Home / Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Victorianism

Neo-Classicism, Romanticism and Victorian

. Neo-Classical
(mid1700s - mid 1800s)
Utilized their view of the ancient world to create order, self-control, and the promotion of ideal values.
Romantics
(1780s - 1850s)
Disillusionment with Enlightenment ideals; instead desired personal freedom, exploration of unknown, lived-experiences
Victorian
(1850s - 1900s)
Heirarchical Organization: morality, Evangelicalism, industrial work ethic, self-reliance, industriousness and individualism
1.
The Perfect Experience
Idealize how to make the experience perfect
(The experience will be critiqued)
Idealize the perfect love or experience last
(You reflect on the experience afterwards)
Idealize the perfect love or experience first
(you think of what a perfect experience WILL soon be like)
2.
Best Pursuit
Pursuit of knowledge
knowledge helps you act proper and higher status
Pursuit of experience
You jump into experiences for the sake of experiencing
Pursuit of ideal
You have a set of ideal situations and you seek them out
3.
Emotions
Emotion is reserved Expression and emotion as a bursting well, a spring of intense force Appropriate reaction to emotional stimuli and duress
4.
Understanding is derived from
Popular: The Classics is a paragon on how to act Rejection (ignore) popular beliefs Seek upper-class popularly-held beliefs of society
5.
Nature
Nature is informed with reason and knowledge "Mystic" perception of nature; nature knowable through intense experiences Nature as setting for idealized encounter
6.
Engaging Experience
Believe in neutrality; remain stoic Duality of emotions as a sensation of experience: Dimorphic Expressions Believe in opposites states of being: joy (love) vs. depression
7.
Worth of Experience
Find the reason within each thing/experience Seek the beautiful in any Experience Concentrate experiencing the bold and the beautiful
8.
Platonic Friends
Platonic love as professed ideal Platonic Love as spiritual attachment Platonic Love as sexual detachment
9.
Personal space/environment
Control personal 'environment' Against control of personal 'environment' Controlling of their personal 'environment'
10.
Logic vs. Emotion
Emotion is cowardly and ugly; use reason Logic-only is cowardly and ugly; experience emotions Escape the cowardly and the ugly; experience the beautiful
11.
The Perfect Experience
Perfect the experience Reflect on experience one had Project experience that one seeks
12.
Aesthetics
Form and function above contentment Content before form and function Form and function before content
13.
Individuals and society
Individual in society Individual above society Individual in relationship
14.
Argument appeals
Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Pathetic(pathos)Fallacy Sympathetic Fallacy (argumentum ad misercordiam)
15.
Reason and Passion
Reason over emotion Emotion then reason Reason then emotion
16.
Lifestyle and Living
Lifestyle relied on social class Preference for country living 'Lifestyle' dependant on idea pursued
17.
The Purpose of Fiction
Fiction must have a moral to the story Fiction can avoid morality and just tell a tale Fiction should inform the reader with new wisdom and insight
18.
Death
Death is inevitable but not discussed Contemplation of death and grave as unknown Contemplation of death and grave as depression and appropriate grief
19. Central Societal Fear alienation, loss of identity subsumed by the status quo and be like the average person To be exiled from one's social standing and economic class.
20. Coping with Dread Predilection with mundane and proper themes Predilection for 'weird,' 'mysterious,' 'occult,' 'monstrous,' 'diseased.' Predilection for excitement away from drudgery
21.
General ethos
objectivity, impersonality, rationality, decorum, balance, harmony, proportion and moderation subjectivity, authentic being, passion, merged duality (like a yin-yang symbol), spontaneousness, excess exepriences Sexual propriety, charity, family, self-control, self-reliance, self-discipline, and duty.
22.
Political.
Hierarchical, better-thans and less-thans Growth of humanism, egalitarianism Aligns with social and familial connections
23.
Religion.
Religion provided reason for everything More personal religion Religious affiliation dependant on social connections
24.
The Role of the Irrational.
Irrational corrupted reason Irrational aids imagination The 'irrational' as evidence of love and romance
25.
Role of Imagination.
Imagination breaks verisimilitude Imagination is the gateway to transcendental experience and spiritual truth Imagination 'fleshes out' idea to be pursued
26.
The Hero.
Predilection for the educated and proper hero Preoccupation with the hero as lone wandering adventurer Preoccupation with hero as savior from loneliness and drudgery
27.
Concept of Change.
Change disrupts order Mutability -- continual change is integral to living Change wanted for a better life; then no change
28.
Spontaneity.
Spontaniety disrupted Spontaneity must always exist Spontaneity leads to security
29.
Beauty
Beauty is a universal standard Beauty as a life truly lived Ideal 'common-held' notion of beauty
30.
Innocence
Innocence is defeated to gain knowledge but not talked about Continually both innocent and experienced Person begins innocence gains experience