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Difference Between Classicism & Romanticism

This document provides an overview of Classicism and Romanticism in literature. Classicism, which originated from ancient Greek and Roman works, values order, logic, and strict adherence to rules. Romanticism emerged in response to Classicism and focuses on emotion, imagination, and individualism. Some key differences are that Classicism uses rational language and themes while Romanticism employs simple language from daily life. Both movements have significantly influenced the development of English literature.

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ShaZia Khan
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3K views3 pages

Difference Between Classicism & Romanticism

This document provides an overview of Classicism and Romanticism in literature. Classicism, which originated from ancient Greek and Roman works, values order, logic, and strict adherence to rules. Romanticism emerged in response to Classicism and focuses on emotion, imagination, and individualism. Some key differences are that Classicism uses rational language and themes while Romanticism employs simple language from daily life. Both movements have significantly influenced the development of English literature.

Uploaded by

ShaZia Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

BS-ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE

Romantic Poetry

Assignment # 01

“ Classicism Vs Romanticism”

Submitted to: Ma’am Irum Iqbal

Submitted by: Gul-e-Ayesha


Section: BS 4-B
SAP ID: 19807
CLASSICISM & ROMANTICISM
Classicism and Romanticism are art movements that have impacted the Western world’s literature,
visual art, music, & architecture for many centuries. These movements have established themselves as two
distinctive tendencies in the history of English literature. According to some critics like Goethe: “Classism is
health, romanticism is a disease.” Whereas, enthusiasts like Stendhal are of the opinion that: “All good art is
romantic.” These movements appear alternatively i.e., one tendency predominates the other & vice versa.

Both these tendencies differ from each other in numerous


ways. In the history of English, the Elizabethan age may be
called the first romantic period. It was followed by the
classical period in the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment.
The latter part of the 18th century and the early part of the 19th
century was dominated by the Romantic tendency and hence it
is called the Romantic period. It continued to influence
literature & arts during the Victorian era but, it was then
overtaken by the classic tendency in the 20th century.

Both tendencies exhibited different views regarding this world: Classicists saw it as having a strict &
rigid structure, while romanticists saw it as a place where they could reflect upon their ideas and beliefs.
The concept behind classicism was that nature and human nature could be explained via reason and logic.
Romanticism, conversely, saw nature as a mysterious, ever-changing living thing whose rules we would never
wholly understand.

The Classical period, which spanned around 1200 BCE to 455 CE, was home to the great works of
ancient Greece and Rome. It was regarded as a golden age for literature and the arts. So, we can say
“Classism in literature is a specific genre of philosophy, which has ancient Greek & Roman sources and an
emphasis on balance and order.” The big writers from this period include Greek and Roman writers like
Homer (Iliad) & Virgil (Aeneid). When people talk about classism, they are referring to literature that stands
out for its balance, order, and logic. It was exemplified in neoclassicism throughout the Age of
Enlightenment.

Ancient Greek & Roman writers emphasized theme, structure, and unity of purpose and design. For
example, Aristotle stresses the unities of time, place, and action in ‘Poetics’. So, classicism is characterized by
an emphasis on order, rules, proportion and is strictly opposed to emotions. Belief in reason, civilized &
sophisticated themes, interest in urban society, love, satire, belief in good & evil & realism are salient features
of classicism. The representatives of classicism include Shakespeare, Marlowe, Spenser, and Pope.
Furthermore, the movement known as ‘Romanticism’ arose in the 18th and 19th centuries as a
reaction to the previous century' neoclassicism. Romantic literature is best defined by Friedrich Schlegel, a
German poet & philosopher who coined the term Romantic, as “Literature depicting emotional matter in an
imaginative form.” The publication of the “Lyrical Ballads” by Wordsworth and Coleridge (1970s) marks the
beginning of Romanticism. This period is also called the age of revolutions. The American Revolution 1776
and the spirit of the French Revolution’s equality, liberty and fraternity made it a time of hope and change.

Romanticism has little to do with romantic love as the name suggests. This term is derived from the
French word ‘Romaunt’ (and a romantic story told in verse). It focused on emotions and the inner life of the
writer. The importance the Romantics placed on emotion is summed up in the remark of the German painter
C. David Friedrich “The artist's feeling is his law.” The focal points of Romanticism are imagination,
emotion, and freedom. Moreover, it is also characterized by subjectivity, emphasis on individualism &
spontaneity, the celebration of isolation & melancholy etc. Its representatives are Wordsworth, Coleridge,
Keats, Shelly, Byron, and William Blake.

Concisely, we can say that both the tendencies stand in clear contrast to each other. Classicism on one
hand uses strict, rigid, and rational language & theme whereas, on the other hand, Romanticism employs the
simple language of common folks from their daily lives. Additionally, classicism valued reason a lot whereas,
romanticism was more inclined towards human imagination. In actuality, both movements have played a
significant role in the development of English literature.

THE END

References:
1. https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/two-world-views-romantic-and-classical/
2. https://www.ducksters.com/history/art/romanticism.php
3. https://green.harvard.edu/news/intertwining-romanticism-and-science-through-metaphor

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