Romanticism (also known as the Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in
Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and
individualism, idealization of nature, suspicion of science and industrialization, and glorification of the past with a strong preference for the medieval rather than the classical.
[1] It was partly a reaction to the
Industrial Revolution,
[2] the social and political norms of the
Age of Enlightenment, and the scientific rationalization of nature—all components of modernity.
[3] It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on
historiography,
[4] education,
[5] chess,
social sciences, and the
natural sciences.
[6] It had a significant and complex effect on politics, with romantic thinkers influencing
conservatism,
liberalism,
radicalism, and
nationalism.
[7]
The movement emphasized intense emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as fear, horror and terror, and awe — especially that experienced in confronting the new aesthetic categories of the sublime and beauty of nature.
[8][9] It elevated folk art and ancient custom to something noble, but also spontaneity as a desirable characteristic (as in the musical impromptu). In contrast to the
Rationalism and
Classicism of the
Enlightenment, Romanticism revived
medievalism[10] and elements of art and narrative perceived as authentically medieval in an attempt to escape population growth, early
urban sprawl, and
industrialism.
The more precise characterization and specific definition of Romanticism has been the subject of debate in the fields of
intellectual history and
literary history throughout the 20th century, without any great measure of consensus emerging. That it was part of the
Counter-Enlightenment, a reaction against the
Age of Enlightenment, is generally accepted in current scholarship. Its relationship to the
French Revolution, which began in 1789 in the very early stages of the period, is clearly important, but highly variable depending on geography and individual reactions. Most Romantics can be said to be broadly progressive in their views, but a considerable number always had, or developed, a wide range of conservative views,
[39] and nationalism was in many countries strongly associated with Romanticism, as discussed in detail below.