This presentation is about the differences between Classicism and Romanticism. I have also included the characteristics of these terms.

1. SMT.S.B.GARDI DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
NAME :- RIDDHI H. RATHOD
PAPER NO. :-105 HISTORY OF ENGLISH
LITERATURE
TOPIC :- CLASSICISM VS. ROMANTICISM
ROLL NO. :- 19
ENROLLMENT NO. :- 4069206420220025
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2. WHAT IS CLSSICISM?
Classicism is aesthetic attitudes and principles based on
culture, art and also specific genre of philosophy, expressing
itself in literature, architecture, and music, which has Ancient
Greek and Roman sources and emphasis on society during the
fifth and fourth centuries BC. It was particularly expressed in
the Neoclassicism of the Age of Enlightenment.
 The term classicism is very broad term and it refers to the
literature of the Age of Dryden, Pope and Johnson.
In this way literature was governed more and more by rules
and regulations. In the beginning period the results were quite
amazing particularly in the prose works of the period but in the
long run it lost its charm and literature became dull, dry and
monotonous. 2

3. CLASSICISM
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 Works associated with classicism typically exhibit restraint on
the part of the author, unity of design and purpose, clarity,
simplicity, logical organization, and respect of tradition.
 Some examplesof literary classicism include Cicero’s prose, the
John Dryden and Alexander Pope, and the writings of T.S.Eliot.
 Characteristic of classicism are-
1. Belief in reason
2. Civilized ,
3. Philosophy
4. Sophisticated
5. Interest in urban society
6. Human nature, religion
7. Love, nature, satire,
8. Expression of acceptance
9. Moral truth and realism
10. Belief in good and evil

4. WHAT IS ROMANTICISM?
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 Romanticism was a literary movement that began in the
late 18th century , ending around the middle of the 19th
century- although its influence continues to this day.
 Marked by individual, a respect for nature and primitive,
and celebration of the common man, Romanticism can be
seen as a reaction to the huge changes in society that
occurred during this period, including the revolutions that
burned through countries like France and the United States,
ushering in grand experiments in democracy.
 The term Romanticism does not stem directly from the
concept of love, but rather from the French word romaunt ( a
romantic story told in verse).

5. ROMANTICISM
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 Romanticism has been variously defined and the definition of
Romanticism-
 Romanticism is “ Addition of strangeness to beauty” by Walter peter .
Watt-Dunton defines it as “ The Renaissance of Wonder.”
Legouis and Cazamian call it “An accentuated predominance of
emotional life provoked and directed by the exercise if imaginative
version.”
Characteristic of Romanticism:-
1. Celebration of Nature
2. Focus on the Individual and Spirituality
3 Celebration of Isolation and Melancholy
4 Interest in the Common Man
5 Idealization of Women
6 Personification and Pathetic Fallacy

6. Difference between Classicism and Romanticism
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Classicism Romanticism
1.Use imitate Roman poets &
ancient Greek writers with
rules & regulations.
1.Follow this writers Spenser
and Milton in this age.
2.Poetry creates for a reason.
No scope for imagination.
2.Every word in imagination.
All emotions uses in
Romanticism.
3.No Romantic spirit 3.Romantic spirit in this age
Imagination , dream…
4. Town Poetry, Aristolrat
They used to say whatever
they wanted to say
4. Country side, for common
people, primitive rise of
middle class

7. Difference between Classicism and Romanticism
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Classicism Romanticism
5. People not understand
refine meant
5. People understand
because easy language
used in it
6. Realism means Reality 6.Idealism utopian world
just like Milton
7. No use any Nature 6. Lots of use nature
8. Human nature ( 7. First nature

8. Difference between Classicism and Romanticism
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Classicism Romanticism
9. They follows rules &
regulations for proper
refinement
9.No rules & regulations
11. In classicism, they used
to say what they wanted to
say with logic and reason
because they believed that
refinement should be like
this.
10. In Romanticism,
believes that if rules and
regulation are followed,
then the emotions cannot
come out and the
emotions become
artificial.

9. cWork cited:-
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Porter, James I. "Feeling classical: classicism and
ancient literary criticism." Classical Pasts: The Classical
Traditions of Greece and Rome (2006): 301-52.
Rowthorn, Robert. "Neo-classicism, neo-Ricardianism and Marxism.“
New Left Review 86 (1974): 63-87.
Furst, Lilian R. Romanticism. Routledge, 2017.

10. Thank you
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