Romanticism

Romanticism is a general, collective term to describe much of the art and literature produced during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During this period there was a broad shift of emphasis in the arts, away from the structured, intellectual, reasoned approach of the 18th century (which is often called the ‘Age of Reason’, or the ‘Enlightenment’) towards ways of looking at the world which recognised the importance of the emotions and the imagination.

Romanticism can be seen as a revolution in the arts, alongside the political, social and industrial revolutions of the age: all spheres of human activity were undergoing great change. William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge were among the first British poets to explore the new theories and ideas that were sweeping through Europe. Their poems display many characteristics of Romanticism, including:

An emphasis on the emotions (a fashionable word at the beginning of the period was ‘sensibility’. This meant having, or cultivating, a sensitive, emotional and intuitive way of understanding the world).
Exploring the relationship between nature and human life.
A stress on the importance of personal experiences and a desire to understand what influences the human mind.
A belief in the power of the imagination.
An interest in mythological, fantastical, gothic and supernatural themes.
An emphasis on the sublime (this word was used to describe a spiritual awareness, which could be stimulated by a grand and awesome landscape).
Social and political idealism.