What is the Difference Between Enlightenment and Romanticism?

Enlightenment and Romanticism are two distinct periods in history that had a significant impact on the way people thought and expressed themselves. Here are the main differences between the two:

1. Focus: Enlightenment is centered on reason, logic, and rational discourse, while Romanticism is focused on human emotion, imagination, and individual experience.
2. Universe View: Enlightenment saw the universe as mechanical and governed by fixed laws, while Romanticism viewed the universe as organic and growing in accordance with acts of will.
3. Literature: Enlightenment literature emphasized logical and rational discourse, often featuring satires, political essays, and epistolary literature. In contrast, Romantic literature valued emotions, introspection, passion, sublimity, beauty, and spontaneity.
4. Authors: Enlightenment writers often used pen names, while Romantic writers used their own names to express their individuality.
5. Subjects: Enlightenment writers focused on objective issues that concerned society as a whole, such as politics and religion. Romantic writers, on the other hand, wrote about the subjective experiences of the individual, such as one's desires, hopes, and dreams.
6. Scientific Views: The Enlightenment was more focused on natural sciences and valued the progress of science and technology. Romanticism, however, was skeptical of science and valued authenticity, moral integrity, and passion more than rationality.

In summary, Enlightenment and Romanticism differ in their focuses, views of the universe, literary styles, authorship, subjects, and scientific views. While the Enlightenment emphasized reason, logic, and the advancement of science, Romanticism focused on human emotion, imagination, and individual experience.

Comparative Table: Enlightenment vs Romanticism

Here is a table comparing the differences between Enlightenment and Romanticism:

While both Enlightenment and Romanticism were key players in reforming ideologies in contemporary history, they had distinct differences in their focus, major works, key figures, and beliefs.