The cult of nature in Europe
Nature was the
Romantics’ favourite subject, a natural scenery was not just a physical thing,
as its description led to thoughts about mankind and its role in the universe.
Historically it
was a reaction against the consequences of the Industrial Revolution, which was
not only changing England’s
countryside but also the psychological relation of man to man. The contrast
between the town – the source of evil – and the country – the source of
goodness and spiritual health- is very sharp.
English Romantics
The pre-Romantic
features found in the poetry of the late 18th century (nature as the
central element) found artistic unity of expression in the Lyrical Ballads
(1798)
Wordsworth
described the rustic simplicity and beauty of nature, Coleridge its mysterious
and supernatural charm.
French Romantics
In nature the
Romantic hero finds his natural home. Exiled from the society of men, he finds
in the natural world his self-realization .
German Romantics
Nature was the
subject through which all other themes passed. Novalis (1772-1801), Ernst
Theodor Hoffmann (!776-1822), Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) see nature as a real
entity and a mysterious force at the same time: the perception of nature is a
door to the supernatural and the magical.
Italian Romantics
Nature was a
background to personal or political and patriotic themes. Foscolo described
nature in general and classical rather than personal themes, while Giacomo
Leopardi (1798-1837) moves from the description of a landscape or a rustic
scene to reflections on man’s destiny.
