Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Romanticism influence
Romanticism in simple words
Romanticism in simple words
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Romanticism influence
Romanticism in William Blake's Poem
William Blake was a poet, painter, and a printmaker all during the period in literature known as the Romantic time period. The Romantic time period, also known in Literature as 'Romanticism' began in Europe, mainly France and Britain around the 1800s (Barker) and it was first defined as a tool to in literature and literary criticisms (Galitz). The Romantic period did not just focus on literature, but also on the subjects of art and knowledge which was "fueled by the French Revolution" and was also "a reaction to the scientific rationalism and classicism of the Age of Enlightenment" (Foundations of Romanticism). "Romanticism emerged also as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values of reason and order after the French Revolution in 1789" (Galitz). Romanticism expressed ideas such as emotion, freedom and imagination (Foundations of Romanticism). To the author, William Blake, the writing style of Romanticism was highly used. Characteristics of Romanticism from the literary perspective include themes such as "interest in the average person and childhood, strong senses, emotions, and feelings, awe or Love of nature, celebration of the individual, and the importance of imagination" (Characteristics of Romanticism), and the theme of the supernatural (Bentley). Also, Romanticism has nothing to do with the actual idea of love, but it does exemplify important concepts such as “emphasis on the activity of the imagination, which was accompanied, by greater emphasis on the importance of intuition, instincts, and feelings” (Romanticism). There was even emphasis on things such as introspection, psychology, melancholy, and sadness in Romantic literature. Romanticism had a lot to do with ...
... middle of paper ...
...he Poetry of William Wordsworth. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
Olivia. "Thoughts&Observations." ThoughtsObservations. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
One Done. "Foundations of Romanticism." Foundations of Romanticism. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
"Reflections on Great Literature: William Blake ." William Blake. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
"Romanticism." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
"Romanticism." Romanticism. Brooklyn Cuny Edu, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
"Romantic Characteristics." Characteristics of Romanticism . Read, Write, Think, n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
Schock, Peter A.. "ELH, Vol. 60, No. 2." . JSTOR, n.d. Web. 9 Feb 2014.
UNLV. "British Romanticism." British Romanticism. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
"William Blake." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
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.
The theme of the suffering innocent person, dying and being diseased, throws a dark light onto the London seen through the eyes of William Blake. He shows us his experiences, fears and hopes with passionate images and metaphors creating a sensibility against oppression hypocrisy. His words come alive and ask for changes in society, government and church. But they remind us also that the continued renewal of society begins with new ideas, imagination and new works in every area of human experience.
To start with, Romanticism was the first writing movement of the nineteenth century. It originated at the close of the eighteenth century in Europe, but was popular from the 1800s to 1850s. This movement was a revolt against the political and social standards of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction to the reasoning of nature through science. Romanticism’s characteristics came from philosophical sources and, because it is a reaction against reasoning, it focuses on intuition, nature, and human emotions. The philosophical background of this movement came from an author named Jean-Jacques Rousseau who emphasized the individual and the power of inspiration. Romanticism later then broke off into another two movements called Parnassian and Realism.
Romanticism. New York: Phaidon, 2001. Furst, Lilian R. Romanticism in Perspective: A Comparative Study of Aspects of the Romantic Movements in England, France and Germany. London: Macmillan, 1969.
Natoli, Joseph. "William Blake." Critical Survey Of Poetry, Second Revised Edition (2002): 1-12. Literary Reference Center. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
"Romanticism." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources in Context. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
William Blake was a modern thinker with a recalcitrant political spirit. He used poetry and art as sociopolitical weapons, which were raised boldly against the establishment. These sociopolitical weapons, which began with him, are still used today in all types of artistic and political activities. Although known as a madman and a mystic, (Elliott) his art and his poetry were guided by the visions of radical change. Even today, his work is both relevant and profound. The brilliant approach he took with difficult political and moral topics created unique artistic representations that are very much as relevant today as they were when Blake first adopted their use.
Woodlief, Ann M. "Intro to American Romanticism." Intro to American Romanticism. Emerita Associate Professor, 18 Aug. 2001. Web. 05 May 2014.
"Romanticism - Google Search." Romanticism - Google Search. Paul Brians, 11 Mar. 1998. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Keenan, Richard "Romanticism." Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature. London: Continuum, 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 25 April 2014.
Gleckner, Robert F. The Piper and the Bard: A Study of William Blake. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1959.
Wolfson, S. & Manning, P. 2003. The Longman Anthology of English Literature Vol 2: The Romantics and their Contemporaries. London: Longman.
The Romantic period has many beginnings and takes different forms; so that in a celebrated essay, On the Discrimination of Romanticism (1924), A.O. Lovejoy argued that the word “Romantic” should no longer be used, since it has come to mean so many things that by itself, it means nothing. On the derivation of the word “Romanticism” we have definite and commonly accepted information which helps us to understand its meaning. Critics and literary historians differ widely and sometimes as violently, about the answer then have differed about love truth and other concepts. Romanticism is concerned with all these concepts and with others with equal importance. It is an attitude toward life and experience older than religion, as permanent as love, and as many-sided as truth. (Watson, J.R. English Poetry of the Romantic Period, Longman Inc. New York)
"William Blake - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Web. 07 July 2011. .
Romanticism spawned in the late 18th century and flourished in the early and mid-19th century. Romanticism emphasized the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, the transcendental, and the individual. Romanticism is often viewed as a rejection of the ideologies of Classicism and Neoclassicisms, namely calm, order, harmony, idealization, rationality and balance. Some characteristics of Romanticism include: emotion over reason, senses over intellect, love for nature, use of the hero and the exceptional figure in general, emphasis of imagination being the gateway to spiritual truth, and an interest in folk culture. Romanticism was preceded by related developments in the med-18th century referred to as “Pre-Romanticism”. One Pre-Romantic style was medieval romance, which is where Romanticism gets its name from. The medieval romance was a tale that emphasized the exotic, the mysterious, and individual heroism. This style contrasted the then prevalent classical forms of literature such as the French Neoclassical Tragedy. But this new emotional literary expression would be a key part of literature during the Romantic Era (Britannica). Literature during the Romantic Era was influenced by politics and major historical events and social reforms, religion, science, economics, and art and music.