Redone Romanticism FRQ

To what extent did Romanticism challenge Enlightenment views of human beings and the natural world and how did this challenge illustrate changes between the Enlightenment and Romantic views of the relationship between God and the individual?

The Enlightenment was a time of knowledge and learning. People were fascinated by science, causing them to observe nature and all that was around them. They also were intrigued by philosophy, and many people searched for answers about God and religion and what God had in mind for the human race. Romanticism challenged these views; Romantics looked for escape and individuality in nature. They valued emotions and the human soul. They expressed themselves freely, but the soul and integrity of humans were too important to save any room for God. Individualism also started during the Romantic period, and that only pushed God out more. The Romantic Era drastically countered the previous thoughts of the Enlightenment, lessening the importance of God because the focus on emotions, the arts, nature, and individualism was heightened.

Movements like the Sturm und Drang really got Romanticism off to running start. The Sturm und Drang was a movement taking place in German literature where writers were free to go to the extremes with their emotions and thoughts in their writing. They were encouraged to be off the wall individuals and to make great changes with their writings. Writers of the Sturm und Drang believed that the previous Era of Enlightenment had failed to let people experience life to the fullest; the way that it should be experienced. Goethe was a German writer of the time, who wrote pieces like The Sorrows of Young Werther, which was a tragic love story that looked into Goethe's own feelings of love and pain. Many other plays and novels with a tragic story jammed pack with emotion were typical of the Sturm und Drang movement, and then continued on to be typical of many Romantic writings.

Literature in Romanticism was groundbreaking. Nothing had been written in time periods before that was even vaguely similar. Supernatural powers, superheroes, and the impossible became common themes. Edgar Allen Poe was, and still is known, for his creepy poems and stories that involve  often supernatural events. Mary Shelley was also a well known novelist, the creator of the story of Frankenstein. Romantic poems were windows that looked deep into the souls of the writers. John Keat's poems showed what he felt about life and nature, among other topics, and were full of beautiful details and effects and they showed his true emotions. Some writers of the Romantic movement became some of the first celebrities of all time, and because their writings were well known and widespread, many people were sucked into the Romantic culture.

Nationalism was a popular theme during the Romantic Era. People felt great pride for their country, and one can see this in many ways in their art. Delacroix, a painter, was famous for his  painting Liberty leading the People. The painting glorifies liberty and triumph, truly showing the nationalism of the French people. Many people also painted nature scenes, and architecture brought back the Gothic designs. Art in the Romantic period simply reflected all of the themes of the era.

Romantic people painted, wrote, and spoke about what they thought was important. Individualism, being alone in the natural world to think, their emotions and feelings. These beliefs did not fit in with religion. Many Romantics were atheists, caring more about their own souls than what God had planned for them. Romanticism was  a rebuttal to the Enlightenment and everything, including the people's religions, were stark opposites.