Landscape is a genre of fine art, the main object of which is the image of nature both in its original and in the form modified by man. In literature, the author uses the image of nature as a figurative expression of his own design. To better understand the features of the romantic landscape in literature, it is necessary to understand the philosophy of such a direction as romanticism.
Romanticism
Romanticism is an ideological and artistic direction in the culture of the late XVIII - early XIX centuries. This direction is characterized by the assertion of the special value of the spiritual and creative life of the individual, the image of strong and willful characters, the spiritualizing and healing powers of nature. In the eighteenth century, everything that cannot be explained was called romantic, picturesque and able to exist only on the pages of books. In the nineteenth century, romanticism was embodied in a new direction, which became the exact opposite of classicism.
Romanticism is replacing the Enlightenment and coincides with the beginning of the industrial revolution (the invention of a steam engine, a steam locomotive, a steamboat, photography and so on). If the previous period of culture was characterized by a cult of reason, then a new era affirmed the opposite - the cult of feeling, of a natural person. Romanticism, which sought to restore the connection of man with nature, became the impetus for the emergence and development of tourism, mountaineering, picnics.
Romanticism in foreign literature
Romanticism originated in Germany thanks to the circle of writers and philosophers of the Jena school (a group of figures in the romantic movement). The philosophy of this direction was systematized in the works of F. Schlegel and F. Schelling. In the future, German romanticism has a special interest in mythological, fairy-tale motifs. This was particularly expressed in the work of the brothers Grimm, Hoffmann and in the early works of Heine.
English romanticism borrowed a lot from German. The first English representatives of romanticism are considered to be the poets of the "Lake School" by Wordsworth and Coleridge, who established the theoretical foundations of the direction, inspired by the works and philosophy of the first romantics. English romanticism is characterized by a special interest in the problems of society: the opposition of bourgeois society to old relations, the singing of nature and simple feelings. A striking representative of English romanticism is Byron, whose work is imbued with the theme of struggle and protest in the modern world, the praise of freedom and individuality. English romanticism also includes the works of Shelley, John Keats and William Blake.
Romanticism in Russian literature
It is generally accepted that in Russian literature romanticism first appears in the work of V. A. Zhukovsky. Russian romanticism is distinguished by freedom from the conventions of classicism, the creation of ballads and romantic drama. The works of this direction affirm a new understanding of the essence and significance of poets, their creativity, not only independence is recognized, but also a means of expressing higher goals and human aspirations.
The Russian romantic poets include K. N. Batyushkov, E. A. Baratynsky, early A. S. Pushkin. The peak of romanticism in literature is considered the work of M. Yu. Lermontov.
Features of a romantic landscape
The landscape in the literature of romanticism serves not only as a means of creating a world contrary to reality, but also corresponds to the character of the protagonist, full of suffering, melancholy, hope and rebellion. Moreover, the depiction of nature in literary works of the early nineteenth century serves as a means of expressing the central theme of the ideological and artistic direction - the struggle of dreams and reality. It is also a symbol of emotional shock and to some extent sets off the characterβs internal state.
A striking example of the use of a romantic landscape as a means of expression can serve as a poem by M. Yu. Lermontov "Mtsyri".
The protagonist escapes from the monastery during a thunderstorm - a testament to the character's freedom-loving aspirations. The nature of the Caucasus is a reflection of the heroβs world, his character, it is also unbridled, unshakable, free.
The use of a thunderstorm in describing a landscape in the literature of the Romantic era is a symbol of freedom and adherence.
Escape for the protagonist of the poem is not only deliverance from the monastery captivity, but also the beginning of the realization of his goals - returning home, gaining peace of mind. Although he did not manage to return home, the young man for the first time in his life knew freedom. Wounded by a leopard and located on his deathbed, the protagonist does not regret his fate, because he was able to break out of the gray walls of his cage, learn the beauty of the world around him, nature, momentary, but still independence.