The term Romanticism evokes an association with feelings and emotions expressed in the form of music, painting, sculpture, or writing. Specifically, my primary interpretation of this concept and the works associated with this genre is “love.” Indeed, artists and creators loved using mystical and exotic elements to show what were their fears and hopes rather than reaching a generalized truth or seeking reason (Cunningham et al. 578). This movement incorporated works about affection, death, nature, nationalism, and fantastic creatures (Cunningham et al. 579). Furthermore, the subjectivity of personal feelings generated the tendency for artists to focus more on ordinary people instead of great historical figures. On the one hand, it allowed some artists to popularize national ideals through folklore (Cunningham et al. 579).
On the other hand, it enabled the appearance of art that was exclusively about one specific individual who produced it (Cunningham et al. 579). Two such examples of Romanticism works are Beethoven’s piano sonata, Pathétique, and Frederick Douglass’s The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. These works demonstrated the authors’ feelings and emotions about their life experiences.
Douglass’s work was one of the first novels written by an enslaved individual about one’s experience of serving his masters and dreaming of freedom. Since the beginning of this narrative, the author expresses his frustration about the opportunities white children had, and his black counterparts did not. For example, Douglass laments that “a want of information … was a source of unhappiness” to him (Douglass 11).
He could not understand the reason why “the white children could tell their ages” while he “ought to be deprived of the same privilege” (Douglass 12). Another source of anger for Frederick was the fact that he was separated from his mother during infancy by their slaveholder, who wanted to prevent the formation of mother-child bonding and attachment. Although Douglass understands the reason behind the master’s actions and behavior, he refuses to accept it as normal. Conversely, he openly says that running away from this situation was the most logical thing to do. Moreover, Douglass presents multiple examples of his observations and perception of other individuals, offering possible explanations for various situations. Overall, the book is filled with the author’s emotions about different experiences.
Beethoven’s sonata No. 8 in C-minor, also known as Pathétique, is one of the famous musical works of the Romanticism era. It gradually reveals the composer’s feelings about his struggle with life and fate by alternating fragile and calm sounds with abrupt and loud ones (Cunningham et al. 599). Indeed, Beethoven is considered a pioneer who introduced Romanticism elements in music (Cunningham et al. 599). Pathétique reveals the intensity of the composer’s sad emotions, which could be caused by an unhappy childhood. Still, Beethoven leaves the room for slow music, suggesting that he may be saddened and exhausted by thought but remains mindful of it. Although the sonata does not seem to be about love, it is an exemplary work of the Romanticism genre due to the richness of emotions.
In summary, the works of Romanticism can be described as the representations of authors’ feelings about personal experiences. This era gave artists the freedom to express their emotions more creatively and individually without obliging them to give any reason for their artistic choices. Beethoven’s Pathétique and Douglass’s The Narrative primarily focus on people’s inner world and reactions to external circumstances rather than their specific actions.
Works Cited
Cunningham, Lawrence S., et al. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Western Humanities. 8th ed., Cengage Learning, 2015.
Douglass, Frederick. The Life of Frederick Douglass. SaltHeart Publishers, LLC, 1845.