Chapter 4 Romanticism and the Gothic Right: J.M.W. Turner: “The Fighting Temeraire” 1839
A reaction to rationalism Reason and scientific inquiry are not enough True understanding comes through the heart, not the intellect alone The “rules” of neo-classicism were a hindrance for the individual genius
Romanticism Nature preferred to Civilisation Imagination, emotion and intuition preferred to intellect Innovation preferred to convention Radical idealism Idealisation of “the primitive” (“the Noble Savage”) Interest in folklore, folk literature – and “the people”
The Romantic Period 1 Often defined as starting with Lyrical Ballads (1798) and ending with death of Walter Scott (1832) Had precursors in the likes of William Blake Continued influence during Victorian Age, right up until the present
The Romantic Period 2 Golden Age of English poetry – (Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Byron…) Golden Age of English painting – (Constable, Turner…) John Constable: The Hay Wain (1821)
An Age of Revolution American Revolution (1776) French Revolution Surprise defeat for emerging British Empire at the hands of their own citizens French Revolution Became an inspiration - and later a bitter disappointment - for radical Romantics Industrial Revolution Industrialisation and urbanisation contributed to the idealisation of Nature
The Gothic 1 Originally used in Renaissance as a derogatory term for non-classical, mediaeval architecture Mediaevalism – renewed interest in the Middle Ages
The Gothic 2 In literature – a fascination for the irrational and the fantastic, the mysterious and the grotesque Gothic elements in Romantic novels: (Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre…