Nature: Romanticism celebrated nature as a source of inspiration, beauty, and spiritual renewal. Expect descriptions of wild landscapes, powerful natural forces, and the connection between humans and the natural world.
Individualism: The Romantic era emphasized the individual's experience, emotions, and intuition over societal norms and reason. You'd see characters who are rebellious, nonconformist, and driven by passion.
Emotion and Imagination: Romanticism valued emotional intensity and the power of the imagination. Expect stories filled with passionate love, despair, joy, and the exploration of the subconscious mind.
Supernatural and the Mysterious: Romanticism was fascinated by the unknown, the mysterious, and the supernatural. You might find elements of folklore, mythology, ghosts, dreams, and the search for hidden truths.
The Sublime: Romanticism explored the feeling of awe and terror inspired by powerful natural phenomena and the vastness of the universe. Expect depictions of majestic landscapes, storms, and the sublime experience of being overwhelmed by nature's grandeur.
Art and Beauty: Romanticism placed a high value on art and beauty as expressions of the soul. You'd find discussions of music, poetry, painting, and how art can transcend the everyday and connect us to deeper truths.
Social Justice and Revolution: Many Romantic writers were politically engaged and wrote about social injustice, oppression, and the need for revolution. Expect stories that challenge authority, fight for the rights of the marginalized, and advocate for social change.
Heroic Individuals: Romanticism often featured characters who are heroic, idealistic, and willing to sacrifice everything for their beliefs. These individuals are driven by passion, love, and a desire to make a difference in the world.
Examples of Romantic literature include:
* Poetry: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats
* Novels: Mary Shelley's *Frankenstein*, Jane Austen's *Pride and Prejudice*, Victor Hugo's *Les Misérables*, Emily Brontë's *Wuthering Heights*
* Plays: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's *Faust*
Remember, Romanticism was a diverse movement with many different interpretations and styles. The themes above provide a general framework, but individual authors within the movement explored these ideas in their own unique ways.