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LITR 4232: American Renaissance  |
Final Exam Essays 2013 Sample answers for describe your learning about Romanticism as a term or concept . . . |
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Jenna Crosson
“Expanding My Views on Romanticism”
In my answer in regards to a
similar question on the midterm, I explained that I had a very singular view of
the term “Romanticism” before entering the course.
Before this course I saw “Romanticism” as purely
romance novels full of love, lust, and stories that ended in happily ever after.
In the weeks leading up to the midterm, my views
were changed and much expanded.
My eyes were opened to “Romanticism” on a much
larger scale.
This term opened up to show it contained many other
defining features than just love.
Before the midterm we
discussed terms like the sublime; the feeling of something far bigger than us
alone, the subject of nature or of children, longing and loss.
We also looked into the gothic, looking at things
on a much larger, grander scale.
Transcendentalism; gravitating towards a higher
calling or something that is much larger than us alone.
All of these terms were very new to my
understanding of literature and pertained to ideals that I would not have
associated with this genre.
But, after digging a little deeper, these terms fit
perfectly into a romantic understanding.
We see loss and longing, innocence, beauty in
nature, and a journey to a higher meaning in life.
All of these things are considered beautiful in
their own ways yet have nothing to do with “love”.
I believe that this was one of the most defining
factors in changing my views on “Romanticism”.
“Romanticism” not only
describes the terms associated with works of art, but for the time period named
the same.
This period refers to the late 1700’s to the 1800’s where
everything seemed to be undergoing a sort of radical change.
During this period we witnessed urbanization, early
industrialization, and movements towards gender equality.
Also, the rise of the individual was also present.
Aspects of this were easily found as I was
composing my research journal, studying the rise of the female authors during
this period.
It was these women, like many others, that were searching
for something much greater trying to gain respect and notice in a male dominated
society.
It is with people like these women, and even the men, that
paved the way for others after them.
The same with “Romanticism” itself, filled with
aspects that we still find relevant today.
Further studying on past the
midterm and onto this final, all of these things helped expand my understanding
of the romantic period and romantic literature.
It is much more than the terms that define it, and
understanding the impact it had on the changing society was influential to those
writing in it, and those, like me, who are studying it.
That had to be one of my favorite parts of this
course.
Not only diving into the literature itself, but having a
deeper understanding of how it pertained to the culture and what was happening
around it. Like we discuss in class, art imitates nature and vice versa.
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