Introducing Romanticism (Introducing (Icon))

Gives readers an accessible overview of the many interlocking strands of the movement, focusing on the leading figures in Britain, Germany, France, America, Italy and Russia. Romanticism is crucial to an understanding of modern Western culture. Philosophy, art, literature, music and politics were all transformed in the turbulent period between the French Revolution of 1789 and the Communist Manifesto of 1848. This was the age of the 'Romantic revolution', when modern attitudes to political and artistic freedom were born. When we think of Romanticism, flamboyant figures such as Byron or Shelley instantly spring to mind, but what about Napoleon or Hegel, Turner or Blake, Wagner or Marx, who also emerged from this great period of turmoil and change? How was it that The word "Romantic" derives from the Old French romanz, meaning the vernacular "romance" languages that developed from Latin - Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan and Provençal.