The Pre-romantic Movement Second Part of the XVIII Century

Towards a Definition During the second part of the XVIII century, the Pre-romantic movement begins in Europe. It shares some characteristics with the romantic movement during the XIX. Pre-romanticism can be defined as: “literary manifestations that took place before the Romantic Movement properly speaking.”

Towards a Definition The term Pre romantic defines the sensibilities and spiritual states, trends, ideas and forms that developed at the end of the Neoclassical Period.” The Pre romantics did not constitute a school of thought. They were a group of writers that were influenced by the new trends, feelings, of the end of the century.

Towards a definition The Pre romantic writers fight against the neoclassical dogmas and prepare the coming of the Romantic Poets that appears at the end of the XVIII century in Germany, England, and then in France. The rationalism, characteristic of the Neoclassical period, will be changed by the emphasis of feeling and emotion.

Towards a Definition The Neoclassical ideas inherited by Renaissance humanism such as respect for rules and conventionalities; separation of genres, dominion of reason over feeling, social and moral character of literature. Neoclassical literature that intends to study the man in abstract with the objective to perfect him will be changed by feeling and emotion.

The Pre-romantics The pre-romantics looked for a change in the conventionalities. The didactic poem, so much used by the Neoclassical writer, will be changed by the expression of feeling and emotions. To write with this new concept in mind, writers needed to explore other ways of writing. Literature had to abandon its social projection and acquire a more intimate tone.

Characteristics The exaltation of personal feeling and sensitivities *The Neoclassical writer was concerned with the rational, the social and educational. *Reason is more than feeling. *The pre-romantics fight against this tendency and try to express feelings through their poetry. A sensitive man is virtuous for the Pre-romantics.

Characteristics The vision of Nature *Pre-romantics will write about the poetic feelings Nature makes them feel. *In Nature human beings can feel beauty, tenderness and melancholy. *The Pre-romantic despise the artificial life of the cities and they would rather retire to the country side. *Nature is a reflection of the feelings of the poet.

Characteristics Moral and intellectual freedom *Neoclassical writers strictly followed the tradition. *The main characters do not express their dissatisfaction with society. (They don’t cry because they are poor for example, or because they are unhappy in their marriages, etc.)

Characteristics Melancholy *Nature and reflection produce melancholy feelings based on the ideas that life moves towards death, that happiness is unattainable, love is unstable. *Melancholy reminds human beings that their life has an end.

Characteristics The predilection for darkness and sepulchres (the gothic) *It is a way to acquire a mire intimate feeling, that shows the states of the soul. *This sort of literature goes back to the Middle ages, and it is going to portray sepulchres, abbeys, monks, strange events)

England The Pre-romantic Movement becomes very popular in England. The English pre-romantics search for a new sort of poetry that does not take into account the classical patterns.

Horace Walpole The “father” of the gothic novel (the novel of mystery and terror). The castle of Otranto, his most famous novel is set in the Middle ages. There is much paraphernalia of terror and villainy in it, but it was important for the development of pre-romantic movement.

The Castle of Otranto The unexplained death of Prince Conrad who dies the eve of his marriage with Isabella. Manfred, Conrad’s father decides to marry the girl himself, but first he will have to divorce. Isabella then manages to escape from Manfred with the aid of a peasant.

Mrs. Radcliff Mrs. Radcliff continued the tradition started by Walpole. She’s the author of the famous novel “The Mysteries of Udolpho” (1794), a book about mysterious passages, disappearing walls, shrouded figures, unexplained groans, clanking of chains.