Peter Batten has Romantic thoughts…

Do you know that beautiful song from the 1930s? It always reminds me of those years in the 1950s when I was learning to play jazz. There were certain songs that I wanted to be able to play and this song was high on the list. It also reminds me that by the 20^th century the word ‘Romantic’ had become meaningless. Anything could be ‘Romantic’: a perfume, a view, a novel, a dinner by candlelight, a song, a picture…

But the word does have one meaning which is very significant. During the 18^th century an important change in the culture of Europe and North America began to emerge. Eventually the word ‘Romantic’ began to be used and the new artistic movement was dubbed ‘Romanticism’. By the middle of the 19^th century the movement was considered to be dying. Not everyone agreed, but after World War I many critics began to use the term, ‘Modernism’ to describe a new cultural movement which, they felt, had replaced Romanticism. But has the era of Romanticism really passed? In my literature teaching in recent years I have found myself frequently involved in discussions of this question. My belief is that we are still in that era. Continue reading Isn’t it Romantic? →