The Romantic period describes an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that emerged throughout Europe at the close of the eighteenth century and moving into the nineteenth century. The Romantic period came as a response to the preceding ‘Age of Enlightenment’, moving away from rational individualism towards a more ‘romantic’ view of the world. Furthermore, many critics have pinpointed the Romantic period as a direct result of the ideals of the French Revolution that emerged at this time, allowing for further revolt against the aristocratic social and political norms of the Enlightenment era.

Romanticism places significance on imagination, emotion, freedom, and individualisation, in addition to suspicion of science and industrialisation post-Enlightenment. Furthermore, Romanticism places an importance on the power of nature and the natural world, which resulted in the creation of the concept of the Sublime, which is explored further within this guide.

Lastly, another concept that emerged from the Romantic period was discussions of morality and upbringing, and how human beings are born as a ‘clean slate’ that are moulded by their surroundings.

Overall, the period’s focus on the intensity of human emotion resulted in many Romantic thinkers looking back in the past to the ancient world. There are allusions throughout Romantic art to the classical world, with folk art and ancient custom being elevated to a noble status and a revival of medievalism in order to fight back against the urban sprawl and industrialisation that occurred throughout the Enlightenment period. Notable authors often associated with the Romantic period include William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats, all of which produced some of the most famous pieces of literature in Europe.