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Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement in the late 18th century that emphasized strong emotions, nature, and a break from rigid structure. It rebelled against scientific rationalization and focused on the power of nature, imagination, and mythic and religious symbolism. Romantic literature focused on isolated, heroic artist figures and the human psyche, often dealing with supernatural or occult themes. Stylistically, Romanticism defied literary conventions and emphasized imagination and creativity over formality and structure. It also paid attention to mythology and religion, but often reinterpreted them for their own purposes.
Romanticism describes an artistic and intellectual movement that began in the latter part of the 18th century and had a powerful effect on many areas of art, literature, music and thought. Characteristics of Romanticism include a focus on strong emotions, awe of nature, and a break from following a rigid structure. These and other features were born, to some extent, out of a desire to rebel against the scientific rationalization of the natural world that was taking place due to rapid increases in scientific progress. As such, emphasis was placed on the power of nature, the importance of the imagination, and the use of mythic and religious symbolism.
Some of the characteristics of Romanticism are based on thematic rather than stylistic concerns. Much Romantic literature, for example, has focused on isolated, heroic artist figures in unpleasant or difficult situations. Romantic literature also addressed the human psyche in new ways, giving importance to the unconscious and the imagination that was generally lacking in classical literature. Some of the literature of the Romantic movement dealt with supernatural or occult themes, and many of the important early works of the horror genre originated from this movement. The vast power of nature and man’s impotence against nature was another of the prominent themes.
Romanticism also has several stylistic characteristics that contrast with the structure, formality and restraint common in classicism. These writers held imagination and creativity above formality and structure, so many defied the literary conventions of the time. They practiced less restraint than their classical counterparts and were more likely to use words and phrases that were highly evocative of emotion and less based on a precise concrete meaning. Classical writers tended to follow very explicit rules specifying what they should and should not do in their literary work, which was markedly different from Romanticism.
Another of the characteristics of Romanticism is the attention to mythology and religion. Attention, however, was not always filled with humble awe and respect: many Romantic writers provided reinterpretations of myths that varied substantially from the source material. Religion in particular was treated with far less respect and awe than the literary practices of the past. Writers are likely to use religious images because of their beauty and effectiveness in conveying emotionally charged meaning. Romanticism is not, however, defined by pious and deferential respect for the religious themes it addresses, and writers have freely used religious ideas for their own purposes.
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