HISTORY OF IDEAS - Romanticism

Summary

The script explores Romanticism as a significant cultural movement that emerged in the mid-18th century, emphasizing emotion, nature, and individualism against the backdrop of industrialization and rationality. It highlights key figures like Rousseau, Chatterton, Goethe, and Wordsworth, who contributed to the shift in values and aesthetics. Romanticism's enduring legacy is its celebration of the irrational, the natural world, and the childlike, offering a counterbalance to modernity's harshness and a quest for a more evolved, mature age.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Romanticism is a significant historical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Western Europe, characterized by a new set of ideas and a shift in sensibilities towards nature, children, love, and the individual.
• 📚 Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'Emile' was an influential work advocating for the natural goodness of children and the importance of breastfeeding, challenging the rational and oppressive adult world.
• 🎨 Thomas Chatterton's tragic suicide became a symbol for the romantic ideal of the sensitive, doomed artist, a theme that resonates through many subsequent romantic figures.
• 💔 Goethe's 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' was a pivotal romantic love story that celebrated passionate, impractical love and influenced how a generation viewed love and societal expectations.
• 🤔 Romanticism often questions the limits of reason, as seen in Francisco Goya's 'The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters', highlighting the power of the irrational.
• 🏞️ William Wordsworth's poetry from Dove Cottage celebrated the natural world and became a symbol of resistance against industrialization and the mechanization of life.
• 🌄 Thomas Cole's paintings of the American landscape represented the romantic search for sublime emotions in nature, contrasting the insignificance of humans against nature's grandeur.
• 🏰 Augustus Pugin's design of the new British Parliament building reflected a romantic nostalgia for the medieval past, suggesting a critique of modernity's focus on money and technology.
• 🚶 Charles Baudelaire's prose poem about the flâneur celebrated the figure of the aimless wanderer, embodying the romantic admiration for playfulness and non-conformity.
• 🌴 Paul Gauguin's move to Tahiti was a pursuit of an escape from civilization's artificiality, seeking authenticity and a critique of societal norms in the romantic tradition.
• 💡 Romanticism has left a lasting impact on our sensibilities, advocating for the irrational, the untrained, and the exotic in contrast to the cold rationality of modernity.

Q & A

What is Romanticism and how did it begin?

Romanticism is a movement characterized by a new set of ideas and a mindset that emerged in Western Europe in the mid-18th century. It began with the works of artists, poets, and philosophers and spread globally, influencing how people perceive nature, children, love, sex, money, and work.

What was Jean-Jacques Rousseau's contribution to Romanticism?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau contributed to Romanticism with his book 'Emile' or 'On Education', which praised the natural goodness and spontaneity of children and criticized the oppressive world of adults. He was the first to argue for the glamorization of children's freedom from tradition and the natural innocence.

Who was Thomas Chatterton and what does his story represent in Romanticism?

Thomas Chatterton was a 17-year-old poet who committed suicide after facing rejection of his work and pressure to become a lawyer. His story represents the idea of the sensitive, doomed artist rejected by a cruel and vulgar world, which became a significant theme in Romanticism.

What is the significance of 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' in the history of Romanticism?

Goethe's 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' is a quintessential romantic love story that tells the tale of a doomed love affair. It emphasizes the importance of following one's heart and passion, even if it leads to tragic consequences, which became a central theme in Romanticism.

How did Francisco Goya's artwork 'The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters' reflect Romanticism?

Goya's 'The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters' captures the Romantic interest in the limits of reason and the power of the irrational. It shows sympathy for madness and a critical stance towards the overconfidence in rationality, science, and logic.

What role did William Wordsworth play in the Romantic movement?

William Wordsworth played a significant role in the Romantic movement by writing poetry that celebrated the natural world and expressed a deep hatred for industrialization and mechanization. His work seduced Europe with its charm and advocacy for nature.

How did Thomas Cole's paintings reflect the Romantic view of nature?

Thomas Cole's paintings, such as his depiction of Niagara Falls, showcased the sublime and vast landscapes of nature, making humans appear small and insignificant by comparison. This reflects the Romantic belief in finding solace and grandeur in nature that transcends human achievements.

What was the significance of the new British Parliament building designed by Augustus Pugin?

The new British Parliament building designed by Augustus Pugin was significant because, despite being new, it was made to look old and medieval. This design choice reflected a Romantic fascination with the pre-industrial past and a longing for the nobility thought to be missing from the modern world.

Who is the flâneur as described by Charles Baudelaire, and what does this character represent in Romanticism?

The flâneur, as described by Charles Baudelaire, is a casual wanderer who observes the busy street life of a modern city without any particular job to attend to. This character represents the Romantic admiration for playfulness and lack of practicality, valuing the experience of life over the constraints of wage slavery.

Why did Paul Gauguin sail to Tahiti and what does this signify in the context of Romanticism?

Paul Gauguin sailed to Tahiti to escape artificiality and conventionality, seeking a more natural and relaxed way of life. This signifies the core Romantic belief that civilization is sick and that true beauty and health can be found in the simplicity and authenticity of non-Western cultures.

What is the broader impact of Romanticism on our sensibilities and modern society?

Romanticism has permanently changed our sensibilities by advocating for the irrational, untrained, exotic, childlike, and naive in a world that has become increasingly technological and rational. It challenges the heartlessness and dogmatism of modernity and offers a more evolved alternative that combines the best of both worlds.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The Dawn of Romanticism

Romanticism, emerging in mid-18th century Western Europe, represents a significant shift in artistic, poetic, and philosophical thought. It emphasizes a new mindset and emotional perspective, challenging the rational, scientific, and technological advancements of the modern world. Key figures like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, with his emphasis on the natural goodness of children, and Thomas Chatterton, a young poet symbolizing the sensitive artist misunderstood by society, laid the groundwork for Romantic ideals. The movement also saw the rise of the 'romantic hero' archetype, exemplified by Goethe's 'The Sorrows of Young Werther,' which celebrated passionate love over societal norms. Additionally, Romanticism questioned the dominance of reason, as depicted in Francisco Goya's 'The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters,' and sought to rediscover the nobility of the past, as seen in the medieval revival in architecture led by Augustus Pugin.

05:02

🏞️ The Romantic Reverence for Nature and the Past

This paragraph delves into the Romantic movement's deep connection with nature and the past. William Wordsworth's residence in Dove Cottage and his poetry, which celebrates the natural world and opposes industrialization, exemplify the Romantic appreciation for nature. The movement also found solace in the grandeur of landscapes, as depicted by Thomas Cole's paintings of Niagara Falls. The medieval revival in architecture, championed by Augustus Pugin, and Charles Baudelaire's celebration of the flâneur, or urban stroller, reflect a longing for a simpler, pre-industrial past. The French painter Paul Gauguin's journey to Tahiti to escape civilization's artificiality further underscores the Romantic belief in the purity and authenticity of the uncivilized world. The Romantic movement's enduring legacy has shaped our sensibilities, advocating for the irrational, the exotic, and the childlike in contrast to the cold rationality of modernity.

Keywords

💡Romanticism

Romanticism is a cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It is characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism, as well as glorification of the past and nature, preferring the medieval rather than the classical. In the video, Romanticism is portrayed as a reaction to the modern world's industrialization, urbanization, secularization, and consumerism, and it has shaped how we perceive various aspects of life, including nature, love, and individual expression.

💡Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an influential Swiss philosopher during the Enlightenment period, known for his ideas on education, political theory, and the inherent goodness of humans. In the script, Rousseau's work 'Emile' or 'On Education' is highlighted as a seminal text in Romanticism, advocating for the natural goodness and spontaneity of children, which contrasts with the growing rational and technologically-driven society of the time.

💡Thomas Chatterton

Thomas Chatterton was a young poet whose tragic life and death became a symbol of the Romantic ideal of the sensitive, doomed artist. The script describes Chatterton as an emblem of the Romantic hero, who is misunderstood and rejected by society, much like the secularized Christ-like figures that Romanticism often portrayed. His story illustrates the movement's focus on the emotional depth and suffering of the artist.

💡Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a leading figure in German literature and a central figure in the Sturm und Drang and Weimar Classicism phases of German literature. The script mentions his work 'The Sorrows of Young Werther,' which is a quintessential Romantic love story that emphasizes the importance of following one's heart, even if it leads to tragic consequences. This aligns with the Romantic belief in the primacy of emotion and passion over reason and societal norms.

💡Francisco Goya

Francisco Goya was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker, known for his depictions of the capricious and often dark aspects of human nature. His work 'The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters' is cited in the script as an iconic image that captures the Romantic interest in the irrational and the limits of reason. It suggests that when rationality sleeps, the darker, more primal aspects of human nature emerge, a theme that resonates with the Romantic movement's exploration of the subconscious and the irrational.

💡William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet who is best known for his love of nature and his emphasis on the importance of the individual's connection with the natural world. In the script, Wordsworth's poetry is celebrated for its focus on the natural world, which was under threat due to industrialization. His work, including the famous 'Daffodils,' reflects the Romantic ideal of finding solace and inspiration in nature, in contrast to the mechanized and industrialized world.

💡Thomas Cole

Thomas Cole was an American romantic painter known for his landscape artworks that depicted the American wilderness in a grand and sublime manner. The script refers to Cole's painting of Niagara Falls with Native Americans in the foreground, symbolizing the Romantic fascination with the awe-inspiring power of nature and the insignificance of humans in comparison. This aligns with the Romantic movement's tendency to seek emotional experiences in the grandeur of nature that transcend human endeavors.

💡Augustus Pugin

Augustus Pugin was an English architect and designer, famous for his work on the Palace of Westminster and his promotion of Gothic Revival architecture. In the script, Pugin's design for the new British parliament building is highlighted as an example of Romanticism's nostalgia for the past, specifically the medieval period. Pugin's work is seen as noble because it harkens back to a time before the preoccupation with money and technology, reflecting the Romantic movement's critique of modernity.

💡Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who is considered one of the progenitors of modernism in poetry, and he was also a key figure in the Romantic movement. The script describes Baudelaire's prose poem celebrating the 'flâneur,' a leisurely observer of urban life, which embodies the Romantic admiration for playfulness and non-conformity. Baudelaire's work reflects the Romantic ideal of finding beauty and meaning in the everyday, even amidst the hustle and bustle of modern city life.

💡Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin was a French post-Impressionist painter who is known for his experimental use of color and synthetist style. In the script, Gauguin's move to Tahiti is mentioned as an escape from the artificial and conventional aspects of Western civilization. His paintings of relaxed and natural young native women symbolize the Romantic pursuit of the exotic and the belief that civilization is a source of sickness. Gauguin's work exemplifies the Romantic movement's search for authenticity and purity outside of the constraints of modern society.

Highlights

Romanticism is a significant historical event representing the birth of new ideas and a shift in mindset and feelings.

Originating in Western Europe in the mid-18th century, Romanticism spread globally, influencing perceptions of nature, children, love, and more.

Romanticism emerged as a reaction to modern world features such as industrialization, urbanization, secularization, and consumerism.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'Emile' or 'On Education' from May 1762 is a foundational text advocating for the natural goodness of children.

Rousseau's work emphasizes the importance of children as symbols of purity and creativity against a growing rational and technological society.

The tragic story of poet Thomas Chatterton in 1770 symbolizes the romantic ideal of the sensitive, doomed artist.

Goethe's 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' (1774) is a quintessential romantic love story that changed perceptions of love and passion.

The novel portrays the romantic hero as a secularized Christ-like figure, noble in the eyes of the few who understand.

Francisco Goya's 'The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters' (1798) captures the romantic interest in the irrational and the limits of reason.

William Wordsworth's poetry from 1799, written at Dove Cottage, celebrates the natural world and opposes industrialization.

Wordsworth's work led to an increase in tourism to the Lake District, reflecting the romantic preference for nature over industry.

Thomas Cole's paintings, like his depiction of Niagara Falls in 1829, embody the romantic search for sublime emotions in nature.

Augustus Pugin's design of the British Parliament in 1847 reflects a romantic nostalgia for the pre-industrial past.

Charles Baudelaire's prose poem from 1863 celebrates the flâneur, a figure embodying the romantic admiration for playfulness and lack of practicality.

Paul Gauguin's move to Tahiti in 1891 represents the romantic pursuit of escaping artificiality and conventionality.

Romanticism champions the irrational, untrained, exotic, childlike, and naive as a counterbalance to the cold, dogmatic aspects of modernity.

The romantic movement has permanently influenced our sensibilities, advocating for a balance between modernity and romantic ideals.

Transcripts

Romanticism is one of the most important historical events of all time.

Unlike a lot of what gets called history,

romanticism isn't a war or a piece of technology or a political event.

It refers to the birth of a new set of ideas. It is about a mindset and a way of feeling.

Romanticism began in Western Europe in the mid-18 century, in the work of artists, poets and philosophers.

And it subsequently spread all over the world.

Changing how millions of people look at nature, children, love, sex, money and work.

We are all now more or less in some aspect of our sensibilities romantics.

Romanticism is best understood as a reaction to the birth of the modern world

and some of its key features: industrialization, urbanization, secularization and consumerism.

What follows, are some of the central moments in the history of romanticism:

The Marais, Paris, May 1762.

The Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau publishes a book about the raising of children: "Emile" or "On Education".

It contains diatribes against the oppressive world of adults.

And praises the natural goodness, spontaneity and wisdom of little children.

It is at points extremely anxious to get mothers to breast-feed their offspring.

The first sustained argument for this practice in western civilization.

The world around Rousseau is growing ever more, rational, scientific and technologically based.

It is increasingly sensible, planned, sterile and bureaucratic. Against all of these, Rousseau emphasizes the child,

the original rebel, the representative of everything that is pure, unschooled and outside of adult discipline.

It is the seat of creativity and genius.

For the first time in Western history, glamour is directed not at the attainment of reason and adult self control,

But at the freedom from tradition and the natural, innocence and the sweetness of the child.

Brook Street, London, August 1770

A precocious 17 year old poet called Thomas Chatterton

downs some arsenic and ends his life in a tiny attic apartment.

He kills himself because no one wants to publish his poetry

which is concerned with beauty and wisdom.

And because his uncomprehending family are applying pressure for him to become a lawyer.

A cult soon grows up around the young beautiful poet

with shoulder length chestnut hair.

He becomes an emblem of something that will become very important for romantics:

the idea of the sensitive, doomed person often an artist rejected by a cruel, vulgar world.

Chatterton stands at the head of a long line of romantic heroes that will stretch from Byron to Keiths to Van Gogh,

and eventually all the way to Jim Morris and Amy Winehouse.

Romanticism borrows from Christianity.

The romantic hero is a secularized Christ like figure.

The loser who is in truth deeply noble in the eyes of the few who understand.

Leipzig, Germany, 1774

The German author Goethe publishes the quintessential romantic love story:

The Sorrows of Young Werther.

It tells the story of a passionate doomed love affair between a young poet called Werther and a beautiful clever young woman called Charlotte.

Unfortunately for Werther, Charlotte is married. So the love is impossible from

the very start but that doesn't stop Werther, a dreamy and practical young man

who loves the arts above all else. Like chatterton, Werther is under pressure to

have a sensible career and join bourgeois life but he can think of only

one thing:

The impulses of his heart. Eventually Werther can't take it anymore and

kills himself but rather than condemning him as a lunatic and a hothead,

Goethe one of the founding fathers of Romanticism directs all our sympathies

towards Werther.

We are supposed to be on his side admiring his passionate and entirely impractical

attitude to love. The book becomes the most popular novel of a generation. Three

million copies are printed.

Napoleon declares it the greatest work of European literature and it

dramatically changes how many people think of love, privileging dramatic

outpourings of feeling over more traditional rational concerns for class

lineage and money. For a romantic

it's always right and Noble

to follow your heart. The disastrous results that follow aren't any argument that

just proof of how desiccated and heartless the so-called adult sensible world can be.

Madrid, spain, 1798

The artist Francisco Goya produces one of his most iconic images titled "The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters".

It captures a quintessential romantic interest in the limits of reason and the

power of the irrational over humans fragile minds. To be romantic is to have

sympathy for madness and to hold an almost vengeful attitude towards

bombastic claims as to the triumph of rationality, science and logic.

The Lake District, England, December 1799

A young English poet called William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy move into what set to become one of the most famous

residences in the history of English literature: Dove cottage in Grasmere on the

edge of The Lake District.

Here they will spend the next nine years and Wordsworth will write some of the greatest poetry in english language,

celebrating something that's very under threat: the natural world.

He will write about daffodils, oak trees, clouds, butterflies and rivers and his

work will charm and seduce Europe. Within a generation their will in Wordsworth

own estimation be more tourists than sheep in The Lake District.

Most importantly, running through Wordsworth poetry is an abiding hatred

for everything mechanical and industrial. When many years later a railway line

threatens to pass through the Lake District Wordsworth and his followers do

everything they can to have the train, a symbol of Wordsworth hated technology rerouted.

To be a romantic is to take the side of nature against industry.

It is to prefer a daffodil to a viaduct, to a tree to a factory. At the moment when

huge swaths of Britain are being covered in the often monstrous new cities that

are making Europe rich, Wordsworth the quintessential romantic speaks up for

the natural and a simple life.

Niagara, United States, September 1829

The American painter Thomas Cole paints one of his most characteristic images of the mighty Niagara Falls with a couple of

Native Americans in the foreground.

Cole makes his name as a painter of sublime scenes, vast landscapes of the

American interior showing nature at its most dignified and impressive. Man looks

lost and puny by comparison. This too is a typical romantic attitude, for

romantics don't believe in God but they go in search of the emotions

one might once have had around religion and locate them in a big

wide-open spaces of nature. To be a romantic is to find relief from the

pressures of competitive city life in the sort of natural grandeur that

transcends all human achievements and concerns.

Westminster, London, April 1847

14 years after some fairly incompetent officials destroy the British parliament with fire, a new building reopens designed by a

rising star architect: Augustus Pugin.

Oddly even though the building is new

It is made to look old, very very old, medieval in fact. It is full of suits of

armor and seated angels. When the architect Pugin defends the building

he argues that is building is Noble because it harks back to his country's

pre-industrial past, before it grew obsessed, he is careful to add with money

or technology.

It begins a cult of the Middle Ages, a big theme and romanticism which

identifies in the world of knights and castles, a nobility that is thought missing

from the factories and shopping arcades of the modern world.

Saint-Germain, Paris, May 1863

The French poet Charles Baudelaire writes a prose poem celebrating an unusual character whom he calls a flâneur, a stroller or loafer.

A casual wanderer who has no particular job to go to

and just spend this time observing busy street life of a modern city,

threading his way through the crowds, strolling instead of rushing, sampling

people's conversations and creating narratives for others lives.

Baudelaire, a typical romantic admires the flâneur's playfulness and lack of practicality.

This person isn't a waste of time.

It doesn't matter that he doesn't have a job for Baudelaire he is a prince,

unlike the boring wage slaves rushing to the new offices of capitalism.

Le Havre, April 1891

The french painter Paul Gauguin set sail for Tahiti, hoping to escape everything that is artificial and conventional.

He lives in the Pacific South Seas on and off for the rest of his life, drawing young Native women

looking relaxed and natural without anything on.

They are in his eyes evidence that civilization is what has made a sick,

A core romantic belief.

The Romantic movement has permanently changed our sensibilities

as the world has grown ever more technological and rational romanticism

has come to stick up for the irrational, the untrained, the exotic, the childlike

and the naive.

There is naturally something a bit adolescent and immature within Romanticism.

But then again it can be something rather heartless, cold, dogmatic and

arrogant in many aspects of modernity.

one hopes this isn't going to be the end of the story that we may in the future

learn to soften the worst side of modernity through the best sides of

romanticism, in order to create a more evolved alternative,

what one might term: an age of maturity.