Romanticism
by Kathryn Riley
Often referred to as the Romantic Era, during the 18th and 19th century, romanticism appeared as a western movement within the arts and society. Occurring in Europe, romanticism specifically affected visual arts, literature, music, philosophy, and everyday thought. A major aspect of romanticism is the idea of freeing the mind from the established and choosing the “natural” and “organic” over anything mechanical or fabricated. Romanticism is widely believed by scholars to be a response to the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment period stressed morality and knowledge, all the while harboring a need to take control and better society as a whole. Romanticism, on the other hand, focused on the individual man and freeing oneself from pre-set boundaries.
Romanticism proved to be most prominent and popularized in France, Britain, and Germany. Occurring right alongside the French Revolution, the perhaps more negative and rebellious side of romanticism, encouraged the defiant nature of the French. In comparison, Britain’s use of romanticism was much calmer and its greatest social effect was the diffusion and spread of it from Britain to the United States (Scott 1). Germany took romanticism as an opportunity to unite and define Germany as Germanic romanticism focused on the ideas, language, and culture of the common people. During Germany’s romantic period, the famous fairytale collectors Jacob Grimm (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859) collected and published their first collection of stories.
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were major participants in the Romantic Era and used the cultural movement as inspiration to collect fairytales. Romanticism gave the two an opportunity to take the tales of their culture and modernize the stories by editing the tales for the period. Romantics thought highly of country folk, seeing them as a great source of genius. The Grimm brothers notably agreed that it was within the population of women, children, and common workers where it was important to take notice of the use of German language and culture. The fairy tales the Grimm Brothers’ collected were from the common people and by simply obtaining all of these stories and compiling them into a book represents the part of Romanticism that believes true knowledge comes from the common person.
Romanticism proved to be most prominent and popularized in France, Britain, and Germany. Occurring right alongside the French Revolution, the perhaps more negative and rebellious side of romanticism, encouraged the defiant nature of the French. In comparison, Britain’s use of romanticism was much calmer and its greatest social effect was the diffusion and spread of it from Britain to the United States (Scott 1). Germany took romanticism as an opportunity to unite and define Germany as Germanic romanticism focused on the ideas, language, and culture of the common people. During Germany’s romantic period, the famous fairytale collectors Jacob Grimm (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859) collected and published their first collection of stories.
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were major participants in the Romantic Era and used the cultural movement as inspiration to collect fairytales. Romanticism gave the two an opportunity to take the tales of their culture and modernize the stories by editing the tales for the period. Romantics thought highly of country folk, seeing them as a great source of genius. The Grimm brothers notably agreed that it was within the population of women, children, and common workers where it was important to take notice of the use of German language and culture. The fairy tales the Grimm Brothers’ collected were from the common people and by simply obtaining all of these stories and compiling them into a book represents the part of Romanticism that believes true knowledge comes from the common person.
Bibliography
Bainbridge, Simon. "Romanticism." The Dictionary of Alternatives. London: Zed Books, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
Furst, Lilian R. Romanticism in Perspective. New York: Humanities, 1970. Print.
Prawer, Siegbert, et al. The Romantic Period in Germany. Ed. Siegbert Prawer. New York: Schocken, 1970. Print.
"Romanticism." Encyclopedia of Nationalism: Leaders, Movements, and Concepts. Oxford: Elsevier Science & Technology, 2000. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
"Romanticism." The Macmillan Encyclopedia. Basingstoke: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 2003. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
"Romanticism." The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms. London: Thames & Hudson, 2003. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
Scott, M, and B. Gasparov. "Romanticism." The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
Verlag, Max H., et al. "The Age of Goethe (1749--1832)." A History of Germany. First ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 155-57. Print.
Walzel, Oskar. German Romanticism. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1965. Print.
Worley, Sam "Romanticism." Britain and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
Bainbridge, Simon. "Romanticism." The Dictionary of Alternatives. London: Zed Books, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
Furst, Lilian R. Romanticism in Perspective. New York: Humanities, 1970. Print.
Prawer, Siegbert, et al. The Romantic Period in Germany. Ed. Siegbert Prawer. New York: Schocken, 1970. Print.
"Romanticism." Encyclopedia of Nationalism: Leaders, Movements, and Concepts. Oxford: Elsevier Science & Technology, 2000. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
"Romanticism." The Macmillan Encyclopedia. Basingstoke: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 2003. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
"Romanticism." The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms. London: Thames & Hudson, 2003. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
Scott, M, and B. Gasparov. "Romanticism." The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.
Verlag, Max H., et al. "The Age of Goethe (1749--1832)." A History of Germany. First ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 155-57. Print.
Walzel, Oskar. German Romanticism. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1965. Print.
Worley, Sam "Romanticism." Britain and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 3 April 2014.