Confessions Essay Example

"Romance" with love narratives. However, becoming a romantic author doesn't automatically entail writing about love. Romanticism originated in the 18th century as a thing of opposition to the Classical or Enlightenment age literature of the 17th century. The Romantics highlighted imagination, emotion, and intuition over rationality, making their work more sentimental and consequently irrational compared to their Classical counterparts.

Numerous romantics penned works revolving around nature, the common folk, especially women and the elderly. These writers often displayed a profound attachment to the past, frequently incorporating elements of legends, medieval narratives and folklore into their writing – a trait evident in “Confessions”. Rousseau, for example, writes affectionately about a particular walnut tree that held his admiration. As he memorably said, “The thought of this walnut tree, and the minor stories it inspired, have remained warmly anchored in my memory... The opportunity to revisit it seems slight at present; however, should I ever revisit that charming location and discover my beloved walnut tree still standing, I am certain that I would bestow upon it my tearful gratitude.” In this brief snippet, Rousseau conveys his deep desire to be reunited with his cherished walnut tree – a symbol of fond remembrances for him. While this may seem overly sentimental to some, it is characteristic of romantic authors. Memory serves as the catalyst that provokes these writers into exhibiting intense emotion and passion about their subject matter.

The depicted literary method was outstandingly extraordinary when contrasted with the works of Classical authors from the 16th and early 17th centuries. The prose gravitated towards a freer, more personal, and emotive tone. While not as direct as modern

non-fiction, it signifies the development of language flexibility in writing during this period. Importantly, two respected English writers - William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge who rose to prominence after Rousseau, were known for their Romantic creations that championed this form.

It was renowned that they were excellent poets, often penning about the ordinary folks, journeys, and narratives borne from their creativity, employing straightforward and uncomplicated language. Given that the original text is in French, it's uncertain whether Rousseau actually utilized simplistic French language. Nonetheless, from perusing numerous translations conducted over time by English authors, we can conjecture that his writing style was indeed simple.

Without a doubt, these translations have been undertaken by proficient translators who succeeded in grasping and conveying virtually all the same emotions that Rousseau initially articulated in French. Recognized as one of the earliest romanticists, Rousseau also earned a reputation as a philosopher. He is celebrated for his teachings that humans inherently possess goodness, personifying the noble savage, and it's the institutions which taint this innate purity. Many followers of romanticism adopted this concept, and even in today's context, some people still apply Rousseau's theories in dealing with socio-economic reform.

Moreover, creative techniques of articulation were born from romantic ideologies. In the domain of written works, post-Rousseau romantics comprised of well-known personalities like Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and Emily Dickinson. The Romantic Period had a substantial imprint on the arts by not only generating and introducing a significant amount of esteemed authors and artists but also inspiring numerous individuals with ideas that surfaced in this timeframe. It held an instrumental part in

forming the 19th-century Modernism movement.