artists, poets, writers, musicians, as well as political, philosophical and social thinkers of second half of the late 18th to mid 19th centuries; by which, it avoided the classical forms and rules, emphasis on the emotional and spiritual representation of the unattainable ideal, nostalgia for the grace of past ages. Particularly, the romanticism originated in Britain and throughout Europe 1770-1848 with the publication of Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poems by William words worth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge; in which they considered the beginning of English literary romanticism. {Reidhead, 2006}

The Romantic Era is a time in history that was surrounded by war. The Seven Years' War (1756–1763), as well as the French and Indian War (1754–1763). These wars, along with the political and social turmoil that goes along with them, serve as the background for Romanticism. The strong feelings that wartime produces served as a catalyst for an outpouring of art and literature, the likes of which had never been seen before. The writing was so different in fact, that is sparked its own new "era"- The Romantic Era.

Romanticism has equally been used to refer to a complex artistic, literary, social trends, and intellectual movement that gained strength, after the French Revolution, in a reaction against to the Industrial Revolution, istocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment , the stilted forms, schemata, and canons of classicism and, at times, sentimentalism and a against the scientific rationalization of nature. Philosophical, it was revolted against rationalism. It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography, education, and natural history.

The European Romantic movement reached America in the early nineteenth century. American Romanticism was just as multifaceted and individualistic as it was in Europe. Like the Europeans, the American Romantics demonstrated a high level of moral enthusiasm, commitment to individualism and the unfolding of the self, an emphasis on intuitive perception, and the assumption that the natural world was inherently good, while human society was filled with corruption. {Berlin, Isaiah, 1999}

This ideological movement in literature, art, and music and a world view arose toward the end of the 18th century in Germany, England, and France. In the beginning of the 19th century, it spread to Russia, Poland, and Austria, and in the mid-19th century it encompassed other countries of Europe as well as North and South America. Worthily, it is a remarkable place to throw some lights on the early well-known romantics such as; Robert Burns, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Coleridge and on the later well-known romantics for instance; George Cordon, John Keats, Mary Shelly and Jane Austen.

Paramount features of romanticism were idealism, a belief in the natural goodness of the individual person, and, hence, the cult of feeling as opposed to reason; a predilection for the more ‘primitive’ expressions of human creativity as being closer to the fundamental goodness of the person and, hence, an enthusiasm for folk art, poetry, and songs; a belief in the perfectibility of the individual person and, hence, a predilection for change and the espousal of ‘striving’ as a mode of behavior; and a search for historical consciousness and an intensified learning of history (historicism), coupled at times with an escape from surrounding reality into an idealized past or future or into a world of fantasy. The Romantic world view fostered its own style and gave rise to specific genres of literature: ballads, lyrical songs, romances, and historical novels and dramas. {Workman, 1994}

To understand Romanticism better, it is very important to learn about the Romanticism characteristics , let us look, briefly, at some of the them which influenced all the fields of that period.

1) The age of Imaginations :
It is an imagination that emphasizes over reason and it is necessary for creation on all art, feelings and instincts emphasized over reason, so emotions are important in romantic art, idealism can be made a better place it emphasizes spirit, language and mind over matter, inspiration: artists, musicians and writers are inspired creators rather than technical masters they spontaneity favored over precision and individuality: importance of individual, unique, even eccentric, bold, romantic hero, rejection of absolute system such as religion and philosophy. {Murray,2004}

2) Love of Nature :
One of the fundamentals of Romanticism is the belief in the natural goodness of man, the idea that man in a state of nature would behave well but is hindered by civilization, for that "man is born free and everywhere he is in chains". The "savage" is noble, childhood is good and the emotions inspired by both beliefs causes the heart to soar. On the contrary, urban life and the commitment to "getting and spending," generates a fear and distrust of the world. If man is inherently sinful, reason must restrain his passions, but if he is naturally good, then in an appropriate environment, his emotions can be trusted.

Romantics stressed the awe of nature in art and language and the experience of sublimity through a connection with nature , it links purely human with nature. Romantics rejected the rationalization of nature by the previous thinkers of the Enlightenment period.

The Romantics greatly emphasized on the importance of nature, and one of the main characteristics of Romanticism in poetry is the beauty of nature found in the country life. This was mainly because the industrial revolution had taken man from the peaceful country life towards the city life, transforming man's natural order. Nature was not only appreciated for its physical beauty by the Romantics, but also for its ability to help the urban man find his true identity.{Holmes, Richard, 2009}

3) The Powerful of Feelings and Emotions :
Unlike the Neoclassical age which focused on rationality and intellect, Romanticism placed human emotions, feelings, instinct and intuition above everything else. While the poets in the former era adhered to the rules and regulations while selecting a subject and writing about it, the Romantic writers trusted their emotions and feelings to create poetry. This belief can be confirmed from the definition of poetry by William Wordsworth, where he says that "poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings". Although Wordsworth qualifies this assertion by suggesting that the poet is a reflective man who recollects his emotion "in tranquility," the emphasis on spontaneity, on feeling, and the use of the term overflow mark sharp diversions from the earlier ideals of judgment and restraint. The emphasis on emotions was also spread to music created in the Romantic period, and was seen in the compositions made by great musicians like Weber, Beethoven, etc. {Berlin, Isaiah, 1999}

4) Reform how we see the world in the arts and literature :
As the Romantic period emphasized on emotions, the position or role of the artist or the poet also gained supremacy. In the earlier times, the artist was seen as a person who imitated the external world through his art. However, Romanticism reverted this belief. The poet or artist was seen as a creator of a piece of work which reflected his individuality and inner mind.{Honour, 1979}

Romanticism in British literature developed in a different form slightly later, mostly associated with the poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whose co-authored book Lyrical Ballads (1798) sought to reject Augustan poetry in favour of more direct speech derived from folk traditions. Both poets were also involved in utopian social thought in the wake of the French Revolution.

American Romanticism embraced the individual and rebelled against the confinement of neoclassicism and religious tradition. The Romantic movement in America created a new literary genre that continues to influence American writers. Novels, short stories, and poems replaced the sermons and manifestos of yore. Romantic literature was personal, intense, and portrayed more emotion than ever seen in neoclassical literature.

The writing of the Romantic Era was vastly different from the writing that came before it, in that it spoke to the “common” people. Romantics strived towards the goal that literature and the arts were for everyone, commoners, not just wealthy aristocracy. Much of the writing pre-dating the romantic era was written for, and in the style of, only the wealthy upper class. {Murray,2004}

Although in literature romantic elements were known much earlier, as in the Elizabethan dramas, many critics now date English literary romanticism from the publication of Wordsworth and Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads (1798). In the preface to the second edition of that influential work (1800), Wordsworth stated his belief that poetry results from “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,” and pressed for the use of natural everyday diction in literary works. Coleridge emphasized the importance of the poet's imagination and discounted adherence to arbitrary literary rules.

5) Poetry :
Romantic poets cultivated individualism, reverence for the natural world, idealism, physical and emotional passion, an interest in the mystic and supernatural, the poets become free of neoclassicism, become bold rather than restrain, become experimental rather then consigned to the rules of composition and genre and become suggestive rather than precisely clear. Moreover, the greatest literary works depends also on the songs of innocence like joy of childhood and songs of experience as to recognize evils all around us.
Such English romantic poets as Byron, Shelley, Robert Burns, Keats, Robert Southey, and William Cowper often focused on the individual self, on the poet's personal reaction to life. This emphasis can also be found in such prose works as the essays of Charles Lamb. The interest of romantics in the medieval period as a time of mystery, adventure, and aspiration is evidenced in the Gothic romance and in the historical novels of Sir Walter Scott. William Blake was probably the most singular of the English romantics. His poems and paintings are radiant, imaginative, and heavily symbolic, indicating the spiritual reality underlying the physical reality.{Workman, 1994}

6) Rejects Absolute System :
Resulting in part from the libertarian and egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution, the romantic movements had in common only a revolt against the prescribed rules of classicism. It comes as a reaction to the enlightenment way of thinking whom focuses on scientific objectivity, classical Greeks and Romans, optimistics about present, followed standards and traditions and nature controlled by man. After long words, we can say that Romantics rejected rationalism and religious intellect. {Grewe,2009}

7) Individual :
The idea of man's natural goodness and the stress on emotion also contributed to the development of Romantic individualism, if a man may properly express his unique emotional self because its essence is good, he is also likely to assume also that its conflicts and corruptions are a matter of great import and a source of fascination to himself and others. So, the Romantic delights in self-analysis. Both William Wordsworth (in The Prelude) and Lord Byron (in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage), poets very different from one another, felt the need to write lengthy poems of self-dramatization. {Lim, 2002}

Nationalism :
The works of the Romantic Era are a vast and unique collection of literary works. However, they can all be said to have at least these characteristics: A love of nature, a sense of nationalism, and a sense of exoticism/the supernatural. These simple characteristics can be linked back to the fact that these works were being written in time of political turmoil. For example, the nationalism that is seen in Romantic works may be attributed to the fact that the authors of the time were proud of their country, had pride in their people, and their “cause”. It was the writers’ own way of contributing to the fight.
As the Romantics became interested and focused on developing the folklore, culture, language, customs and traditions of their own country, they developed a sense of Nationalism which reflected in their works. Also, the language used in Romantic poems were simple which was usually used in everyday life.{Fay,2002}

9) Supernatural :
Another characteristic of Romanticism is the belief in the supernatural. The Romantics were interested in the supernatural and included it in their works. This fascination for the mysterious and the unreal also lead to the development of the Gothic romance which became popular during this period. Supernatural elements can be seen in Coleridge's, 'Kubla Khan' and in Keats' poem 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci'. {Marcel,1966}


To conclude , no Romantic writer or artist followed any kind of rules or regulations, it is actually a little difficult to define the Romanticism characteristics accurately. Nevertheless, these are some of the characteristics of Romanticism that reflect in the works of that period. Though many writers and critics have said that Romanticism is irrational, one thing that cannot be denied is that it attempted to portray the world, especially human nature in a new light.


Bibliography

Berlin, Isaiah, (1999), The Roots of Romanticism. London
Marcel, Brion ,(1966), Art of the Romantic Era.
Fay,Elizabeth,( 2002 ), Romantic Medievalism. History and the Romantic Literary Ideal , Palgrave.
Grewe, Cordula, (2009), Painting the Sacred in the Age of German Romanticism. Burlington .
Holmes, Richard, (2009) , The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science
Honour, Hugh, (1979) , Romanticism, Westview Press.
Lim, Cwisfa,( 2002) , Romanticism - The dawn of a new era.
Murray, Christopher,(2004) , Encyclopedia of the romantic era .
Reidhead , (2006), "Norton Anthology of English Literature.
Workman, Leslie J.,( 1994) , "Medievalism and Romanticism," .[/color