Romantic Era Synthesis - wyl.p5.t2

2. From the Renaissance era to the Romantic era, thought shifted away from religious values and towards the common man. Due to the improvements that came from industrialism, people could now afford to dabble in culture, a very much man-made and man-centered creation.
The music of this era focused on the secular dignity of man; for instance, the strong tonal and rhythmic shifts in “From the New World” by Antonin Dvorak represent the caprice of human emotion and behavior in a dramatic but always lyric and exultant tune.
The Romantic arts, such as the 1800 painting Bonaparte Crossing the Alps, glorified man in a dramatic and self-important way. Bonaparte appears noble but also human and relatable in his emotions, thus rendering him very mortal instead of noble due to godly or religious evocations. Dance also took a new direction in celebrating the human body, as epitomized by the symbolic ballerina figure. During the Romantic era, ballet became popular due to its new focus on portraying the conflicts between nature and mankind or society and the supernatural. The arts did not address religion but still ennobled man for his accomplishments and brave struggles.
Frankenstein, the classic example of Romantic literature, also provided secular representation of man. Science is often seen as the antithesis of religion, and Victor Frankenstein’s intense focus and exultant praise for the sciences endear him to readers and alienate religion from readers. The focus on very human and sometimes pagan interests – familial love, pedantic studies into science, creating life, dealing with human problems and drama deaths – all point to Romanticism and suggest that religion isn’t needed. Even the overarching theme of the novel, human wisdom and thirst for knowledge, praises the ambitions of man (in trying to pursue as much knowledge as any god may have).


Wylie Period 5, Team 2: Melody Sue, Lucy Zhao, Tiffany Chen