HISTORY OF IDEAS - Romanticism 

On Mondays I'm a calm and resigned stoic. On Tuesdays I'm a busy capitalist. On Wednesdays I'm a coldly practical Darwinist. On Thursdays I'm a wound up nationalist. On Fridays I'm an energized anarchist. On weekends I'm a passionate, euphoric romantic. I am never bored with life.

For a long time, I thought of romance as feelings of love. But now that I’ve watched this, romance associates with expression, sentiment and elements of nature. Music in this era has heartwarming melodies. Poems and writings express their expressive sentiments, and art makes use of the artists use of nature and emotion to make romance yet one of the best art and literature movements.

"A sensitive, doomed person - often an artist - rejected by a cruel, vulgar world"... ;(

Romanticism is swimming in an ocean of feels; where the intensities of sadness and madness are so real, they feel as real as the breaking waves and pulling tides. By all means, swim in the ocean; but don't attempt to live in it.

*_"Classicism is health, romanticism is disease."_* - Goethe Fascinating irony considering his romance novel ignited western cultures love affair with romanticism.

Excellent video, in every aspect, but I do have disagree with one thing: <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="404">06:44</a> - "Romantics don't believe in God." Rousseau in fact, may, in some way, be viewed to have invented a wholly new way of believing in God - a completely emotional one. He writes in one of his letters that sometimes in dark night he doubts there is a God, but as soon he sees the beautiful sunrise his faith returns to him. This is a complete, 180 turn from the view that the existence of God must be based on arguments, something which is apparent in Aquinas and Descartes. I myself do not accept this view (and neither romanticism), but it is to be mentioned that a true romantic is likely to believe (or disbelieve) in God simply from strength of his emotions.

The 3D effect Thomas Cole "slideshow" is fantastic. Well done to your graphics person!

How could you skip the music and composers such as Frederic Chopin?

Love this, but I'm not sure about an age of maturity. That doesn't sound romantic enough! Professional flaneurs sounds better.

I think you guys missed a trick with this one, romantic music is one of the defining aspects of the movement. The composers of the time wrote huge amounts about what their art meant to them, and I find it strange to talk about Romanticism without Beethoven, or german Lieder through Schubert. Even Wagner was after the sublime through his opera, though I know he's associated with the nationalistic aspects of Romanticism. Also I'll mention for anyone interested in the topic: ETA Hoffman, Sturm und Drang, Schiller, Heine, Schumann, Lizst, Innigkeit, and Organicism (Beethoven Symphony no.5 being a good example). From your friendly neighbourhood music student.

This video makes romantic ideas look like a senseless fool's paradise while actually it was one of the most glorious periods for Literature , Arts and Aesthetics; romantic ideals are what makes humans out of flesh machines and compell us to reconsider perhaps the most vital need - a fulfilled existence.

When I watch their videos. I feel like I am in a completely different world. The mix of their direction and narration is something I have never ever seen. It feels so profound.

This is a perfect introduction to the idea of Romanticism for my 12 grade English students. Short, to the point, and visually entertaining. Plus it makes connections to today's artists. Something I was telling them before I found your video. I am adding it to my bag of trick.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="136">02:16</a> "Da fuck did I just read...?!" :-D

Who had to watch this for class? and now has an assignment but knows absolutely nothing?

I've become disillusioned with rationality lately. As the comments section of any youtube video prove, people of two opposing viewpoints can argue through highly rationalized claims, just to end up going no where. One might as well let the whims of emotion and personal taste govern everything, because people already use rationality and logic to justify those kinds of viewpoints. If I don't like something, I'll simply find ways to argue against it.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="512">8:32</a> I wanted to be a doctor but there was no way I could watch videos like this or read a book for enjoyment under the stress if intense academia. My job now allows me to a make a living (enough to support myself) and in return I can be a flaneur. I love it.

I'm a full time, professional, flaneur!

Your videos are so informative and straight to the point. I recall my high school teachers wondering off on tangents and not really explaining the premise of such eras in time, how they spread, their significance etc, but you do this wonderfully!

So what it was like 17 century emo movement? My bad, 18 century.

This channel is so inspiring! I feel like it it can seriously help bring about a new era for humanity!

Excellent overview...with one glaring omission: Robert Burns, Scotland’s bard- his “To a Mouse” is quintessential to the Romantic sensibility. This is a fundamental contribution (among many!) from Burns.

This channel is wonderful! I miss classes on philosophy, litterature, etc... I chose the scientific route (physics engineering) but I always had love for culture in general. Thank you for filling that gap in my soul! Culture is perspective and perspective leads to a better self in a world you will change.

In terms of animation, this is your best video yet.

These visuals are killer.

A painting in this video, Cavalry by Jan Brueghel, I saw a few weeks ago, quite vivid & emotive.

I am currently reading Richard Sennett's recent "Building and Dwelling" for uni. When he starts praising walking as a noble act, I had to go back to this video. I love it so much that I get goosebumps. Thank you so much, School of life!

I have never seen this beautiful video on Romantic Period. Loved your presentation sir. Namaste from Nepal.

who else is here because they've been assigned a project?

Despite of the bad things, I really like romanticism era the most, just because how the people take their feelings so seriously and express it in the best way. How they admire love and nature, and even the naivety seems sweeter than the coldness of modernism. I just think people need to step back for a moment and look up to this period time just to learn and take a lil bit example on how to be in touch with our heart.

I do not have words as of now, for how motivated i am feeling after watching this video... thanks @The School Of Life Will for sure reach back to you guys one day...

I think this is the best video of The School of life since they started producing videos. Thanks for that! Cheers

I can’t believe I’m just now finding this video but thank you for this. So well done.

I'm absolutely fascinated by this movement ! In Shelley's Frankenstein I was deeply touched by the sensitivity the emerged from the text and how beautifully the emotions were written, I had no idea there was a whole movement linked to it, I can't wait to discover more ! On a side note : idk if you're French speaking but your French pronunciation is excellent, it's quite refreshing as the language tends to be butchered by English speakers (no offense I just feel like generally speaking not a lot of people even bother to try to pronounce things correctly in French)

This video brought me so much Joy. What an amazing video on just how important for all of us to have some romantic beliefs if we want to live in a beautiful world

"An age of maturity" - loved it!

This was the shift Wordsworth registered when in the Preface he located the source of a poem not in outer nature but in the psychology of the individual poet, and specified that the essential materials of a poem were not the external people and events it represented but the inner feelings of the author, or external objects only after these have been transformed by the author's feelings. Norton Anthology Volume D Romantic period page 9!!!!!!!!

I love the School of Life videos. Beautifully narrated and illustrated. Brilliant

I've learnt more watching your videos over the last few weeks than I learnt my entire time in school.

This is a wonderful piece of culture and lecture. Not only is it well informed and packaged in a way that is convenient and comprehensive, it also adds quite a bit of extra pieces that go above and beyond to demonstrate the ideals and impact that are harbored within Romanticism. Especially, the voicing and pronunciation of the writers and their respective cities proves to be a phenomenal addition to the piece, elevating it--at least in my mind--to a much greater degree of excellence than it otherwise would have settled. Very well done

the way the narrator narrated this video is also Romanticism . am your fan already...🌱

One of my favorite periods ! I loved recognizing all those paintings and the way you played with them , good job on the editing :)

Thank you for the work that goes into these videos! For the uninitiated, they're an engaging and informative resource. I appreciate how there's always a suggestion or message about how each way of thinking can be applied to modern day life.

Romanticism want us to be move backward to our childhood mindset but then it remind me of Kierkegaard "life can understand backward but it must be live forward"

The voice sounds so attractive. It's like staring at a beautiful landscape and you can't keep your eyes off of it. Love the videos!

This is perfect! I'm teaching romanticism now and this video hits all the topics and tropes I refer to! Thanks Alain! You are swell!

Wow, what a brilliant dialog between modernity and Romanticism!

This guy is brilliant! I love everything that he does. And that pronunciation too! The school of Life is a wonderful invention. Brilliant!

One of the greatest videos you guys have made (don't know how accurate it is, but I sure learned something).

Alain, if this was a restaurant I'd like to give my compliments to the video editor! (Haha) for designing the visualization for the flow of your dialogue smoothly and creatively. Keep on making these and I beg that you never stop doing these great videos :)

I'm currently writing a report on Romanticism and this is going to help a great deal. Thank you!

I love love love this! Great work. If only history class could be anything like this!

"most of them didn't believe in God" lmao no

The animation in this video was gorgeous! :)

This video has superb production values from the get-go. A labour of love with all the graphic embellishments that didn’t have to be as great as they are to tell the story. Bravo!

The voice of the narrator and the speed are perfect!

This video was, hands down, the BEST romantic period video!! Thank you! I'm using this for my lesson tomorrow!

I just realized that this is what I am!

The editing and visuals in this video is glorious!

The animations is godly OMG!

1813 was a significant year for the romantic movement, as the more classical based British Poet Laureate Henry Pye ( 1745 - 1813 ) died and the then most popular English Lakeland poet Robert Southey ( 1774 - 1843 ), a true romantic poet became British Poet Laureate, so British romanticism it can be said was officially public then. Also the great opera composers, Wagner in Germany ( 1813 - 1883 ) and Verdi in Italy ( 1813 - 1901 ) were born in 1813, so that year became hugely significant in romantic musical history!

An age of Maturity! Gosh, lets hope. I love this video, you used some of my most favourite paintings ever, it was beautiful.

This channel is seriously gold.

I am soooo glad I found this channel

Romanticism is so lovely! For some time, I've wanted to reintegrate my inner-child, I've really lost touch with it. I also believe civilization today may be responsible for some of my inner turmoil. Maybe it's not the villain William Wordsworth seemingly makes it out to be though. Just as the worst parts of civilization can perhaps be softened by the best parts of Romanticism, perhaps the best parts of civilization can soften the worst parts of Romanticism. Maybe an acceptable aim is the perfect marriage between man and nature.

This was a great video and really helped me better understand the some of the subject matter of a book I'm currently reading on Romantic English poetry!

Very helpful. I used this in my Music Appreciation class to help students understand the attitudes of the era.

Man!!! These videos are really good. My lecture made us watch this video, when explaining about romanticism. I must say, I never expected this kind of quality content on RU-vid. Good job!! I'm really amused by the the work.

This came at a great time while I started reading Notes from the Underground and just got to the part where he talks about romanticism coming into russia. You guys should consider actually doing videos about great books like that and giving an analysis. Nice video

I'm going to write an essay on Romantic Drama and this has helped me a lot to get a good overview of the time period and its impact. Thank you for this. I'm now going to watch the video about Jane Austen, on of my favourite writers of all time x

if youre from my english class. time stamps for the questions are <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="23">0:23</a> <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="59">0:59</a> <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="111">1:51</a> <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="270">4:30</a> <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="377">6:17</a> <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="466">7:46</a> <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="511">8:31</a> <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="575">9:35</a>

This really deserves a part two. So many things to tell about Romanticism, especially its link with if the rise of Nationalism in Europe, the best examples are Verdi or Wagner.

Excellent work guys!

Thomas Chatterton is my ancestor (Great great so on so on Uncle), he never really gets mentioned.

This is I feel a crucial thing to reflect on right now. We are as a civilization emerging from our modern puberty.

the ending script truly hits the point!

School Of Life, please do one of History Of Ideas - Modernism!

Great job on the visuals!

Dionisios Solomos, a trully great and deep poet brought me here, collecting pieces to help me understand the fragments of his work

Learned so much. I'm reading about Samuel Palmer, the British Romantic Artist who extolled The Ancients. Thanks.

who's here cuz of there English teacher

Wonderful. Inspiring and beautifully illustrated.

The Flaneurs stroll through Renoir, Pissaro, and Caillboitte, was indeed brilliant.

I love The School of Life. You guys rock!

sadly throughout history greed always wins, and those with the best ideas and intentions just become class topics

So beautifully made! Keep up the good work.

I love the visuals and animations.

One of your best videos Alain. Superb summary of crucial points in the romantic movement presented in a video that can be artistically appreciated even independently of the content. Bravo! :)

"...although romantics do not believe in God..." [citation needed]

very very beautifully made animation guys!

This channel is absolutely amazing

Loved that! Good on you, TSOL!

Very well done, albeit sketchy. Would have included more on the art of Caspar David Friedrich (besides one brief glimpse), Turner, the French Symbolists, the Pre-Rafaelites, Gothic literature (Poe, et al.) and the revival of metaphysical studies (paganism, occultism, etc.).

Where you said romantics don't believe in God, I have to disagree the love of purity in nature is in part what lead me to God. Also that map part was really cool and added greatly to the overall video production.

Thanks for making this! Makes life so much easier!

wow i learn more about history and the grand ideas of life on this channel than i ever did in school!

So romanticism is the middle-age crisis of human history? Joke aside, romanticism and renaissance are my favourite eras. Also, NO VICTOR HUGO? He's a romantic as far as I know, but still I'm not sure. His characters are outsiders, rebels and have the feels, but he likes being practical too and is involved with politics.

I like both the content and the style of your vids.

This is such a concise, well made, and quality video. Really helped with my art assignment! Thank You.

Wonderfully helpful video - a number of our tutors use this for their lessons. Concise and well presented. Excellent work!