Expression of romanticism in art literature

Romanticism is an ideological trend in art and literature, which appeared in the 90s of the 18th century in Europe and became widespread in other countries of the world (Russia includes their number), as well as in America. The main ideas of this direction is the recognition of the value of the spiritual and creative life of each person and his right to independence and freedom. Very often, in the works of this literary trend, heroes with a strong, rebellious character were depicted, the plots were characterized by a bright glow of passions, nature was depicted in a spiritual and healing manner.

Appearing in the era of the French Revolution and the world industrial revolution, romanticism changed the direction of classicism and the Enlightenment as a whole. In contrast to the adherents of classicism, supporting the ideas of the cult significance of the human mind and the birth of civilization on its foundations, romantics put mother nature on the pedestal of worship, emphasizing the importance of natural feelings and the freedom of aspirations of each person.

Evolutionary events of the late 18th century completely changed the course of the usual life, both in France and in other countries of Europe. People, feeling keen loneliness, were distracted from their problems, playing various games of chance, and having fun in various ways. It was then that the idea arose of imagining that human life is an endless game where there are winners and losers. Romantic works often depicted heroes opposing the world around them, rebelling against fate and rock, obsessed with their own thoughts and reflections on their own idealized vision of the world, sharply not coinciding with reality. Realizing their helplessness in a world ruled by capital, many romantics were in turmoil and confusion, feeling themselves infinitely alone in the life around them, which was the main tragedy of their personality.

The main events that had a great influence on the development of romanticism in Russia were the War of 1812 and the Decembrist uprising of 1825. However, distinguished by originality and originality, Russian romanticism of the beginning of the 19th century is an inseparable part of the common European literary movement and has its common features and basic principles.

The emergence of Russian romanticism coincides with the maturing of a socio-historical breakthrough in the life of society at that time, when the sociopolitical structure of the Russian state was in an unstable, transitional state. People of advanced views, disillusioned with the ideas of the Enlightenment, advocating the creation of a new society based on the principles of reason and the triumph of justice, decisively rejecting the principles of bourgeois life, not understanding the essence of the antagonistic contradictions of life, felt feelings of hopelessness, loss, pessimism and lack of faith in a reasonable solution to the conflict.

The representatives of romanticism considered the main value to be the human person, and the mysterious and beautiful world of harmony, beauty and high feelings concluded in it. In their works, representatives of this trend depicted not the real world, too low and vulgar for them, they depicted the universe of feelings of the protagonist, his inner world filled with thoughts and feelings. Through their prism, the outlines of the real world emerge, with which he cannot reconcile himself and therefore tries to rise above him, not obeying his social-feudal laws and morals.One of the founders of Russian romanticism is the famous poet V.A. Zhukovsky, who created a number of ballads and poems that had fantastic fantastic content (“Ondine”, “The Sleeping Princess”, “The Tale of Tsar Berendey”). His works have a deep philosophical meaning, a desire for a moral ideal, his poems and ballads are filled with his personal feelings and reflections inherent in the romantic direction.The pensive and lyrical elegy of Zhukovsky is followed by the romantic works of Gogol (“The Night Before Christmas”) and Lermontov, whose work has a peculiar imprint of the ideological crisis in the public mind, impressed by the defeat of the Decembrists. Therefore, the romanticism of the 30s of the 19th century is characterized by disappointment in real life and going to the invented world, where everything is harmonious and perfect. Romantic protagonists were portrayed as people cut off from reality and having lost interest in earthly life, conflicting with society, and exposing the powerful to their sins. The personal tragedy of these people, endowed with high feelings and experiences, consisted in the death of their moral and aesthetic ideals.

The main feature of European romanticism in foreign literature of the 19th century is the fantastic and fabulous works of this direction. The most expressive romanticism manifested itself in the culture of France, England and Germany, each of the countries made its own special contribution to the development and spread of this cultural phenomenon. Here, literary works in the style of romanticism wore a bright political color, in many respects opposed to the newly-minted bourgeoisie. According to French writers, the new society, which appeared as a result of social changes after the Great French Revolution, did not understand the value of each person’s personality, ruined its beauty and suppressed freedom of spirit. The most famous works are the treatise “The Genius of Christianity”, the stories “Attalus” and “Rene” by Chateaubriand, the novels “Dolphin”, “Carina” by German de Stael, the novels by Georges Sand, Hugo “Notre Dame de Paris”, a series of novels about Musketeers Dumas, a collection writings Honoree Balzac.

The idealistic philosophical worldview, which promoted the individualism of the individual and his freedom from the laws of the feudal society, had a huge influence on the foundations of German romanticism; the universe was viewed as a single living system. German works, written in the spirit of Romanticism, are filled with reflections on the meaning of human existence, the life of his soul, and they are also distinguished by fabulous and mythological motifs. The most striking German works in the style of romanticism: the fairy tales of Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, short stories, fairy tales, Hoffmann's novels, works by Heine.