5 Point Fact Sheet

Emphasis on Emotion
• School of ethics surrounded by thoughts of sympathy
• Feeling and emotion stressed as reaction to previous periods
• Art takes on new emphasis of emotion, as reason was already emphasized

Aesthetic of the Sublime
• Image that evokes strong emotional response
• Horror and terror became popular, as it is more easily induced
• Aesthetic of power

Time of Rebellion
• US was fighting for independence
• English Monarchy saw much blood, violence and upheaval
• France was also in a state of chaos/violence throughout Napoleon’s life, and thus Europe

Time of Social Reform
• British 1867 Reform Act which gave lower class, namely property owning men, the right o vote; not just aristocracy anymore
• The issue of slavery was being resolved in Britain, albeit much earlier than the US

Subject Matter of Romantic poetry
• Many poets question the source of authority in their works
• Morals favored over religion
• Nature viewed as both a positive, and negative force

At the root of Romanticism is the ability to evoke a strong emotion. The people of this period saw a mass urbanization, the revolutions of France and America, and social reform for the lower classes. In their works, authors attempted to recreate both the good and bad emotions and feelings inspired by the aforementioned events. After studying many of these works, I’ve come to the conclusion that romantic authors found it more attractive to evoke the negative emotions of tragedy; such as remorse, longing, and despair. However, these feeling are always powerful and sincere. There may be no tangible message in the works, but there is sure to be a strong emotional response.