Romanticism is Still Here

Romanticism originated in Europe at the end of the 18th century. The movement emphasized intense emotion as a source of aesthetic experience, placing a new emphasis on emotions such as apprehension, horror/terror, and awe. It especially appealed to experiences in addressing the new aesthetic categories of the sublimity and beauty of nature. Some famous writers and poets of this period include William Wordsworth, John Keats, Lord Byron, William Blake, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman. All of these names are people who have contributed greatly to the genre of romanticism, but ultimately all of them are long deceased. So a new question arises: Is Romanticism Still Alive Today? The answer to this is yes; I do not believe that Romanticism is bound to writing and famous artists. It survives today in our everyday lives. Unfortunately we live in the Midwest, starved of any great mountains, forest, desert. However, this doesn't mean our lives are devoid of romantic traits. The beauty of nature can be found everywhere, even if it doesn't appear readily available to the eye. A rabbit running across the street, squirrels climbing in the trees, or blooming flowers, the ideals of romanticism are everywhere. Even instances that don´t seem like they fit the ideals of romanticism may actually be real examples of it. For example, on a Saturday night when I was driving home after a failed stakeout for assassins, I was driving very contently when suddenly, out of the dark of the night, a possum slowly jogged across the road. I slammed on the brakes and swerved, narrowly avoided the cat-sized, rat-like creature of the night. Although this doesn't seem like a romantic encounter, it still is. Even some of the ugliest creatures on earth fit the ideals of romanticism. So short encounters like this prove to me that Romanticism is still alive today.