Romantic Background Essay

Romantic Background Essay What were the influential social factors behind Romanticism? The Romantic period’s most important social concern is the industrial revolution. The Industrial Revolution destroyed the old familiar patterns of living and created visual squalor and social injustice. The Industrial Revolution was a period of rapid industrialisation. During the mid-18th and early 19th century, technological advancement and industrialisation occurred at an astronomical rate. Moreover, it was a shift in the technological, socioeconomic and cultural conditions, which defined the Industrial Revolution. A variety of inventions increased efficiency and facilitated the evolution of new production methods. These changes impacted society greatly. This period in time marked a major turning point in human history, in which almost every aspect of daily life was eventually influenced in some way. An intellectual and hostile feeling towards the new industrial development emerged, which was known as the Romantic Movement. The Romantic philosopher, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, also expressed the anti-scientific movement. He believed that science and virtue were incompatible and praised the beauty of unspoilt nature. Rousseau believed that man is born naturally good, and is only corrupted by institutions. He had a different vision of the Golden Age, one in which man retained the freedom of the 'noble savage' and the innocence of childhood. The supremacy of nature over man's invention, heroic individuals and the inevitability of death became the tragic emotional themes of the Romantic movement. Other themes were the belief in the innocence of children, nostalgia and codes of chivalry and honour. Romanticism dominated all the arts in the early 19th century. The Romantic era is the historical period of literature in which modern readers most begin to see themselves and their own conflicts and desires. What was revolutionary about the Romantic Poetry? The French Revolution is widely recognized as one of the most influential events of late eighteenth with far reaching consequences in political, cultural, social, and literary arenas. The Revolution rallied around more abstract concepts of freedom and equality. It is in this resistance to monarchy, religion, and social difference that Enlightenment ideals of equality, citizenship, and human rights were manifested. These beliefs had profound influence on the Romantic poets. The Revolution affected first- and second-generation Romantics in different ways. First-generation poets such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge initially sympathized with the philosophical and political principles of the Revolution. Wordsworth did not become politically involved involved in the French situation until 1971 when he revisited France, and came across a poor girl who was starving because of the way France was being run. After this, Wordsworth’s ideas on politics and government changed completely. He took an eager interest in the revolution and emitted his enthusiasm and energy, but he “thought little about the abstract principles of human rights”. He became interested in politics and government as he had never been in England, since he felt a connection to the French cause and people. However, as the Revolution continued it became increasingly dark in the optimistic and visionary eyes of Wordsworth and it ended with him becoming disillusioned and depressed as the Revolution’s outcome fell short of his goals. Wordsworth’s everyday language and subject choices look like a literary revolution that mirrors the historical revolution by breaking down the boundaries that separated poetry - with its elevated characters and plots. Second-generation Romantics such as Lord Byron and Percy Shelley held to the Revolution’s principles in a more idealistic, if somewhat cautious way. Shelley, above all, sought to promote the ideals of liberty and equality through non-violent revolution.