Neoclassicism and Romanticism differ in style, thematic focus, and the influence of emotion. Neoclassicism is a tribute to the past, while Romanticism is a response to classicism. The two styles overlap, but differ in reason vs. emotion, tradition vs. innovation, and individual vs. society. Neoclassical works adhere to past models, while Romantic works are experimental. Neoclassical works emphasize historical periods and moral lessons, while Romantic works idealize humans and celebrate nonconformists. Romantic literature emphasizes imagination and personal perspectives, while neoclassical literature analyzes real people and events. Romantic works focus on emotion and feeling, while neoclassical works are more conservative and observe cultural norms.
There are a number of differences between Neoclassicism and Romanticism, but the largest tend to focus on style, thematic focus and the influence of emotion. Even when each movement was most popular is somewhat different, with neoclassical ideas usually appearing before the rise of the Romantics. Neoclassicism, a product of the 18th century, is believed to have started as a tribute to the past. Individuals in this period appreciated the culture and creative works produced by historic civilizations such as those of ancient Greece and Rome. Romanticism, on the other hand, arose in the 18th century as a response and alternative to classicism, and consequently placed more emphasis on an appreciation of the exotic and the different. The two styles sometimes overlap and not all writers and thinkers adhere to all characteristics of both genres; in most cases, the differences between the two are more stark in theory than in practice.
Philosophical applications
People usually talk about neoclassicism and romanticism when they apply to writers and thinkers, and in general they are seen as styles of philosophy and rhetoric. Scholars classify works and ideas into these categories based first on their timeline and chronology, but also and perhaps most importantly on the ideas they contain and the themes they discuss. It can be said that the real difference between these two philosophies lies in the difference between reason and emotion, between tradition and innovation, and between the individual and society. There is usually no recipe or strict set of requirements for fitting into either category, and in most cases a classification is made primarily on the overall “feel” of the work.
Style differences
Literary subject and style is one of the most obvious places where the works of the Neoclassical period and the Romantic period diverge. Neoclassical works typically adhere to past models for structure. The Romantics, however, were more experimental in their literary approaches. For example, they were more likely to write poems in unrhymed blank verse rather than in the typical rhymed couplet structure characteristic of much neoclassical poetry. Romantic literature also used fantastic mythical or nature-focused imagery in many works such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” while neoclassical authors and poets such as John Dryden often emphasized historical periods or themes imbued with moral lessons.
Thematic focus
Realism, or a focus on how things really are, is often contrasted with idealism, or a fixation on how things might be, and how this tension is captured and conveyed is another important difference. between styles. The characters in neoclassical works are generally restrained and non-controversial, and the plots tend to adhere strongly to traditional themes. Romantic works, by contrast, more often idealize humans in some way by promoting human innocence and the idea of a so-called “noble savage” unencumbered by modern evils. Nonconformists and tendentially also celebrated in romantic literature.
These approaches also highlight the divergent emphasis in neoclassicism and romanticism regarding society and the individual. Human imagination and unique personal perspectives have become the cornerstones of written texts in Romantic literature, particularly in the poetry of the Romantic era made famous by William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, and others. However, imagination tends to be somewhat de-emphasized in neoclassical literature. Writers more frequently used established literary forms – such as the essays and satires of authors such as Alexander Pope – to analyze real people and events.
Influence of emotion
Another area where the two styles diverge is the latter’s focus on emotion and feeling rather than reason. As a result, word choices and language often used more metaphorical and descriptive devices that invoked various images and associations from the reader. Additionally, the stories are often instilled with more drama and the characters have been more humanized to spark audience empathy. Neoclassical characters and storylines are typically more conservative in nature, and also tend to more closely observe the correctness and cultural norms of the time.
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