The Gothic Novel was first developed into Romanticism by the writer Horace Walpole in the last 18th century with the work The Castle of Otranto (1764).
The Castle of Otranto Illustration, 1824.
The Gothic novel, or Gothic fiction is one of the most characteristic branch in Romantic literature.
The Gothic novel basically was based on terror, horror and the limit of the human mind regarding psychological aspects. Since it is a branch of Romanticism, obviously the Gothic novel shares its charactersitics. [You can learn more on Romantic characteristics clicking here!]
Frankenstein's original front piece.
Edition of 1831.
Another well-known author who wrote Gothic novels was Mary Shelley. One of her most remarkable and gothic novels is Frankenstein.
Some other Romantic authors that worked with the Gothic novel was the exceptional Edgar Allan Poe and the also exceptional Ann Radcliffe.
Oficial Dracula front page Illustration
Even going beyond Romanticism, in the Victorian Era, the gothic novel was still being famous and asked for the literary public. The best example of Gothic novel in the Victorian Era is the extraordinary novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker.
If you want to learn more on Gothic novel or Gothic Fiction you can watch the following videos that are very useful and perfectly explain the essence of this literature branch.
[* The last video has 15 parts. All of them are really interesting,
useful and essential in order to learn about the Gothic novel or Gothic
fiction.]
The Byronic Hero was created in the 19th century by the English poet Lord Byron. Romanticism was a literary movement very present at the time. One of the literary figures that already existed was the Romantic hero. However, Byron was not very happy with it and its charactersitics that he decided to create a new Romantic hero: the Byronic Hero. Here I attach a couple of links that explain the features and characteristics of both the Romantic and the Byronic Hero. They are very useful so if you want to know more about the heroes of this time, take a look at these websites: (1) Romantic Hero (2) Byronic Hero
It is undeniable the 'evolution' Byron stated for the Romantic Hero. It goes from being the good and the humble to being the rude and the cynical. However; both of them are moved by love and at the end will do something good or acceptable.
The Byronic hero is such a famous hero that it lives nowadays through many characters in current books, films or TV series. The following video shows an example of Romantic hero nowadays.
(+) Indiana Jones: The American Romantic Hero:
The most remarkable Byronic Hero of current time is mostly known for everyone: House M.D.
When locating the Romantic characteristic into the Doctor House character in depth, it is an easy job to do. According to Catherine Riccio who made an essay on Doctor House and the Byronic Hero, Doctor House it is not the typical compassionate, charismatic or persuasive doctor that everyone wants to have. (2010: 23). Moreover, she claims: “Although his eyes are a critical component of House’s appearance, there is in fact a more obvious and direct reference to the Byronic Hero: House’s leg. Its debilitating injury [...] leaves House in a permanent state of pain and thus reliant upon a cane to walk.” (2010: 24) Catherine Riccio also says: “Indeed, House is a lanky man, usually tall enough to be able to look down when he is talking to or mocking those around him. Furthermore, while not conventionally attractive, House’s appearance is nevertheless alluring. He is, as all Byronic Heroes should be, tall, dark and handsome.” (2010: 23) To conclude, it can be said that as important as the Byronic hero was in its time, it has continued along the history. Even today, the figure of the Byronic Hero is still present in the whole world culture.
In this post you will find a Power Point Presentation about Romanticism for those who want to learn about this topic or also, for those who want to expand their knowledge. Presentations are a schematic way of learning and sometimes, the easiest way to get to know things.
In the link below, you can download a presetation I did on Romanticism. I hope it is useful to you!
Along all this blog, you will find several information on plenty of Romantic features. Mostly oriented to literature, in the following image you will find a conceptual map that embraces a number of keywords in relation to Romanticism.
Hopefully, this will be of good use to you in a future!
In this post you will find a link that will take you to a form on Romanticism. This form is oriented to those who have already a based knowledge on Romanticism and want to test it. It comprises a bit of historical background, characteristics and authors and their works.
If you wanna test your skills on Romanticism, do not doubt and take a look at it!
Romanticism is a cultural movement beginning in the last period of the 18th century until the 19th century. This movement appeared in England in 1790 being one of the first countries to embrace Romanticism. It was not until few decades after that Romanticism reached United States, in 1820.
Five Points, New York. 1827
Romanticism emerged due to the prominence of the individual, human emotions and feelings. Romantics wanted to emphasize in their works -in literature as well as in painting- the self and the human thoughts. Romantic authors, in relation to the individual, liked to work on the analysis of the soul, the psychological and even the terror of the mind. For example, in literature started to appear characters that were taken to the most hard, unbearable and difficult situations in which he experiences a terrible involvement in a critical plot.
"Wanderer above the sea of fog" - Caspar David Friedrich
In relation to this previous idea, in Romantic literature also began to appear multiple heores as the protagonists of the stories. The Romantic hero is the best example: it is a humble being who is always acting for the common and greater good. It is handsome, educated and do things that are out of the conventional. They usually rebel against society and as a consequence they are rejected by it. Another example of hero of this period is the Byronic hero. It was created by Lord Byron as denial to the Romantic hero.
Literature and art practically lived together in Romanticism. Both cultural movements had the same characteristics and were specially interested in nature. In Romanticism started to appear the word Sublime as a definition to a setting that was beautiful but at the same time scary. Edmand Burke in his essay 'A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful' (1757) he claims:
“Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain, and danger,
that is to say, whatever is in any sort terrible, or is conversant
about terrible objects, or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a
source of the sublime; that is, it is productive of the strongest
emotion which the mind is capable of feeling .... When danger or pain
press too nearly, they are incapable of giving any delight, and [yet]
with certain modifications, they may be, and they are delightful, as we
every day experience.”
“The Falls of Kaaterskill” - Thomas Cole
In relation to the sublime, the literary Romantic setting fits in the defintion perfectly. For example: a dark forest, a haunted beautiful mansion, a cemetery, a waterfall, fog, etc. Another kind of setting in Romantic stories are related to the supernatural theme. It is usual to find plots going hand in hand with ghosts, haunted houses, the devil, death as a living being, etc. Good examples of the representation of this last characteristic are the stories of the well known American writer Edgar Allan Poe.
Edgar Allan Poe
Romanticism lasted until the second half of the 19th century. Its end arrived when Realism touched the society. The reasons are obvious: Romanticism claimed worship to the soul, the supernatural, the fictional whilst Realism wanted to state in literature, as well as in art or philosphy the real events that sorrounded the civilization.
For further information on the Romantic background, you can watch the next video:
