Many people may think that Romanticism was a thing of the past, only a small time period. However, Romanticism can be seen everywhere today. Even in science-fiction, which is one of the last things you might think of as Romantic. Sci-fi demands the watcher/reader's imagination as it twists their perception of the world. Reason would dictate that much of what occurs in sci-fi is impossible, but you automatically want to believe it is real; it triggers your imagination. In addition, by defying the natural laws, it displays the importance of nature when we notice it is missing. It draws our attention to what is missing, and the smallest parts of nature suddenly play an obvious major role. It also plays a similar role in contrasting from everyday life, allowing us appreciation of the simple parts of life we suddenly find are missing.
Strong emotion also plays an obvious role in sci-fi. Any media is not enjoyable or worthwhile unless it evokes strong emotion. Sci-fi can evoke a whole range of emotions, from fear to anger, or excitement and joy. It also articulates one individual perspective, generally a human facing an unnatural problem. This allows the reader/watcher to connect it to their own (hopefully less extreme) problems in everyday life.
I really like your point about how contrasts can also help to enhance appreciation for nature and life in general. It always seemed odd that a genre that takes pride on being so metaphorical would still take the direct approach in trying to evoke appreciation. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool take on modern examples of Romanticism. I really liked your argument about how emotions are brought out in all media and art forms and how the genre falls right under this category.
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