Notes on Romanticism Lecture

Overview of Romanticism

• Important historical event; not a war or technology but a new mindset.
• Originated in Western Europe in the mid-18th century with artists, poets, and philosophers.
• Spread globally, influencing views on nature, children, love, sex, money, and work.
• Reaction to the modern world: industrialization, urbanization, secularization, and consumerism.

Key Moments in Romanticism

The Birth of Romantic Ideas

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau, May 1762
  • Published "Emile" or "On Education."
  • Advocated for natural goodness, spontaneity, and wisdom of children.
  • Criticized the adult world as oppressive and rational.
  • Celebrated children as pure and creative rebels.

The Tragic Poet

• Thomas Chatterton, August 1770
  • Young poet who committed suicide due to lack of recognition and familial pressures.
  • Became a symbol for romantics: the sensitive, doomed artist rejected by society.

A New Perspective on Love

• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1774
  • Published "The Sorrows of Young Werther."
  • Explored a doomed love affair between Werther and Charlotte.
  • Romanticized Werther's tragic passion for love, influencing societal views on love and emotional expression.

The Limits of Reason

• Francisco Goya, 1798
  • Created "The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters."
  • Captured the tension between reason and the irrational in human nature.

Celebration of Nature

• William Wordsworth, December 1799
  • Moved to Dove Cottage in the Lake District, wrote celebrated poetry about nature.
  • Advocated for the preservation of the natural world against industrialization.

Romantic Landscape

• Thomas Cole, September 1829
  • Painted scenes of nature, emphasizing the grandeur of the American landscape.
  • Showed romantic belief in nature as a source of emotional and spiritual connection.

Nostalgia for the Past

• Augustus Pugin, April 1847
  • Designed a new Parliament building in a medieval style, reflecting romantic nostalgia for pre-industrial times.

The Flâneur and Urban Observation

• Charles Baudelaire, May 1863
  • Celebrated the flâneur, a leisurely observer of city life.
  • Emphasized playfulness and lack of practicality over industriousness.

Quest for Authenticity

• Paul Gauguin, April 1891
  • Sailed to Tahiti seeking an escape from conventional civilization.
  • Focused on depicting the natural, unspoiled life of Native women.

Conclusion

• Romanticism has profoundly influenced modern sensibilities, advocating for the irrational, naive, and childlike.
• Represents a challenge to the coldness of modernity, suggesting a potential evolution towards a more mature age that integrates romantic ideals.