Hearts and flowers? Hugs and kisses? Candlelight and champagne?
Those are the images that come to mind when one hears the word 'romance.'
However, in literature, none of the above items relate to Romanticism.
Sipping champagne with Edgar Allan Poe while the raven is tapping at the door? I don't think so.
Ichobod Crane, with his long lanky physique, doesn't really seem one to bring flowers to Katrina (but I think he may have done this!).
No...romanticism in literature is quite different from the images generally associated with intimacy.
Communion with nature ---think about Thanatopsis and the nature images associated with death.
Gothic - this screams of Poe.
The exotic and supernatural - a man falling asleep for 20 years? Does the name Rip Van Winkle ring a bell?
Yes, Romanticism is quite the adventure in literature. Take a seat in your most comfortable chair and enjoy!
I think when some people think of Romanticism, they tend to think of the stories as lovey-dovey stories. Although some tend to have some lovey-dovey moments, some of them are just plain crazy!! Poe, one of my favorite writers of the Romantic Era has written some really crazy things, some of them having romance in them, some with murder and insanity which is what makes him a truly amazing and creative writer that I truly admire.
ReplyDelete