The Romantic Movement (Making of Europe) - Hardcover

Cranston, Maurice

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0631173994 ISBN 13: 9780631173991

Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell, 1994

Synopsis

The Romantic Movement in Europe was both a revolt and a revival, a philosophy of life as well as of art. In the earliest expressions of romantic theory by Rousseau and Diderot, it is seen as a revolt against rationalism. In Great Britain and Italy, it appears as a revolt against classicism, in Spain as a revival of the tradition of the Moorish courts, and in Germany, where it excited the greatest enthusiasm, as both a revolt against rationalism and, equally, a revival of all things Gothic and Germanic. Despite the differences of aim and emphasis across Europe, Professor Cranston argues, Romanticism was a European phenomenon, as universal as the Renaissance. He isolates its common features: liberty, introspection and the importance of love; truth in the expression of feeling as much as of thought; nature seen as an object of devotion rather than scientific study; a tolerance of the grotesque coupled with an interest in the exotic, the primitive and the medieval; a concern for the value of intuition over rationalization and a preference for audacity over prudence. The Romantic Movement is part of the common European heritage, he argues, and its influence is by no means at an end.

About this title

Review:

"As an historical sketch of the philosophy of European romanticism, the book is exemplary." Financial Times

"Brilliantly lucid as well as useful. Students could not do better than to go to it for an introduction." Scotland on Sunday

"In clear and uncomplicated prose, the book offers a brief survey of different national traditions." European Romantic Review

About the Author:

Maurice Cranston was Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics. Over a long and distinguished academic career, he taught at Harvard University, Dartmouth College, University of British Columbia, University of California, the Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, and the European University Institute.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0631173994
• ISBN 13: 9780631173991
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224