Romantic Expressions of Mutability and Mortality Essay

The Romantics also appreciated religion. This was in response to the anti-religion aspect of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. As Romanticism was a rejection of Enlightenment thinking, it stressed feeling and emotion rather than logic. Furthermore, the Romantics emphasized the importance of religion and sought for a revival of religion in the 19th century.

Romanticism is an artistic revolt that originated in Europe in the 18th century. It rejected the rationalism, logical thinking, and societal norms associated with the Age of Enlightenment. Rather, it embraced ideals that came out of the French Revolution. The works of art focused on promoting free-thinking and provoking feeling from its viewers. To further explain Romanticism, poet and critic Charles Baudelaire once wrote that "romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor in exact truth, but in way of feeling." Various paintings throughout the 18th and 19th century helped to define this time in art history. During the Romanticism era, it was through the emphasis on emotion, freedom, and the everyday life that the Romantic principles of the sublime and the picturesque were expressed.

Given that the Industrial Revolution had impacted all forms of society, including how people thought, felt, worked, and related to each other, it would not be totally crazy to think that such a change might have been the reason why Romanticism was quickly adopted. Romanticism as a reaction to the hyper-active period of change might have been the only way to deal with the backlash of the Enlightenment's scientific thoughts and concerns. Romanticism gave people spontaneity, the chance to dream again, to explore fantasy, whereas the Enlightenment made everything predictable, taking the fun out of life. First expressed by the English poets, these ideals of Romanticism spread to other artistic models, such as art and music, and on to other countries. Because of this, the value of the arts, emotions and the value of the individual was able to reestablish a place in the minds and practices of people and society.

Writers of the Romantic Movement often expressed a spontaneous outpouring of feelings through nature-related symbols and imagery. In “Mutability”, Percy Shelley was no exception to other Romantic writers; he used these impulses of powerful feelings to express the inevitable change that everything in the universe undergoes. Ironically, Shelley claims that the only thing that will remain the same forever is mutability itself. While Shelley claims that everything is changing, he focuses on the mutability of the human species and its individuals. To illustrate humans as mutable, Shelley makes use of poetic elements such as imagery and specified diction. Therefore, “Mutability” ironically shows that the universe, specifically mankind, is

The nineteenth century was heavily influenced by the outcomes of the French Revolution. Romanticism being one of the outcomes of the revolution helped construct and reorganize four of the main political movements of the nineteenth century. Romanticism is defined as, “reaction against Classicism and the Enlightenment (doesn’t think in terms of rationality, balance, or order, does think in terms of the individual having both agency and spiritual weight).” Romanticism heavily influenced nationalism and contributed some aspects to socialism in the reconstruction of Europe’s social framework.

To begin with, both Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson spoke about not only a person dying, but the people who were left to live through that person’s

Romanticism (also called Romantic Era or Romantic period) was a complex artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and developed in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. In part, it was a movement against various social and political norms and ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. It strongly influenced the visual arts, music, and literature, but it had impact on education and natural history as well.

‘Mutability’ was written at a time when Shelley experienced significant life changing events; January 1816 saw the birth of his first child to Mary Shelley, in the same year Shelley experienced financial struggles, and the suicide of his first wife Harriet in December 1816. (O 'Neill, M.) In addition to the changes he endured in his personal life, Shelley was very much aware of the changes happening during 1816 which was named, ‘The year without a summer’ due to extreme changes in weather. During his trip to Switzerland, Shelley and a group of other Romantic poets began to create works to reflect this time of great change. (Gardiner, Lisa) This is significant as being exposed to so much change during 1816 more than likely inspired Shelley to write ‘Mutability’ to demonstrate the human ability to accept and embrace change, as it cannot be prevented.

John Keats View on Mortality versus Immortality Mortality is often defined as being vulnerable to death, but immortality is brought up to be a feat of gods whom have eternal life and John Keats describes immortality as “he ne'er is crowned with immortality who fears to follow where airy voices lead” his view on mortality is often discreetly described as helpless. In “Ode on a Grecian Urn” the reader can see John Keats admiration towards eternal life by the way he describes art being everlasting in the sense of beauty, happiness and even human emotions. John Keats preference toward immortality coincides with his short lived life of only twenty five years and many hardships he witnessed at a young age. The many downfalls and even thought his

To understand how Romanticism changed the way society thought, you must first understand the meanings and reason behind the movement. The Romantic Movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was described as a movement in the history of culture, an aesthetic style, and an attitude of mind. (Fiero) Romanticism provided expression of their thoughts and ideas toward their own societies, which was in effect predominantly in Europe and in the United States. The movement was a reaction to the Enlightenment which provided strict ideology and rationalism. The Church had much to do with the Enlightenment seeing as if religion and the importance of God were incorporated into most aspects of their culture. Thus, Romanticism was a response to

In the poem Ode on a Grecian Urn, John Keats talks about three drawings that he sees on an ancient urn. Throughout the poem, Keats uses rhetorical questions, imagery, and a change in tone to explain to the readers what he sees on the urn and the feelings he is getting from the old urn’s pictures. He helps the reader understand there is a deeper meaning beneath the surface of the art and how the urn is teaching life lessons while it stays there silent.

Shelley Percy is one of the most highly regarded Romantic poets of the 19th century. Many of Shelley’s poem tell about the nature of the human condition. In many of his poems Shelley use elements of nature (seashells, the wind, the ocean, etc.) to discuss truths about the human condition. Percy Shelley examines the one consistent characteristic of being human in his poem “Mutability”. In his poem “Mutability” Shelley shows the fragility and unpredictability of the human condition.

In the second stanza, the speaker beholds a piper joyfully playing under the tress for his lover to find him with song. “Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on; not to the sensual ear, but, more endeared. The use of imagery of the senses is effective here. For I consider poetry to be more musical in nature than literary text. The speaker claims to be hearing melodies emanating from the urn, which for me the sound transmission from the urn correlates to the finite aspects of fleeting love. While the nature of art of the urn seems to me to represent the exquisiteness and infinity of the universe. Indeed, the sounds of silence from art is akin to vastness of space and time. “She cannot fade, though, thou hast not thy bliss,” (line19). Keats is asking the readers to not grieve for him. Because, her beauty will not diminish over time it is everlasting.

Romanticism was an art movement that developed in the late eighteenth century and lasted for about one hundred years. Romanticism is a rejection of the traditional values of reason, order, and objectivity that characterized Classicism and Enlightenment, in particular Neoclassicism. For the romantic artist, Neoclassical principles hindered the artist’s vision and creativity. Rather, the romantic artist emphasized and valued intuition, juxtaposing emotions, and imagination. Generally, Britain and Germany were seen at the forefront of romanticism. The British Industrial Revolution initiated a disillusionment in rationalism and materialism, consequently rejecting classicism.

Romanticism was a philosophical and literary movement in the middle to late seventeen hundreds. It surfaced as a reaction to the Enlightenment Ideas