Romanticist essay/presentation

Brooke Gugel
8 December 2007

Instead of viewing the world with austere guidelines, romantics viewed the world with unlocked hearts and unchained minds. The Romantic age changed the way in which the world was viewed. “View the world with an open mind,” a bold statement that Romantics would collectively agree with. Views from the Romantic Age continue to elicit themselves into modern society. The Beatles, a popular rock band of the twentieth-century, wrote a song entitled “All You Need is Love.” This song illustrates the modern day effects of the Romantic Movement.
A viewpoint implying that “with love everything is possible” is a Romantic idea. Not all Romantic literature thrives on the theme of love; however, this particular song, inscribed by The Beatles, does articulate the power of love. When The Beatles sing “All You Need is Love,” they are mirroring Alphonse’s open-minded prediction that tribulations can be solved purely by love. In Mary Shelley’s romantic novel Frankenstein Alphonse, Victor Frankenstein’s father believes that if his son marries Elizabeth, his troubles will disappear because the two love one another. Throughout The Beatles’ song, a sense of encouragement for the average man is depicted. One line of the song states, “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done” This vocalization is meant to encourage every man, especially the middle-class man, to do his best because nothing is impossible. Giving common man the supreme attention was not only something The Beatles did, but it was also something that Romantic writers often did. Romantic writers wrote for the common people using familiar language. They wanted ordinary people to be able to feel and understand their writings.
Writers during the Romantic Age believed that it was time to elucidate literature for all classes of society. With free minds and unbolted hearts, writers tailored the literary world from its limiting concrete structure to a vast and boundless ocean. In modern day the effects of the Romantic Age can still be seen. The Beatles song, “All You Need is Love,” is just one of the many zealous examples of modern romantic works. It holds true to multiple romantic characteristics, not only does the song portray an optimistic and open-minded view on the positive effects of love, but it also conveys a sense of importance to the middle-class by directing the song to the middle-class audience. With the new outlook on literature writing, Romantic authors modified the way modern artists portray the surrounding world.