The neoclassical period directly influenced Romanticism,
and Romanticism directly influenced
Victorianism.
Romanticism was a reaction against the
neoclassical. Romantic writers rejected the emphasis on reason and on the big picture
concerning society and government. Swift, a neoclassical writer, for instance, uses
satire to ridicule the English government, as well as the English and Irish wealthy in
his essay, "A Modest Proposal." His satire is largely based on reason, as well as wit
and humor. Blake, a forerunner of Romanticism, uses a single chimney sweeper to expose
the plight of the poor in "The Chimney
Sweeper."
Romanticism emphasizes the individual and the
transcendent and nature and that which is beyond human reason, as opposed to the
neoclassical.
The early Victorian period is very much
romantic in nature. Early poems by Tennyson, for instance, contain much that is
romantic. Romanticism's influence is direct. Eventually, Victorian writers and
thinkers would reject the optimism of Romanticism, and realism and then naturalism would
become predominant. Later Victorian writers sought to present works of art that more
directly reflected reality.
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