READING LIST.
DICTIONARY.
BRITANNICA ONLINE..
The Romantic
| The Romantic Period corresponds to the 19th century. Marked by the Romantic movement in literature and art during the first third of the century, the 1900's was an age that spawned a large number of isms; Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Marxism, Darwinism, Idealism, Existentialism, Nihilism, Realism, Pragmatism, Socialism, Communism , Liberalism, etc. Behind this explosion of ideas lies the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution and the concurrent development of the modern capitalist economy. Being so close in time it is hard to get an objective view of the 19th century, but its importance for us cannot be overlooked. Perhaps a full understanding of the current 20th century will require a much firmer grasp of the previous century than we have now. |
| As is obvious from below, the number of writers included in the Romantic period far exceeds the number in former periods of the Modern Era. Perhaps this is due to the happy occurrence of a greater number of talented minds existing in the 1900's than in previous centuries, or perhaps because of the intellectual progress of the human race. More likely, however, is the simple fact that being closer in time it is harder to distinguish the true classics from the almost classics. Of the sixty-eight names listed below there are twenty-four novelists, nine philosophers, seven scientists, six mathematicians, eleven poets, two essayists, two economists, one political theorist, one biographer, three playwrights, one sociologist and one theologian. Over half are primarily literary artists. |
The Modern
| The Modern period corresponds to the first half of the 20th century. Historically this period will be remembered for its two major world wars and their geopolitical consequences. These wars devastated Europe and mark the end of European dominance in world affairs, a dominance that Europe had held since the end of the Middle Ages. Intellectually this period was astonishingly productive and original in nearly every field. Abstract art displaced representational art. Relativity and quantum mechanics revolutionized science. Psychology and sociology produced new insights into human nature. Existentialism and analytical philosophy were born, and literary artists began to experiment with technique. |
| Even more than in the case of the 19th century, our closeness in time to the early 20th century makes it very difficult to identify the most important thinkers of the period. The list of seventy-eight names below contains twenty novelists, twelve philosophers, five playwrites, eleven poets, six physicists, five mathematicians, five psychologists, two biologists, three economists, four theologians, two historians, one anthropologist and one sociologist. |
