Should Romanticism Be Considered A Major Political Movement?

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Romantic Emotionalism and Aesthetics
I.
Unlike other periods, Romanticism was not a major political movement, which leads to arguments on whether this era should be considered a period or an attitude. Some even consider this period to be an indication of an age of crisis because of the wide variety of interests and lifestyles the Romantics had. Romanticism was prominent in Britain and Germany and became increasingly prominent in Roman Catholic countries after the rise of Napoleon. Other places the movement took place in were Russia, France, many central European places lacking a national state, such as Poland, and America. Though Romanticism had been around since the late eighteenth century, the name ‘Romanticism’ wasn’t coined until 1840s. …show more content…

While German Romanticism’s idea of volksgeist became an intellectual basis for Nationalism, early nationalism was inspired most by Jean Rousseau and the ideas of Johann Gottfried Von Herder. Romantic Nationalism however, changed after the French Revolution. At first the new nationalism inspired the movement with self-determination and an awareness of national unity. But as the Republic became Napoleon’ s empire, inspiration transformed into objection ("Romanticism" New World Encyclopedia). Politically, the period can be simplified most as “a North European, Gothic primitivism that could be invoked to support both popular democracy and the monarchist alliance against Napoleon, as well as a liberal-classicist, cosmopolitan admiration of the pagan Mediterranean that was used to critique the restorations of 1815” (Simpson 249). Romanticism’s politics were shaped by the change of ideas from the Enlightenment mindset to a more ‘primitive’ and natural …show more content…

The novel follows a young sailor, Edmond Dantes, who is wrongfully imprisoned just as he is about to achieve all of his goals. The novel goes on to tell the reader about how he executes his revenge upon those who wronged him. Nature plays an important role in The Count of Monte Cristo with both the sea and the island Monte Cristo symbolizing points of renewal for Edmond. The sea acts as a baptism for Edmond, showing nature’s powers, and he is reborn as a man full of vengeance. Before this baptism occurs however, the sea creates a barrier along with the prison and isolates Edmond from his happiness and future. This isolation causes Edmond to quickly give into his emotions and even act like a madman. His sudden ‘primitive’ actions are what eventually lead him to his freedom and rebirth. Even those who wrongly accused Edmond allowed their emotions to cloud their reason and decide their motives. In scenes such as these Dumas exemplifies Romanticism’s admiration of the emotions of

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