Adam Glasgow

Glancing Back in Time

While it is true that time does not really pass in periods, studying history as if it does offers interesting insight into the past, not to mention making it easier to comprehend. We focused on four periods for this course: the Renaissance, the Seventeenth Century, the Enlightenment (Age of Reason/Neo-Classical), and the Romantic era. Each one of these periods had great impacts on those that followed it, and they have thusly all shaped the landscape of the modern day.

Even though the periods that fell before the Renaissance were important in laying the structure of the modern world, the Renaissance is in many ways where the world that you and I inhabit today began. Books were available to more people thanks to the invention of the printing press, exploration was rampant (Cortes, Magellan, etc), and art evolved (perspective was better understood, literature developed). The world was changing for the better and individualism was on the rise. What this period meant for early America was that America was (re)discovered in this time period because of the increased exploration. Aside from the obvious stories of Columbus and John Smith, the adventures of Cabeza de Vaca was studied in this course, which was especially fun to read because part of it took place so close to where we live here in the Houston / Galveston area. The Renaissance flowed into the Seventeenth Century; a time period probably best described as a transitional one. The religious attributes of the Renaissance are found intertwined with the up and coming scientific ideas of the Enlightenment.

The two final eras discussed in this course, The Enlightenment and the Romantic era, have more influence on our modern day world than any time periods before it, but in very different ways. The Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, truly laid the groundwork for science and society as we know it today. The founding of the United States, more focus on individualism, the French Revolution, and scientific innovations like modern astronomy, electricity, and advances in biology all mark this era. This may not be the most fun set of literature for students to read due to its dry nature, but if I had to pick, it was my personal favorite. There is, perhaps, nothing more fascinating than glancing over your shoulder and learning how it is you got to where you are. Without this era the year 2012 would look drastically different, and not in a way that I believe most people would enjoy. Commerce, our functioning democratic republic, and luxuries like fossil fueled vehicles, air conditioning, computers and telephones could simply not exist in a world that did not think about itself scientifically. It was a dispassionate study of the universe around us that allowed brilliant minds to push forward into uncharted scientific territory and innovate in ways that changed the world in such drastic ways that it’s hard not to take for granted today.

It was in the Enlightenment where the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Adam Smith, and Thomas Paine left their mark, all of whom we read about together in class. From the controversial religious views of Jefferson and Paine (views that were so controversial they continue to spark arguments today), to Adam Smith laying the groundwork of modern capitalism in Wealth of Nations, it is difficult to really drive home how vital this period was.

But scientific knowledge alone was apparently not enough for the people living in the time period, so they moved on. They did not ignore the past, but instead melded it together with religion and more fanciful ways of thinking about the universe. This time period is known as the Romantic era. While often seen as a reaction to the Enlightenment, I think it can be more accurately described as supplemental to the Enlightenment. While the Age of Reason satisfied the human desire to learn, grow, and advance, the Romantic era satisfies the need to love, to feel, and to be entertained. It is from this era that the novel is truly born, with early examples like Edgar Huntly – a gothic novel about sleepwalking and murder, and Charlotte Temple – a tale of seduction, loss, and ultimately, forgiveness. The influence of this era on modern entertainment is as drastic as the Enlightenment’s influence on modern technology. Without the Romantic era the types of books your local bookstore carried would be very different, and probably much less interesting. The movies the theater played would be less dramatic, and the music enjoyed today would be less intricate and beautiful. If the Enlightenment built the body of the world we live in today, the Romantic era gave it its heart.