Title: Comparison Contrast of Romanticism and Realism Example | Graduateway
Headings: Comparison Contrast of Romanticism and Realism
Comparison Contrast of Romanticism and Realism
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Content: Romanticism was a result of the stifling of the creative mind during the Age of Reason while Realism took place as a consequence of the political and social issues. The Civil War in the United States and the urbanization due to the Industrial Revolution caused the people of the time to reject the mystical effects of Romanticism. However, both artistic movements focused on nature and the effects on society. A focal point of each was the poor and working class and the injustices that were plagued them. Both Romanticism and Realism were unique in their elements. Romanticism embodied the following: emotion over reason, the senses over the intellect, heightened examination of human personality and its moods and mental potentials, preoccupation with the genius, preoccupation with the hero, focus on passions and inner struggles, focus on the dark hero, the artist and his/her creative spirit is more important than the strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures, obsessive interest in folk culture (folk tale), obsessive interest in the medieval era, obsessive interest in the mysterious, experimentation in science, quest for pure beauty, the use of the far away (in the past), nature as a place to find God, fascination with the supernatural, and a fascination with the exotic. ( P. Reuben) Realism, on the other hand can be described as the direct opposite of these elements. The Realist incorporated the elements of rejection of the idealized, larger-than-life hero of Romantic literature, entailed description of ordinary characters and realistic events, an emphasis on characters from cities and lower classes, an avoidance of the exotic, sensational, and overly dramatic, use of everyday speech patterns to reveal class distinction, and a focus on the ethical struggles and social issues of real-life situations. ( P. Penrose)
These differences were due primarily because life had drastically changed for people.