May 2014.
Javert, born in jail, saw himself as an ostracized adolescent with but two paths open to him. He could choose either to be a policeman or a criminal. He chose to be on the right side of the law. Valjean, a peasant, spent time in jail as a young man and came out of it hating society. He believed himself to be apart from it, and chose to live in hatred and crime. Fortunately, the action of a kindly old bishop prevented him from wasting the rest of his life. Valjean switched to tread the path of life on a more morally upright road. He became mayor, protector of society.
...ay alter ther perseptions about a person without facts to back it up. Later in the book Javert would relize that his perseption about Jean were completely wrong as who he though was a lier and a criminal, he would find “ something horible was penitrating his soul, admeration for a convict.” It is here we see that Javert was blinded by his own hatred of Jean and dedication to the law. Unable to make sence of how a bad man in the eyes of the law could be good and admerible Javert ends up taking his own life. This would show how twisted perseption could become.
Romanticism was a movement in art and literature in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in revolt against the Neoclassicism of the previous centuries. The romanticism movement in literature consists of a few of the following characteristics: intuition over fact, imagination over fact, and the stretch and alteration of the truth. The death of a protagonist may be prolonged and/or exaggerated, but the main point was to signify the struggle of the individual trying to break free, which was shown in “The Fall of the House Usher” (Prentice Hall Literature 322).
Valjean, upon leaving prison, quickly comes to realize that being empathetic is essential to his success. Valjean first learns this lesson when he steals silver from the bishop. When the police arrest Valjean and attempt to return the stolen silver, telling the bishop “[Valjean] had the nerve to say you gave him this”, the bishop immediately tells the police that Valjean “has spoken truly” (Hooper, Les Misérables). Although the bishop knows that Valjean has indeed committed the crime, he aids Valjean because he is empathetic to him and his situation. The compassion displayed by the bishop demonstrates his acceptance of others, such as Valjean, who are habituated to a different way of life, knowing only to steal when in need as they are incapable of finding any other source of income. The bishop’s compassionate and empathetic demonstration teaches Valjean the importance of accepting others, despite their differences, demonstrating Hugo’s message of empathy as essential for human
Jean Valjean understands the deep emotions felt when the desire to love others persists in one’s heart. Valjean originally felt this desire specifically within his own family. Though during his years in prison, he lost it. In striving to feed his starving family by stealing a loaf of bread, Valjean earned himself “nineteen years” in prison. “He entered in 1796 for having broken a pane of glass and taken a loaf of Bread” (Hugo 86) Valjean loved his family so dearly that he risked rotting in jail rather than seeing them starve. He demonstrates pure charity in this act, for no sane person, would risk his life for others, unless his motivations lie in love. Then love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:7) Valjean perfectly demonstrates the infinite measures people will take out of l...
Romanticism first came about in the 18th century and it was mostly used for art and literature. The actual word “romanticism” was created in Britain in the 1840s. People like Victor Hugo, William Wordsworth, and Percy Bysshe Shelley had big impacts on this style of art. Romanticism is an art in which people express their emotion. Whatever they believed is put into a picture, painting, poem, or book. Romanticism goes deep into a mind. It is very deep thinking and it’s expressing yourself through that deep thinking. Romanticism is the reaction to the Enlightenment and the enlightenment aka the “Age of Reason” took place during the 1700s to 1800s. The enlightenment emphasized being rational and using your mind; on the other hand, romanticism focuses on emotion and imagination. It says don’t just focus on rationality and reason.
Romanticism is the movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual. This idea of Romanticism gave power to the individual that they never once had; people believed that others are inherently good. This time of dynamic and radical changes led to many writers who voiced their opinion on different matters of various concern. People were able to voice their opinion much more than they have in the past giving more power to the individual. It was this attitude that writers had that criticized many institutions. Among these writers is Robert Burns, in the texts To a Mouse and To a Louse, they contain three important messages of different attitudes, irony, and being thankful for what you have.
Les Misérables (1862), a novel set in early nineteenth century France, presents a story of obsessions in honor, love, and duty, and through it redemption and salvation. It is the story of the poor Jean Valjean, condemned to an unfair amount of time in prison and a life on the run for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family. The kind act of forgiveness from a Bishop with whom Jean Valjean stays one night, changes the course in which he chooses to live his life. Under a different identity, he becomes wealthy from a business he starts and later is elected mayor of the small town of Montreuil. He falls madly in love with Fantine, one of the workers in his factory. Because Fantine, one of the very poorest and most pitiful residents of Montreuil, has a child born out of wedlock, Jean Valjean as the respected mayor must keep his love for her a secret. When Fantine dies unexpectedly, Jean Valjean vows he will raise her daughter Cosette, and shield her from all the evils in the world. Through all of this, Jean Valjean is being pursued by Javert, a policeman whose entire life has been dedicated to finding Jean Valjean. While running from Javert, Jean Valjean and Cosette find themselves in Paris in the middle of the 1832 Revolution. As Cosette matures, she falls in love with Marius, a young revolutionist. Despite the objections of Jean Valjean, Cosette continues to secretly visit Marius at night. During the revolution, Marius is injured badly and Jean Valjean, after finding a love note from Marius to Cosette, quickly comes to the rescue of the wounded gentleman. Eventually Jean Valjean and Marius' Grandfather consent to the wedding of Cosette and Marius. In this novel, "there is a point at which...
Hugo’s social commentary focuses on three main concepts that he believes must be reformed in the French society: criminal justice, education and the treatment of women. By showing the unreasonable punishments both Valjean and Fantine shows how the social structure has turned innocent and good people into criminals.
Romanticism was a literary movement that occurred in the late eighteenth century to the mid nineteenth century which shifted the focus of literature from puritan works, to works which revolved around imagination, the beauty of nature, the individual, and the value of emotion over intellect. The ideas of the movement were quite revolutionary as earlier literature was inhibited by the need to focus on society and the rational world it effected. Romanticism allowed writers to be more creative with there stories and to explore an irrational world which before, would have been at the very least frowned upon if not outright rejected. The short story, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an example of a romantic work because it showcases the individual over society, exalts emotion and intuition over reason, and keeps a strong focus on nature throughout the story.
Several people in Jean Valjeans life allow him to rediscover the meaning of love. The good bishop is the one responsible for initiating this rediscovery. Jean Valjean's new life begins when the bishop utters the words, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!” (30). This opens Jean Valjean to the good of the world and allows him to immerse himself in the love Cosette offers him, something he couldn't do without the help of the bishop. The bishop assists Jean Valjean in seeing that there are people who will help him despite his rocky background. This creates a reason for Jean Valjean to act on the experience to rebuild his life and become an honest man. This change of heart helps him feel the love that Cosette displays for him, which he has never known. He slowly begins to love and care f...
The protagonist’s transformation begins when the bishop recognizes Jean Valjean’s human soul that is capable of goodness. When he is put out into the streets, Valjean goes from place to place being rejected for being a convict until he meets the bishop who sees him as a common person, “That men saw his mask, but the bishop saw his face”(75). Even though people might be good, they don’t always see someone’s true soul. The bishop’s simple act of kindness and deeper understanding leads to Valjean living a better, more moral life, “From that moment we have seen, he was another man… It was more than a transformation-it was a transfiguration” (72). Since the bishop recognizes Valjean as an “another man” (72), he fulfils what he wants Valjean to become, a better more loving person.
In the world of literature, there are many types of writing that an author can take to express his ideas. Their topics can be explained through life experiences, biographies, poetry, or other forms of literature. One of the forms that authors use is Romanticism. There are many qualities that define the different viewpoints of Romanticism. Rip Van Winkle, “Thanatopsis,” and “The Cross of Snow” are all examples of writing from the period of Romanticism.
"EThemes." Literature: Romanticism in American Literature -. University of Missouri, 24 Jan. 2011. Web. 05 May 2014.
In Hugo’s Jean Valjean of Les Miserables, one observes a man nearly broken by the tem...