19th Century

If we were to bring a person from the 19^th century to our present day, they would be able to relate and recognize more of our modern technology and lifestyle and be shocked with how life was like just one hundred years prior to their time. So much has changed in the century leading up to the 1800’s that the way of living and thinking breaks boundaries of societal hierarchy and gives meaning to human existence. A new class system was acknowledged, and an importance of working men and women were emphasized through literature and the artwork. In this essay, I will address the historic overview of the 19^th century that steered to the Romantic era, social observations and the influence of the Industrial Revolution it has on future ambitions of big dreamers such as myself.

Many unprecedented changes were made but the one upheaval that innovated the lifestyle of the people during this time was the invention of the steam engine in 1786. Industries always used waterpower to activate their machines and get their labors done however with the help and idea of James Watts and an underrated assistant, the steam engine was born and transformed existence. With this, production was booming that manufacturing factories always needed people working on the clock. Regular shifts were put into place and people could now do night shifts because of these new machines being able to work literally 24/7. It is interesting that some of these machines could do the work of over 800 men but still provide jobs for over 700 people. This need of workers helped many lower class-men climb up the social ladder and have their voices heard which ended up with the development of the middle class-men becoming more powerful than the nobility because of the money and business that was taken in affect. The start of this revolution created the rise of urbanization which caused an unexpected response from the people which leads us to romanticism.

The overall definition of romanticism can be summarized in two words, feeling deeply. Now how did we get the words “feeling deeply” from a revolution that changes in technological advances? With factories and businesses taking over the towns and cities, people have no choice but to expand, cutting through the natural beauty of ecosystems and environments. Many people were completely in favor for it but there were many who longed for those beautiful sceneries and simple times. Nature and nostalgia can be put in the category of “feeling deeply”, but also the interest in nationalism, feeling patriotic and emotional about your country, the supernatural, a world we do not understand, and individualism truly wraps up romantic philosophy. As time keeps moving forward, the drive for individualism is heightened and brings new meaning to the individual, real, “simple” people.

Looking at romantic visual art and reading up on romantic literature helps us see the shift of societal views and class from the praise of the nobleman to the recognition of the heroic peasant. In one of the most infamous literatures of all time, Les Misérables, Victor Hugo writes about the lives of the struggling lower class-men and how some characters were able to overcome their trials while some had to just purely endure them. This book gave meaning and a place in society to the public because of the plot of the main character, Jean Valjean, who can do so much better in life if others, including himself, would give him a chance. One person did just that and was said “that the best thing was to divert him from it [Valjean’s past], and to make him believe, if only momentarily, that he was a person like any other, by treating him just in his ordinary way.” Romanticism was the birth of a new set of ideas, mind-set and a way of feeling, so reading the character development Hugo put in his story was all about the importance of the individual, emphasizing the ones that are in the bottom of the food chain who get no respect.