Summary
Barzun, Jacques. Classic, Romantic
and Modern. Garden City, NY: Doubleday
and Company,Inc., 1961.
809 B289c2
Summary by Bryan Blair
The author claims that Romanticism
was in four phases, Romanticism itself
being the first phase, and then three
branches that focused on the intensification
and refinement of the previous phase.
The preromantic era (during the eighteenth
century) started with signs of new
interest in neglected elements of
life and art. While this interest
was aroused in great force, this
time period was still a mixture of
the old and new, entirely too mixed
to be called Romantic. Once the Romantic
era began, it was an unspecialized
production in all fields of interest.
The next three phases of this Romantic
movement were realism, symbolism
and naturalism. Romanticism doesn't
die out when realism rises, it is
merely a branching out of a central
idea. However, the author then proceeds
to say that realism began with the
failings of Romanticism. It failed
to establish a universal order, a
permanent peace, and a common language
of art and philosophy. Realism is
a rebound from the disappointment
of not achieving what the romantics
desired; individual liberty within
a society, the satisfaction of man's
needs, the pursuit of the intellectual
life, and a great deal of openmindedness.
Looking at what the failure was,
we can see what the Romantics had
strived for.
Other chapters of significance include:
Romanticism--dead or alive?
Romantic Art
Romantic Life
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Jesse D. Hurlbut--Last Updated November 5, 1993