Romanticism Chapter 23

1. RomanticismChapter 23

2. A reaction against rationalism • Emphasis on human emotion, senses, passion, faith • Rejected Enlightenment’s view of nature as a precise harmonious whole • Rejected Deism (remember German Pietism) • Encouraged personal freedom • Emphasis on feeling = humanitarian movements: against slavery, poverty, evils of industry

3. Embraced History • Embraced ideals of Middle Ages: Honor, faith, chivalry • Gothic architecture: British Houses of Parliament • Gothic Novels Popular in Western Europe • In Central and Eastern Europe: focus on peasant life, folk tales, folk songs, proverbs

4. Early Romantic Philosophers • Rousseau: Social Contract 1762: Society and materialism corrupted human nature • Man a “Noble Savage” in the state of nature • Kant: Accepted the rationalism of the Enlightenment BUT preserved the belief in human freedom, immortality, existence of God • Helped to establish philosophy as separate from religion

5. Sturm and Drang(Storm and Stress) • Used by German romantics to communicate emotional intensity • Hegel: German idealist • The Dialectic: Thesis: Initial idea Antithesis: Opposing view Clash of above = Synthesis: a hybrid of the 2 ideas

6. Fichte • Father of German Nationalism • Anti-Semitic • Address to the German People: Developed a romantic nationalism promoting the idea that German culture is superior to all others…especially to Jewish culture

7. Romantic Poetry • Poetry was believed to be the best of all literary forms because it was the expression of one’s soul • The English Romantics: • Wordsworth: Tinturn Abby • Coleridge: Rime of the Ancient Mariner • Brothers-in-law who collaborated on Lyrical Ballads Launched the Romantic Period in England • Hugely influenced by Rousseau • Used ordinary language to idealize simple subjects

8. Sir Walter Scott • Scottish • Long narrative poems and historical novels: • Rob Roy: Poem about a legendary Scottish folk hero • Ivanhoe: Novel about a fight between Saxon and Norman knights in medieval England Both represented the Romantic’s interest in history

9. Byron, Keats, Shelley • Lord Byron: Don Juan, She Walks in Beauty… • Fought in Italy against Austria for the Carbonari • Died fighting in war for Greek independence • Shelley: Prometheus Unbound: tells the story of a revolt of humans against an oppressive society • Keats: Ode on a Grecian Urn: Great example of use of ordinary language to idealize the ordinary

10. German Romantics • Schiller: poem: Ode to Joy • about universal human solidarity • was incorporated into Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony Also wrote about man achieving freedom through the aesthetic of beauty • Goethe:Faust • Seemed to criticize the excesses of romanticism • Faust sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his experiencing all human experience

11. Germans continued • Goethe: The Sorrows of Young Werther • Werther personified the Romantic Hero who was misunderstood and rejected by society BUT stayed true to his inner feelings • Then he was rejected by a girl he loved • Then he committed suicide This novel influenced many others of the era with tragic stories of lovers

12. Germans continued • Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm: • Grimm’s Fairy Tales: a collection of German folk tales • Influenced by Herder…Volksgeist • Shows how German nationalism and romanticism were tied together

13. France • Victor Hugo: • The Hunchback of Notre Dame • Les Miserables Romanticism shown through strange settings, human emotion, fantastic characters

14. France continued • Dumas:The Three Musketeers • Historical • Adventure • Background: Court of Louis XIII

15. England again • George Sand: Female writer. • Themes: romantic love of nature and moral idealism • Mary ShelleyFrankenstein: • First Science Fiction • Frankenstein as “Natural man” misunderstood and rejected by society and driven to murder

16. Romantic Architecture • Inspired by ideals of the Middle Ages • Gothic style returned: neogothic • Best example: British Houses of Parliament rebuilt in mid-1800’s

17. Houses of Parliament

18. Romantic Art • Caspar David Friedrich • Mystical view of the power of nature shown in many of his paintings • Wanderer Above the Mist

19. Wanderer Above the Mist…Friedrich

20. Eugene Delacroix • Most famous French romantic painter • Dramatic use of color • Liberty Leading the People • His most famous work • Depicts the French Revolution of 1830

21. Liberty Leading the People

22. Theodore GericaultRaft of the Medusa • The power of nature and man’s attempt to survive its force

23. J.M.W. Turner • Paintings show nature’s power and terror • Wild storms and sinking ships • Landscapes, seascapes, sunrises, sunsets

24. Turner’s Stormy Sea with Blazing Wreck

25. John Constable • Rural English Landscapes • People are in harmony with their environment

26. Constable

27. Music • Strong connection to emotion • Connection to Nationalism through folk songs • Ludwig van Beethoven • The bridge between Classical and Romantic music • One of the first composers to communicate inner human emotion through music • One of the first composers not limited by patronage • His later works were written when he was deaf • First to incorporate vocal music in a symphony: Schiller’s Ode to Joy incorporated into the 9th Symphony

28. Romantic Music continued • Franz Schubert wrote hundreds of German songs (Lieder) that blended music and Romantic poetry • Hector Berlioz: founder of programmatic music which attempted to convey mood, action through instrumental music • Symphony Fantastique: The first programmatic symphony and his masterpiece

29. Music continued • Frederic Chopin Showcased Polish folk songs and dances • Franz Liszt Showcased native Hungarian music • Hungarian Rhapsody • Greatest piano virtuoso of the mid to late 19th C. • Developed the symphonic poem (tone poem): a single movement symphonic work that was based on a literary or pictorial idea

30. Music continued • Antonin Dvorak Folk music of Bohemia • Giuseppi Verdi greatest Italian opera composer • Richard Wagner Greatest German opera composer: German myths and legends • Along with Verdi, considered the greatest two opera composers of the 19th century

31. Romanticism and Revolution • Romanticism supported revolutionary movements that would give people more freedom and control over their own lives • Romanticism supported nationalistic movements that emphasized cultural tradition • Romanticism idealized revolutionary movements and had little real connection to political reality

32. Romanticism and Revolution continued • France: Delacroix • 1824 Massacre at Chios Portrays Greek Christians seeking independence from Ottoman savagery • 1830 Liberty Leading the People Idealized a popular revolution, and its bourgeoisie and proletariat revolutionaries

33. Romanticism and Revolution continued • Germany: • Napoleonic Age propelled Germans to a nationalistic view: individuals would realize fulfillment by being part of a national culture, united by common history • Johann Gottfried von Herder: A leader of the Sturm and Drang movement.

34. Romanticism and Revolution continued • Johann Gottfried von Herder (continued) • Urged Germans to study German literature, history, language in order to foster German unity • Believed an individual reached the highest stage of development by fostering a passionate connection to his national community: Volksgeist (Grimm’s Fairy Tales = national culture)

35. Romanticism and Revolution continued • Italy Popular heroes: Garibaldi & Mazzini and organizations: Carbonari and Young Italy inspired idealized nationalism • Giuseppe Verdi: His operas evoked strong nationalistic feelings • In 1847 one of his operas nearly started a riot • By 1859 VERDI: an acronym for: Vittorio Emanuele Re (King) d’ Italia • 12 years later Victor Emmanuel was king of a united Italy

36. The End of Romanticism • The failures of so many revolutions in 1848 led to disenchantment with Romanticism and the rise of Realism.