Here's why:
* Emphasis on Feeling: Romanticism celebrated individual emotion, especially intense, passionate feelings like love, awe, wonder, and even melancholy.
* Subjective Experience: Romantic writers focused on the individual's subjective experience of the world, emphasizing personal feelings and reactions over objective truths.
* Nature as a Source of Inspiration: Nature was often seen as a mirror to the human soul, reflecting and inspiring powerful emotions.
* Idealization of the Past and the Supernatural: Romantic literature often idealized the past, celebrating ancient myths and legends, and embraced the supernatural and the mysterious.
Examples:
* "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë: This novel is driven by passionate love, revenge, and the powerful emotions of its characters.
* "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley: It explores the dark side of human ambition and the emotional consequences of scientific hubris.
* "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe: This poem uses vivid imagery and symbolism to evoke feelings of fear, despair, and longing.
While other elements like setting, plot, and character development are also important in romantic literature, emotion is the central driving force that defines the genre and distinguishes it from other literary movements.