Romanticism: Our Modern-day Romance…With Ourselves?:
The Bohemian lifestyle, the oneness of a Buddhist, and the expression of an artist. Why are all of these things that a large subculture of American’s focused on in this new age? Could it be because we have a new uprising of a hippy subculture? Or is it that history’s ideas, themes, and motifs are repeating and reoccurring in a newer mainstream form of culture and philosophy? I believe that it is so; thoughts of the Romantic era in America are reoccurring in today’s society.
The Fireside Poets were poets who were widely read around the symbolic fireside, or any other place where many people would congregate to exchange stories and other means of communication. They were not only filled with themes that were very relative to the people of the time, but it was so widespread that both the aristocracy and the poor knew of these poets and their works even better. One thing that each of these poets themes shared was that they were about timeless concepts, such as death and preservation of those who have departed. Even though they shared themes of that arena, they were very rarely depressing to where you would see it as an epitaph. Today’s culture reflects this in the way of these Fireside poets reincarnated as such inspirations as Bono.
There was one Romantic poet who didn’t stray to the light of the style. This man’s name is associated with morbidity and many unpleasant memories made up his life. Edgar Allen Poe is this man. Most would look at his work’s and not ever see how it could ever be labeled as “romantic” but his form of Romanticism was indeed the most grand of them all. Wherein other writers of the time would be focusing on how so many good things can happen within a story, Poe was a rebel. He looked at the worst case scenario and through that point of view he explained to us the human’s existence, being based on a fear of some sort or another. This was destined for him to do, being a very unfortunate fellow himself. Misfortune was laden in Poe’s path. Modern-day rappers and various Alternative rock bands show very similar attitudes towards life as Poe did through their lyrics and music; each of which talking about the misfortune of the poor or ghetto life, along with un-requited love. Each of which were the basis of Poe’s themes.
The hippies and other types of new-age versions of hippies are now becoming a part of the main-stream that we have all come to know and love through moderated art and expression. Even though, during the time of the original Romantics there was no true money incentive, there were indeed thriving Romantics. One of them was not Henry David Thoreau. While others were living happy and healthy lives in their mansions and three b
edroom houses on main-street U.S.A., Henry was living in the woods writing his historically groundbreaking book in a small cabin near Walden’s Pond. “Walden” was the name of the book and it was a book that contained to story or plot. The book contained the basis for the branch of Romanticism called Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism was a theory in which everything that goes on with society is just a larger recreation of what goes on within our very own Mother Nature. Thoreau is basically the man that sparked environmentalist movements, but he didn’t do it through work, he did it through plain and simple observations of the world around him.
All of these great men and philosophers have influence the thinking of you and I without even noticing it. Yet unlike the Romantics of those times, the Romantics for our times are mass-produced and widespread. Though, some of them are mocking an annoyance such as a mosquito. Each of them are seemingly driven towards the rewards of becoming a celebrity of some sort, and when that happens, that is when the message leaves the music and it just becomes a show with very little substance whatsoever. I am not saying that all of the artists today have that same envy-driven aspiration of stardom. What I am trying to convey is that the line between a good show and a true artistic form of expression is being defined clearer and bolder each day.
The Bohemian lifestyle, the oneness of a Buddhist, and the expression of an artist. Why are all of these things that a large subculture of American’s focused on in this new age? Could it be because we have a new uprising of a hippy subculture? Or is it that history’s ideas, themes, and motifs are repeating and reoccurring in a newer mainstream form of culture and philosophy? I believe that it is so; thoughts of the Romantic era in America are reoccurring in today’s society.
The Fireside Poets were poets who were widely read around the symbolic fireside, or any other place where many people would congregate to exchange stories and other means of communication. They were not only filled with themes that were very relative to the people of the time, but it was so widespread that both the aristocracy and the poor knew of these poets and their works even better. One thing that each of these poets themes shared was that they were about timeless concepts, such as death and preservation of those who have departed. Even though they shared themes of that arena, they were very rarely depressing to where you would see it as an epitaph. Today’s culture reflects this in the way of these Fireside poets reincarnated as such inspirations as Bono.
There was one Romantic poet who didn’t stray to the light of the style. This man’s name is associated with morbidity and many unpleasant memories made up his life. Edgar Allen Poe is this man. Most would look at his work’s and not ever see how it could ever be labeled as “romantic” but his form of Romanticism was indeed the most grand of them all. Wherein other writers of the time would be focusing on how so many good things can happen within a story, Poe was a rebel. He looked at the worst case scenario and through that point of view he explained to us the human’s existence, being based on a fear of some sort or another. This was destined for him to do, being a very unfortunate fellow himself. Misfortune was laden in Poe’s path. Modern-day rappers and various Alternative rock bands show very similar attitudes towards life as Poe did through their lyrics and music; each of which talking about the misfortune of the poor or ghetto life, along with un-requited love. Each of which were the basis of Poe’s themes.
The hippies and other types of new-age versions of hippies are now becoming a part of the main-stream that we have all come to know and love through moderated art and expression. Even though, during the time of the original Romantics there was no true money incentive, there were indeed thriving Romantics. One of them was not Henry David Thoreau. While others were living happy and healthy lives in their mansions and three b
edroom houses on main-street U.S.A., Henry was living in the woods writing his historically groundbreaking book in a small cabin near Walden’s Pond. “Walden” was the name of the book and it was a book that contained to story or plot. The book contained the basis for the branch of Romanticism called Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism was a theory in which everything that goes on with society is just a larger recreation of what goes on within our very own Mother Nature. Thoreau is basically the man that sparked environmentalist movements, but he didn’t do it through work, he did it through plain and simple observations of the world around him.All of these great men and philosophers have influence the thinking of you and I without even noticing it. Yet unlike the Romantics of those times, the Romantics for our times are mass-produced and widespread. Though, some of them are mocking an annoyance such as a mosquito. Each of them are seemingly driven towards the rewards of becoming a celebrity of some sort, and when that happens, that is when the message leaves the music and it just becomes a show with very little substance whatsoever. I am not saying that all of the artists today have that same envy-driven aspiration of stardom. What I am trying to convey is that the line between a good show and a true artistic form of expression is being defined clearer and bolder each day.
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