Topic > The Development of Individualism and Romanticism

IndividualismRomanticism is the cult of the individual: the cultural and psychological birth of the self, the inner spark of divinity that connects one human being to another and all human beings to Truth Bigger. The artist is concerned with articulating personal experiences which, in turn, become representative. The artist takes on a quasi-religious status not only as a prophet and moral leader, but also as a divinely inspired vehicle through which nature and the common man find their voice. The idea of ​​man's natural goodness and the emphasis on emotions also contributed to the development of romantic individualism; they believed that what is special in a man should be weighed against what is representative (the latter is often connected to the conventions imposed on man by civilized society). If a man can adequately express his unique emotional self because his essence is good, he is also likely to assume that his conflicts and corruptions are a matter of great importance and a source of fascination for himself and others. Romantics delighted in self-analysis. The "wild" is noble, childhood is beautiful, and the emotions inspired by both beliefs make the heart soar. Urban life and the commitment to "take and send" generate fear and distrust of the world. Concern for the common man evolved not only from the democratic ideologies of the Age of Revolution but also from a renewed interest in popular culture. The People's Movement became the path to an international language of human community, at the center of which were images of home and heart. This individuality resulted in the revolution of feeling against form – the rejection of classical balance in favor of romantic asymmetry. Embracing the unknown... middle of paper... possible. It would not be wrong to say that the idea of ​​intrinsic value dates back to the Enlightenment.”• “The theme of unrequited love was introduced as early as 1774 by Goethe in his novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. The book ends with young Werther shooting himself… Suicide rates increased after the novel was published, and for a time the book was banned in Denmark and Norway…” • “There were strong emotions involved” Colderidge • “Examine carefully the nature, but write from memory, and we trust more in imagination than in memory”. Rousseau: • Nature never deceives us; we are the ones who deceive ourselves. Byron: • There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, there is an ecstasy on the lonely shore, there is society, where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar: • I'll walk where my nature would lead me: it bothers me to choose another guide.