Image from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/rom_fri_wand.html
4.07.2010
What is Romanticism?
Our recent class definition of "Gothic" was quite productive, and I would like to enact something similar here. In class today I said that Jane Eyre is often viewed as both a Gothic and Romantic text. But what does "Romantic" mean as a literary term? What elements/emotions/themes does a work take up to be defined as "Romantic"? What was going on historically and culturally at the time? Feel free to draw on outside knowledge and online resources to construct your definition (if you go this route, please include the url for everyone's benefit). As always, respond to prior posts when you contribute to our working definition.
Caspar David Friedrich "Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog" (1818).
Image from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/rom_fri_wand.html
Image from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/rom_fri_wand.html
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When I think of Romanticism the obvious idea of a novel dealing with love comes to mind. However, what sets the love in Romantic novels apart from the rest is the emotions and actions associated with it. I think in a Romantic texts, there are often extremes related to the love experienced. Character's can experience a very powerful love which will be the motive behind their actions. On the other hand, a character's love may not be returned. Or in between those two options, characters can also be unsure of their lover's feelings. In addition, I think that in a Romantic text there is the option for tension between lovers and the possibility for lovers to be separated or face other extreme situations.
ReplyDeleteI see a Romantic text as one that uses situations to allow for extreme, but also relatable, situations which emphasize the love story/stories within the novel.
I agree, love is usually incorporated into romantic works, but I do not believe love to be the defining characteristic of a romantic work. I believe the definition is more broad--romanticism is more dependent on strong emotions than just love. It can be strong emotions of any type. Fear, hatred, despair and joy are all capable of filling the role of strong emotions, too. I feel that love is frequently the most prevalent because it is one of the happiest, most widely identifiable emotions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dustin. Love may be in some shape or form part of a romantic work, but I do not believe it the main structure of it. To me, romanticism is defined as a work dealing with or atributing to mix of different emotions with poetic words and vivid descriptions, with love being a key emotion but not the only one to be shown in text. I also believe that romanticism can also incoporate diferent elements such as nature and religion.
ReplyDeleteDustin has a great working idea. Romance is all about the emotions, particularly ones that may be over the top or elaborat. Of course love, but also lust, jelously, hate, happiness, laughter, sadness, all are romantic elements.
ReplyDeleteI also think romantiscism has a good connection to some type of hope in the hopeless.
Dreaming, wishing, thinking the impossible is possible, going against what is wronge because you think it is right.
and of course...Kissing in the rain.
After hearing the past few posts agree that strong emotions are a big part of romanticism, I found this part of a definition on Wikipedia... "The movement validated strong emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as trepidation, horror and terror and awe" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism)
ReplyDeleteI agree that strong emotion is a part of romanticism, or at least a big part of this book. There is an extremely passionate love, intense hatred, and even fear. When I think of romanticism I also think of religion as playing a big role, too like Katrina said. This book uses a ton of different methods to incorporate religion. There is just openly talking about it, like with Helen in the beginning. There is an actual missionary, St. John Rivers. Also, they have tons of different references, that often need the appendix to decifer, that refer to God and the bible.
I'm not sure if this last part would be considered romanticism but it is a big part of this book, and that is trying to find oneself. Jane is having a constant struggle to find out who she is throughout the book, and the book isn't able to reach it's conclusion until she finally does know herself. It seems like that may fall under the strong emotion part of romanticism but I'm not sure.
I agree with the others that love is not the emotion that defines romanticism. It is a genre that is usually placed within an old time period that glorifies or makes it seem more wonderful or more awful than reality. So Romanticism would be an exaggeration of emotions and settings. There is usually some type of hero that triumphs with or against emotions. In this case with Jane Eyre she is heroic because she can stand being treated awful and still not let it bother her.
ReplyDeleteRomanticism was a movement within the 18th and 19th century -http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:romanticism&ei=9e29S8X9J4L48AaW1-jPCA&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAgQkAE-
It usually conveys the following characteristics - "sensibility; primitivism; love of nature; sympathetic interest in the past, especially the medieval; mysticism; individualism; romanticism criticism;"
It is common for most people to think that Romanticism only deals with matters of love but it far broader than that. I think that this book is romantic in the way that Jane is dicovering her indviduality through the people she meets. It is a journey of self discovery as well.
Romance can be made up of many different concepts. It is often exciting, and new for the characters. It brings passion to a text and makes you want to root for the underdogs. But, romance can also be tragic and heartbreaking, as it is in many Nicholas Sparks books. When I think of romance novels, his books are the first to come to mind. When an author has it right he can make any reader fall in love with his characters' romance. They can feel like they know their relationship in and out and become attached. Romance can be shown at any age level. His books tell stories of teenagers in love and men and woman growing old together. Romance is full of struggles and it is up to the author to decide if the couples overcome these struggles. I agree with everyone when they explain the feelings of involved in romaticised novels. Whatever makes the readers feel and touches their heart in some way is a romantic novel to me!Plus, they must show that the love is real, and that means its not pefect all the time.
ReplyDeleteI think that romantic stories are about idealism. The characters strive for ideal love, living situations, and environments. The ideal can vary from text to text and character to character. The story typically ends when the characters achieve their ideals or when (in a dystopian romance) it becomes plain that their ideals will never be achieved. In each stage of her life, Jane has longed for and worked toward her ideal life situation. Even when she improves her life situation by becoming a governess, she still longs for her ideal of an even better life.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of romantic as a literary term I do not think of a modern day romantic comedy love story. I don’t think of two people falling in love and living happily ever after. I also do not think of romantic in literature as a sexual term as it can be referred to in modern terms. So now my definition of romantic literature is a couple that has been drawn apart by a war or they are in separate areas. They write love letters that are poetic and sincere. The bond between the man and the woman is a life they want to create together, and mostly how the man will care for and provide for the woman. I also think that in a romantic lit. The man is perusing the woman at all cost; he has picked one woman and will do anything until they are together. This is different from modern times because now if a man can’t get a girl he just moves on, romantic lit. is more about a commitment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Erica that romantic lit. is extreme the couple may be torn apart but they take extreme measures to be back together. I also think the more extreme the circumstances are as to why they are apart the better the story.
i have to agree with Dustin, romanticism doesnt necessarily mean love and only love. There are many emotions that are involved in romantic literature and they really come out in Jane Eyre. She has a lot of emotions throughout the parts of the text that we have read so far and most of them have to do with her trying to keep her self esteem up while everyone is trying so hard to knock her down. Its hard for her to be happy and loving with all the terrible things people say about her. Romanticism covers a broad range of emotions and another important part of it, is how the people act on the emotions. This is key in my opinion. There are many stories filled with emotion, but the way they act on them steers the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dustin and several of the other people who believe that Romanticism is not all about love. I believe that Romanticism is all about strong emotions. I am currently in a history course, and we discussed the Romantic Era. Before the Romantic Era, there was the Age of Reason. Everything was based on reason, science, and facts. The Romantic Era, which was fully formed in the late 1700s, however, is based on feelings and emotions. The Romantic Era largely affected literature, music, and art. The literature during this era was often simple and filled with powerful emotions from the author. In art, paintings were colorful, and the purpose of the paintings were to stir emotions. In music, composures abandoned the strict structures of music and began to compose music that evoked powerful emotions.
ReplyDeleteI like the way Kala put it. "Romanticism would be an exaggeration of emotions and settings." I remember from high school that it wasn't just about love because that is what the first instinct is to say, but I couldn't quite remember exactly what it was. After reading the previous posts though, I would definitely have to say it is part love, for sure, but also just everything to a higher degree than what we might normally perceive it. On freedictionary.com I found a definition I liked.
ReplyDelete"An artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century and characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual's expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions."
I first noticed the part that was about a heightened interest in nature because Jane spends pages explaining what the scenery around her looks like. She goes on and on about the trees, the hills, the meadows, and what the house looks like inside and out. For her, this was a big part of what she was seeing. She wants to express exactly what it looked like. The next part of the definition is about the individual's expression of emotion and imagination which we get a ton of from Jane. So much of the book is her feelings and thoughts and since its from her point of view, its hard for us to really know what is real and what is imaginary, but either way, it is her expressing herself over and over with a lot of description so we know exactly how she was feeling.
Overall, I think romanticism is about the great detail and expression that goes with the strong emotions they feel most likely to be love, but those of hate or fear as well.
When I think of Romanticism I think of the feeling the creator can produce. I think it can be incorporated in more than just books, but when its in books its easier to make the audience feel exactly what the characters are feeling.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kaitlin's post when she says it brings passion to the text. The author is able to use words in a way to not only describe emotions and feelings, but also the ambiance of the scene, the history of the characters, and so much more. All these elements help build up to create Romanticism. Overall I do feel it has to do with love like it was mentioned above, but also that "butterflies" in your stomach, head in the sky, cloud nine feeling. I think it also has to do with the courting of the person that character is in love with, so everything from making a homemade meal to bringing flowers on the first date. Its the feeling that the author can bring out in not only the characters in the book but the readers themselves. Those feelings are different for every reader which is why there are so many different ways to describe it.
I think Romanticism could be interpreted in many different ways and include a wide variety of things, and still be right.
According to one of the links that I found, it had a good explanation for Romanticism.
ReplyDelete"Romanticism has very little to do with things popularly thought of as "romantic," although love may occasionally be the subject of Romantic art. Rather, it is an international artistic and philosophical movement that redefined the fundamental ways in which people in Western cultures thought about themselves and about their world."
(http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/rom.html)
I feel being romantic is not only about loving someone, it has a lot to do with how the emotions are portrayed. Love is about the feelings and the chemistry between the characters. Love is not restricted to only couples, it goes way beyond that including the love between parents and their child, between siblings, friends and many other relations. There are different emotions and feelings in all relationships.
A novel brings out these emotions by enriching the text with highly charged words which convey the message to the reader.
I agree with a lot of what has been said. I think Romanticism isn't always about love. I think it is about a lot of emotions, and I tend to think they are extreme. With books like Jane Eyre I always think of them as more gloomy and pensive. In the end there may be a happy ending but the real feelings are those felt through out the book by the characters. I think Romanticism in books around this time try to be more real life. They aren't fairy tales, their characters are exposed to unreturned love,death, and all kinds of tragedy. Romanticism is the expression of deep emotion. It shows the true spectrum of emotion from jubliation to complete fear and heartbreak. Characters are true to their emotions and express them honestly, they do not hide them.
ReplyDeleteI as well agree with what everyone has said so far. I think Romanticism brings out the truth behind every character. That is why I love books like Jane Eyre, everything is real and intense. When the word Romanticism comes to my mind I think of love. Not just the passionate love that one usually thinks of, but a lot of emotions are involved. There is also: anger, revenge, sadness, and happiness. Every emotion you can think of is in a Romanticism novel. These emotions are showed when the characters are at there most extreme points.
ReplyDeleteI have learned a lot about Romanticism and the Romantic period in my music appreciation class. Like many others have already said, the idea of Romanticism isn't just about love. A lot of the time it was inspired by nature, not even by humans. It also has a lot to do with the individual and a belief in the natural good of people. During that time period everyone was fascinated by the unknown. A lot of ideas originated because of the trust people had in their emotions and feelings. When you see that a book is a romantic text you never really know what to expect. Most people would expect a love story in which a man in woman fall for each other. Jane Eyre has been a refreshing surprise in my thoughts on romantic writing.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of Romanticism is often misinterpreted. In my music class I also learned that this genre is typically non-social if not anti-social. This age actually brought new meaning to horror. I believe Edgar Allen Poe was part of this Romantic movement, and not all of his poems are filled with love and happiness.
I agree with the previous comment, Romanticism is not really about love but about the overwhelming power of nature and how man feels insignificant to it. Writers of this age used their imaginations in all genres of not only novels but also in poems and ballads.Romantic novelists wrote more timeless pieces often drawing from Greek mythology and foreign worlds. Writers like Shelly and Byron wanted to use their imaginations and their passion for the written word to create these "romantic" novels and create fictional settings. This was a chance for people of the Victorian age to escape the mundane and confusing world they lived in and escape it by reading one of these works.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katrina that romanticism contains a love story but also describes the way a story is written. It contains vivid imagery and idealized descriptions of the scene and characters. The emotions of both the characters and some of the author are prevalent throughout the story. The author is able to intrigue the readers and make them feel for the characters and their relationships. I feel romanticism also deals with at least one of the characters finding themselves. The characters embark on a journey that many times comprises of a coming of age story that I feel is prevalent in Jane Eyre.
ReplyDeleteI like what Dustin said about romanticism. Using the term romanticism instead of just romantic makes it seem not necessarily a time period, but I guess a little. It has more to do with life than just love. The romantic love that everyone sees in the movies. Love can be incorporated into so many things and emotions and behaviors. Romanticism has a lot to do with the culture and the actions of people. I think that anger and maybe even revenge can be incorporated into the literary term of romantic.
ReplyDeleteI really like the wikipedia definition that Christie brought up. The strong emotions that Romanticism has always brought to the table are usually not “love” by any stretch of the imagination. Love can be part of it; or beauty, or terror, or even awe can be part of the over exaggerated emotions of a Romantic novel or painting or poem. One of the characters in Jane Eyre, Helen Burns, is a perfect example of exaggerated emotions in a Romantic text. Helen is supposed to be a young girl, maybe 16 or 17 years old. She is so steadfast and good in every meaning of the word. Jane loves her passionately and when she sees her being punished by having to wear a headband with the word “Slattern”, Jane tares it off of Helen and throws it in the fire. Helen is steadfast in her convictions and a pillar of good morals and advice. She is meant to be awed and loved by the audience just as she is by Jane. Her speeches are full of hope and life even though she knows she is dying. The situation is full of exaggerated sadness for the passing of someone who (let’s face it) is just a transitory side character. She is really, almost not important at all to the plot of the book. Her role could have been filled completely by Miss. Temple or Miss. Miller. However, Helen is extremely important to the narrative and the book’s Romantic nature because she exemplifies and brings out these over the top emotions and feelings in a way that the teachers at the school could not.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of romanticism as being a unrealistically strong pull in any regard. Even though I initially view romanticism as love between two people, I think part of romanticism is definitely the over exaggeration of the bad points in the character's life.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Jane's childhood is DEFINITELY an example of romanticism because of the over exaggeration of her pathetic and abusive childhood. Therefore, later on in the story, any developments in Jane's life that are good may be played up.
When I hear the term romanticism I automatically think older time period such as victorian. I feel like back then in some ways things were more romantic. Not always, but in the way people were courted there was alot of romance, such as letter writing and waiting long time periods for someone. To me the victorian period just incites some romance. When a book is labeled with the term romanticism I always take it somewhat literally and expect a majority of it to be whismical and to pull on my heart strings so to speak. I don't know if it is meant to be taken that literal, but it is always the first thing that comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of a book that comes with the term romanticism and gothic I think the same thing, but with some darkeness in it. Jane Eyre defintely has a darker side to it so I think it fits well.
Romanticism was an age of enlightenment during the 18th Century. It brought authors out like Poe and Hawthorne. It has a gothic feel to it but is lighter. Each writer had their own style; Poe’s was gothic and eerie. His story The Fall of the House of Usher will never leave my mind. Poe points out in this specific story that unnatural things such as incest will always fail, and nature will succeed, this idea of nature is a Romantic idea. Personally I prefer Romantic literature over gothic, but Poe is too gothic for me. Hawthorne is much better. Irving was another author that was part of the Romanticism era, but he is boarder Transcendentalist. The Transcendentalist are too wordy for me.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading everyone's posts, most of my ideas about romanticism are already covered. I have always thought of romantic works as well, romantic. But this got me thinking, love is not the only emotion we see in romanticism. It is more of an emphasis on strong emotion and empathy, a way to identify with the characters. Even though we may not experience these emotions (love, hate, envy, pity, sadness, happiness, etc.) in as extreme a manner as we see in the stories we read, we can still understand them. Emotions are the best way for a reader to understand and connect with character and story.
ReplyDeleteRomanticism in a broader sense is “the attitude or intellectual orientation” about works. “Romanticism can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality that typified Classicism in general and late 18th-century Neoclassicism in particular.” And indeed, in my mind, it’s full of dramatic factors and complications, as in Jane Eyre, the little Jane experienced a lot that ordinary people could not even imagine. And I agree with former posts about the tension the main character was facing, and I would like to extend that the main character fights against the misfortunate and the difficulties. It’s also another part of the dramatic effects.
ReplyDelete“Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental.” From this quote, we can see that romanticism is really a rich idea. About the individualism, as also mentioned by Kala, it’s not very obvious but it’s not hard to get the feeling of it. The independence and intelligence thinking manifested Jane’s individualism. Also, all these descriptive words are sensitive, as also mentioned in Kala’s post. I think that also ties back to the dramatic effect. Every single detail can be twisted to be a misunderstanding and tension.
I think it’s very interesting with the attached picture on the website I found. It was a painting about liberty, which is also used as an album cover of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. This makes me feel more about the complication.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/508675/Romanticism