Against Romanticism

Against Romanticism: From Enlightenment to Enfrightenment and the Culture of Slavery

This book looks at the philosophy, politics and history of many different art forms arguing that Romanticism is dominating modern culture to the detriment of Enlightenment ideals. In recent times Enlightenment ideas have been characterised as cold, hard science, while Romanticism has been perceived as the 'caring' philosophy. However, Romanticist emotions lead to self-absorption, escapism and diversion, yet during the Enlightenment, emotion was not only a very important part of Enlightenment philosophy but was the basis of the philosophes' ideas for combating injustice in society. Throughout the last two centuries, any Enlightenment movements that tried to highlight the plight of the poor or unite the working class (Sentimentalism, Realism, Social Realism, Socialism) have been excluded, swamped or submerged by Romanticist movements that ultimately pose no threat to the status quo. In other words, just as the Right tries to remake the Left in its own image (to disarm it), the Romanticists try to remake the Enlightenment in theirs (catharsis without progressive social change), thus, maintaining a 'culture of slavery'.