Romanticism was a literary movement that emerged in the late 18th century valuing emotion, individualism, and nature. It rejected the rationalism and structure of previous Neoclassical works. The first generation of Romanticists embraced the democratic ideals of the French Revolution but later generations saw man as isolated from nature. While most early Romanticists were men, some women also wrote Romantic works. Feminine Romanticism valued domestic life over radical social change and suggested a balanced system with both maternal and paternal influences was needed.